ROWER SANITA PUSPURE has been named the Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year at the end of a 2019 in which she won her second successive World Championships gold medal in the single sculls.
Puspure, who turns 38 on Saturday, also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by way of her semi-final victory at the Worlds in Ottensheim, Austria during the summer.
Only weeks beforehand, Puspure had returned to Latvia to be with her sister, Inese, during the final stages of her battle with cancer.
The Cork adoptee accepted her award from Sonia O’Sullivan at a ceremony in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel on Friday afternoon, succeeding 2018 world-champion boxer Kellie Harrington.
Kerry woman Mary Geaney, who captained her native county to All-Ireland football glory before leading Cork’s camogie team to All-Ireland success — the first-ever player to achieve such a feat — received the Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award.
Monthly winners
December (2018): Mona McSharry – Swimming
January: Phil Healy – Athletics
February: Ciara Mageean – Athletics
March: Rachael Blackmore – Horse Racing
April: Leona Maguire – Golf
May: Jenny Egan – Canoeing
June: Katie Taylor – Boxing
July: Kate O’Connor and Rhasidat Adeleke – Athletics
August: Sanita Puspure – Rowing
September: Niamh Kilkenny – Camogie and Lyndsey Davey – Gaelic Football
October: Denise O’Sullivan – Soccer
November: Róisín Upton – Hockey
Overall Winner
Sainta Puspure – Rowing
utstanding Contribution to Sport Winner
Mary Geaney