49th Texaco Sportstars Awards shortlist announced.
Eighteen sports make up list from which Texaco Sportstars will be chosen
With just one year to go until the longest running sports sponsorship in Ireland celebrates its 50th anniversary, the shortlist of eighteen sports from which this year’s 49th Texaco Sportstars of the Year Award winners will be selected has been announced.
Amongst the sports that have made it through to the final shake-up are cycling, motor sport, greyhound racing and sailing. Other sports featuring on the shortlist are athletics, boxing, camogie, gaelic football, golf, horse racing, hurling, rowing, rugby, snooker, soccer, swimming, ladies football and equestrian.
Chosen by a panel of national sports editors, the winners to whom awards will be presented this year will be announced in two weeks time. This will be followed by the awards ceremony to be held in Dublin on Wednesday, 22nd November at which An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD will officiate.
Also presented on that evening will be the Texaco Hall of Fame Award, which goes to a prominent sports personality from the past, and the Texaco Special Achievement Award which is presented annually to a prominent person from the world of sport, who is not eligible to receive a Texaco Sportstars Award. The winners of these two awards will be announced shortly.
Commenting, Texaco Country Chairman, Declan McAndrew said ‘we applaud those who will be selected as Texaco Sportstars Award winners this year. They will join a unique grouping of Irish sports personalities and former Texaco award winners upon whose shoulders rests the honor of having brought the event forward from its inception in 1957 into its 50th year in 2007’.
END.
1st November 2006
Ireland’s success in world and European competition reflected in the 2006 Texaco Sportstars Awards recipients
DUBLIN, IRELAND - 15 NOVEMBER 2006 - Ireland’s success in World and European competition is reflected in the ten stars chosen to receive this year's 2006 Texaco Sportstars of the Year Awards. Selected by Sports Editors representing print and broadcast media, north and south, from a shortlist of eighteen sports, the full line-up of Texaco award winners for 2006 comprises:
| ATHLETICS |
Derval O’Rourke |
| BOXING |
Bernard Dunne |
| EQUESTRIAN SPORT |
Jessica Kuerten |
| GAELIC FOOTBALL |
Kieran Donaghy |
| GOLF |
Padraig Harrington |
| HORSE RACING |
Aidan O’Brien |
| HURLING |
Henry Shefflin |
| ROWING |
Gearoid Towey
Eugene Coakley
Richard Archibald
Paul Griffin |
| RUGBY |
Denis Leamy |
| SOCCER |
David Healy |
Two additional awards will be presented to the Texaco Hall of Fame and Special Achievement Award winners, both of whose names will be announced shortly. Of the thirteen stars who will receive awards, including the four-man rowing team, six are being honoured for the very first time. They are Derval O’Rourke, Jessica Kuerten, Kieran Donaghy, Denis Leamy, David Healy and Bernard Dunne.
Commenting, Texaco Country Chairman Declan McAndrew said "Ireland’s profile as an international sporting nation is underlined by the calibre of this year’s Texaco Award winners. Their success in domestic and international competitions has brought pride and joy to the Irish people and is an inspiration to a younger generation that will follow in their footsteps."
The 49th Texaco Sportstars Awards will be presented by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD at an awards ceremony which takes place in Dublin later this month.
Athletics: Derval O’Rourke
In Athletics, the award goes to Cork athlete Derval O’Rourke. Poised to succeed Sonia O’Sullivan as the queen of Irish athletics, Derval’s achievements in 2006 were quite outstanding. Determined to prove herself after illness cruelly curtailed her performance at the Athens Olympics, Derval showed what an exciting talent she is with her magnificent gold medal victory in the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow and her silver medal success in the 100m event after her dramatic photo-finish at the European Championships in Gothenburg.
Boxing: Bernard Dunne
In Boxing, the award goes to Bernard Dunne. Billed as one of the finest young boxers ever to come out of Ireland, the charismatic 26-year-old Dubliner capped an illustrious career at the Point last weekend when he overcame his English opponent Esham Pickering to capture the vacant European super bantamweight title. Before a capacity audience of 7,000 excited spectators, the Neilstown dynamo crafted a superb victory to win a points decision and become the first Dubliner ever to take a European title in his home town. In what was an historic night for Irish boxing, Dunne became the fifth Irishman ever to hold a European title, taking his place alongside Barry McGuigan, Rinty Monaghan, Ray Close and Charlie Nash. Boxing seriously since he was 12 years old, he is now undefeated in 22 pro contests. He turned professional with a record of 119 amateur fights behind him in which he lost on only 11 occasions, the last being a pre-Olympic qualifier in 1999.
Equestrian Sport: Jessica Kuerten
In Equestrian Sport, the award goes to Antrim rider Jessica Kuerten. 2006 was a fantastic year for Jessica, one which saw her established as the World No.2 rider. From the start of the year, she produced a series of dazzling wins. With her Danish-bred mare Quibell and German-bred mare Castle Forbes Libertina, Jessica took the spotlight winning $250,000 at the prestigious Dubai Show, and quickly adding a Mercedes by winning the Grand Prix in Zurich. Her good form continued throughout the year, and included a magnificent second place at the FEI World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
Gaelic Football: Kieran Donaghy
In Gaelic Football, the award goes to Kerry full forward Kieran Donaghy. As Kerry struggled in their early games in Munster, coach Jack O´Connor took the decision to switch Kieran from midfield to full-forward - a move that was to have a major impact on the team’s performance. Pitted against some of the best defences in the country, the 6ft 5in Kerry star was unstoppable, as the defenders of Longford, Armagh, Cork and Mayo discovered! As well as picking off some fantastic scores on his own account, he was equally impressive in the way he helped steer Kerry to another All Ireland victory, winning possession and setting up scores for the other forwards around him. Described as a classic full forward target man, he is a player hailed as being in the great tradition of Kerry full forwards.
Golf: Padraig Harrington
In Golf, the award goes to Padraig Harrington. A great season saw Padraig end up as European No.1 golfer. After a moderate beginning to the year, Padraig made a big impact at the US Open where he was in contention right up to the end, finishing in 5th place. Buoyed by his performance, he returned to Ireland where he played an important role as a member of the European team in their memorable Ryder Cup victory over the United States at the K Club. Winning the Dunhill Links title at St Andrews, he went on to clinch the Harry Vardon Trophy and the title Europe´s No.1 after a battling second place finish in the Volvo Masters.
Horse Racing: Aidan O’Brien
In Horse Racing, the award goes to trainer Aidan O’Brien. It has been an outstanding season for Aidan O’Brien, not just in Ireland but internationally. In total, he saddled a remarkable thirteen Group 1 winners worldwide in 2006. In Ireland, the highlight of his season came with his fourth win in the Irish Derby and a superb success for Dylan Thomas at the Curragh. Jockey, Kieran Fallon bided his time before Dylan Thomas left the other 12 runners to win by three and a half lengths. And there were many other stars in the O’Brien stable - George Washington, the brilliant 2,000 Guineas winner, Alexandrova, who has won both the English and Irish Oaks, Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats, and dual Group 1-winning juvenile Holy Roman Emperor.
Hurling: Henry Shefflin
In Hurling, the award goes to that great Kilkenny star, Henry Shefflin. For his consistency, his attitude and his outstanding talent, Henry wins the award in what was certainly Kilkenny´s year in hurling as they won both the League and the Championship. Though there were several star performers in the Kilkenny line-up, Henry outshone them all, finishing the year as top scorer. As Cork supporters would agree, he proved to be a huge influence on the Kilkenny team, denying the Leesiders the three-in-a-row with a brilliant performance in the All-Ireland final.
Rowing: Gearoid Towey, Eugene Coakley, Richard Archibald & Paul Griffin
In Rowing, the award goes to Gearoid Towey, Eugene Coakley, Richard Archibald & Paul Griffin. In what has been another fantastic year for the Irish Lightweight Four, their record in the three World Cup events is nothing short of remarkable. Taking silver in Munich, gold in Poznan, and gold in Lucerne, they became the first ever Irish crew to win the World Cup series outright. Then at the World championships in Eton they took bronze, after being pipped by France for the silver by the tiniest of margins...nine hundredths of a second.
Rugby: Denis Leamy
In Rugby, the award goes to Munster and Irish international Denis Leamy. In such a memorable year for Irish rugby, a year in which Ireland won the Triple Crown and Munster finally got their hands on the European Cup, the task of choosing a star was one that proved most difficult. While a case was made for several players, it was the sheer consistency of this Tipperary man that swung the judges - a factor that makes the award all the better for Denis given that he beat off so many outstanding contenders to take the trophy. His courage, his power, and his ability to score memorable tries like the one for Ireland at Twickenham, when victory over England clinched the Triple Crown are especially remembered. So too are his heroic defensive qualities so often illustrated with Munster in this fantastic year.
Soccer: David Healy
In Soccer, the award goes to Northern Ireland international David Healy. For the Leeds United striker, this has been an exceptional year, one in which he was to be Northern Ireland’s record goal scorer in circumstances that are unforgettable. Already a legend for scoring the goal that gave Northern Ireland their famous victory over England in Windsor Park last year, David experienced the pressure was on the Irish team after they lost their first European Championship qualifier at home to Iceland. On the following Wednesday, Northern Ireland gave their supporters something to cheer about when they stunned the world of international football with a remarkable 3-2 victory over Spain - a game in which David scored all three goals to create his own unique position in the annals of Northern Ireland football.
- ENDS -
Editors’ notes
- Texaco (Ireland) Ltd. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, which markets its fuels under the Texaco brand across Europe, among other markets. Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading energy companies. With more than 55,000 employees, Chevron conducts business in approximately 180 countries around the world, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas, and refining, marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products. Chevron is based in San Ramon, California, USA. More information on Chevron is available at www.chevron.com
- There are approximately 250 Texaco-branded service stations in Ireland and more than 2,000 across Europe. Texaco Ireland also holds an equity stake in four fuel storage facilities in the Republic of Ireland. For more information, visit www.texaco.ie
- For any media enquiries about the Texaco Sportstars awards, call Don Hall, Hall PR on 01 660 9377 or email don@hall.ie. For further information on Texaco Ireland, contact Daniel Schraibman on 0044 207 719 4459 or email danielschraibman@chevron.com
Legendary athlete Eamonn Coghlan receives 2006 Texaco Sportstars Hall of Fame Award
DUBLIN, IRELAND - 19 NOVEMBER 2006 - Eamonn Coghlan, one of the most legendary figures in the history of Irish sport, has been chosen as the worthy recipient of this year's 2006 Texaco Hall of Fame Award.
Born in Drimnagh, the amiable Dubliner achieved a level of success in domestic and international competitions that made him one of the biggest names in world sport and one of the most successful ever Irish sportsmen.
Despite being twice pipped for an Olympic medal - finishing fourth in the 1,500m in 1976, and again in the 5,000m in 1980 - Eamonn was both a world champion and world record holder. Nicknamed the ‘Chairman of the Boards’ because of his incredible success on the indoor circuit, he set the world record in the indoor mile run at 3:50.6 in 1981, and again in 1983 at Meadowlands, New Jersey, running at 3:49.78. This record stood until 1997 when it was broken by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj in a time of 3:48.45.
His 1983 time remains the fastest mile ever run in the United States, and one of only three sub-3:50 miles run on American soil. He also set the record for the indoor 2,000 metres run at 4:54.07 in 1987 - a record which stood until Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia ran 4:52.86 in 1998.
Coghlan won the world famous Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose games in NYC's Madison Square Garden on a record seven occasions in 1977, 1979-1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987. He finally dispelled the pain of his Olympic finals when he won the 5,000 metres at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki with a scintillating sprint finish. He continued running competitively for quite some time, and in 1994 became the first man over age 40 to run a sub-four minute mile.
In the course of his career, Eamonn was presented with a Texaco Sportstars Award on five separate occasions - in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981 and 1983.
- ENDS -
Editors’ notes
- Texaco (Ireland) Ltd. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, which markets its fuels under the Texaco brand across Europe, among other markets. Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading energy companies. With more than 55,000 employees, Chevron conducts business in approximately 180 countries around the world, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas, and refining, marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products. Chevron is based in San Ramon, California, USA. More information on Chevron is available at www.chevron.com
- There are approximately 250 Texaco-branded service stations in Ireland and more than 2,000 across Europe. Texaco Ireland also holds an equity stake in four fuel storage facilities in the Republic of Ireland. For more information, visit www.texaco.ie
For any media enquiries about the Texaco Sportstars awards, call Don Hall, Hall PR on 01 660 9377 or email don@hall.ie. For further information on Texaco Ireland, contact Daniel Schraibman on 0044 207 719 4459 or email danielschraibman@chevron.com
K Club Course Director Gerard Byrne honoured with the 2006 Texaco Sportstars Special Achievement Awards
DUBLIN, IRELAND – 22 November 2006 - Gerard Byrne, Course Director at The K Club is to be presented with this year's 2006 Texaco Special Achievement Award. The Award is presented to him in recognition of his outstanding work in preparing the popular Kildare venue for the recent playing of the 2006 Ryder Cup.
On the first occasion on which the Ryder Cup was played here, when the eyes of the world were firmly focused on Ireland and on the golfing challenges which The K Club course posed for participants, Gerard Byrne and his ground staff faced a sufficiently daunting challenge to present and maintain the course in top condition.
However, their task was not helped by the exceptionally inclement weather that prevailed throughout the competition, especially in the opening days. Despite the adverse conditions, Gerard and his team faced down wet and windy weather to present the course in a condition that won the unanimous acclaim of the golfers who participated on the US and European teams.
The award will be presented to Gerard at the annual Texaco Sportstars of the Year awards ceremony which takes place in Dublin this evening at which An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD will be guest of honour.
In choosing him as winner of the 2006 Texaco Special Achievement Award, the judges praised the skill which Mr. Byrne and his ground staff bring to their role and the resolve shown by them in the face of extremely difficult conditions.
Introduced in 1970, the Texaco Special Achievement Award is presented annually to those whose contribution to Irish sport is recognised by the judging panel yet who, by virtue of their role within the world of sport, cannot otherwise qualify to win a Texaco Sportstars trophy.
- END -
Editors’ notes
- Texaco (Ireland) Ltd. is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, which markets its fuels under the Texaco brand across Europe, among other markets. Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading energy companies. With more than 55,000 employees, Chevron conducts business in approximately 180 countries around the world, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas, and refining, marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products. Chevron is based in San Ramon, California, USA. More information on Chevron is available at www.chevron.com
- There are approximately 250 Texaco-branded service stations in Ireland and more than 2,000 across Europe. Texaco Ireland also holds an equity stake in four fuel storage facilities in the Republic of Ireland. For more information, visit www.texaco.ie
For any media enquiries about the Texaco Sportstars awards, call Don Hall, Hall PR on 01 660 9377 or email don@hall.ie. For further information on Texaco Ireland, contact Daniel Schraibman on 0044 207 719 4459 or email danielschraibman@chevron.com
