Texaco Sportstars Of The Year Awards Presented
Dublin, 19th November 2008 - The eight top Irish sports stars chosen as winners of the 2008 Texaco Sportstars of the Year Awards on this, the 51st year of the event, are being presented with their awards by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD at a gala awards dinner held in the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin this evening.
Chosen from a shortlist of sixteen sports by sports editors representing print and broadcast media, north and south, the full line-up of this year’s Texaco award winners is:
| Jason Smyth | Athletics |
| Kenny Egan | Boxing |
| Seán Cavanagh | Gaelic Football |
| Pádraig Harrington | Golf |
| Aidan O'Brien | Horse Racing |
| Eoin Larkin | Hurling |
| Briege Corkery | Camogie & Ladies' Gaelic Football |
| Ronan O’Gara | Rugby |
Two additional awards are also being presented. The inaugural Texaco Young Sportstar Award - a new award aimed at young sports stars of 18-years and under which has been introduced to extend the scope of the event – is being presented to 13-year old twin golfers Lisa and Leona Maguire. The 2008 Texaco Hall of Fame award goes to legendary Manchester United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg.
Of the eight sportstars receiving awards, six are being honoured for the very first time. They are Jason Smyth, Kenny Egan, Sean Cavanagh, Eoin Larkin, Briege Corkery and Ronan O’Gara.
Commenting, Enda Riney, Country Chairman, Chevron (Ireland) Limited, owners of the Texaco brand, said 'We are delighted that 2008 has produced such a distinguished list of winners, many of whom have achieved fame and success on the world stage. Through our awards, we are honoured to recognize those Irish sports men and women whose endeavours underline the extent to which Ireland has become a force in international competition'.
