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14th Dec 2019

Shane Lowry crowned RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year

Rudi Kinsella

Shane Lowry documentary

Quite an achievement for the Offaly man.

Irish sporting hero Shane Lowry has been voted the RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year after a year in which he claimed his first major title at Royal Portrush.

The Clara man battled miserable conditions to become the fifth Irish player to lift the Claret Jug, and was rewarded for his efforts at the RTÉ Sport Awards on Saturday night.

Lowry also won his first tournament in three and a half years with victory in the Abu Dhabi Championship at the start of the year.

Elsewhere, former Dublin Football boss Jim Gavin was named Sport Manager of the Year for overseeing an unprecedented five-in-a-row All-Ireland titles after a replay against Kerry.

The awards didn’t stop there for Gavin, as his Dublin team were also named Sport Team of the Year.

Gymnast Rhys McClenaghan picked up the Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year for the second year running, after becoming the first Irish gymnast to medal at the World Championships. He also booked a place at the 2020 Olympic Games by qualifying for the final earlier in the week.

Not a bad seven days for the 20-year-old…

Finally, Olympic 5,000m silver-medallist and former World 5,000m champion Sonia O’Sullivan received the RTÉ Sport Hall of Fame Award recognising her many achievements during an excellent career.

There was also tribute paid to a number of Irish sports stars who had passed away in the past 12 months:

https://twitter.com/RTEsport/status/1205979269848940544?s=20

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