Athletics Ireland is delighted to announce that Derval O’Rourke, one of Ireland’s most successful athletes, will be honoured with the Hall of Fame Award at this year’s 123.ie National Athletics Awards on Wednesday November 26th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry.
The Cork native burst onto the international stage in 2003, breaking the 13 second mark for the first time with a 12.96 in the 100m hurdles to finish fourth at the European U23 Athletics Championships in Poland. That performance not only set a new national record but also secured the ‘A standard’ qualification for the 2004 Olympic Games.
It marked the beginning of an illustrious career that would see O’Rourke represent Ireland at three Olympic Games. Her breakthrough continued in 2006 when she claimed World Indoor gold in the 60m hurdles, cementing her status as one of Ireland’s most decorated athletes.
Renowned for her mental resilience and fierce competitive spirit, O’Rourke went on to win two European silver medals in the 100m hurdles (2006 and 2010), along with bronze medals at the European Indoor Championships in 2009 and 2013 over 60m hurdles.
Arguably her finest performance came at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, where she finished fourth in the final, setting a new Irish record of 12.67 seconds. She would go on to better that time in 2010, running 12.65 seconds en route to her silver medal at the European Championships in Barcelona.
O’Rourke retired in June 2014 aged 33, stating: “It’s been a tough decision, but it feels like the right time. I knew I could compete this season, but not in a time to be in medal contention by European Outdoors. Going to a Championships just to be there, isn’t me.”
“The last competitive race I ran was the bronze medal I won last year at European Indoors and I feel like that was a great performance. I’ve loved every minute of my athletics career but now I’m going to take some time to reflect what has been a very privileged job for me for the past 12 years and make some decisions for the future.”
O’Rourke’s national indoor hurdles records over 50m (6.80+) and 60m (7.84) still stand today, with her 2010 100m hurdles record of 12.65 only falling in 2023 to Sarah Lavin’s 12.62.
Derval O’Rourke Achievements
- Three-time Irish Olympian – Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012
- Gold – 60m Hurdles – World Indoor Championships 2006 (Moscow)
- Silver – 100m Hurdles – European Championships 2006 (Gothenburg)
- Bronze – 60m Hurdles – European Indoor Championships 2009 (Turin)
- Fourth – 100m Hurdles – World Championships 2009 (Berlin)
- Silver – 100m Hurdles – European Championships 2010 (Barcelona)
- Bronze – 60m Hurdles – European Indoor Championships 2013 (Gothenburg)
- Irish Senior Record Holder at time of retirement: 50m Hurdles Indoor (6.80 – Lievin 2006), 60m Hurdles Indoor (7.84 – Moscow 2006),100m Hurdles Outdoor (12.65 – Barcelona 2010).
The nominations for this year’s National Athletics Awards have also been announced. This year’s awards will celebrate the many successes of Irish athletes during the season, while also commemorating the exceptional volunteer base who are the bedrock of the sport. The Athlete of the Year will be selected from the athletes named as winner of the U20, U23, Track, Endurance, and Field/Multi Events categories.
A special moment in the ceremony will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s world record in the 4×1 mile relay (15:49.08), set on August 17th 1985, by legends Eamonn Coghlan, Ray Flynn, Frank O’Mara, and Marcus O’Sullivan.
The 2025 season has been a landmark year for Irish athletics. The European Indoor Championships set the tone, with Sarah Healy (3000m, Gold), Mark English (800m, Bronze), and Kate O’Connor (Pentathlon, Bronze) securing early international success. O’Connor continued her remarkable form, claiming World University Gold, and a historic World Heptathlon Silver in Tokyo – Ireland’s first outdoor World Championship medal since Robert Heffernan in 2013.
There were also several break-out performances throughout 2025 with Longford’s Cian McPhillips announcing himself on the world stage with a 4th place finish in the 800m final in Tokyo. The next generation of stars also shone this season, with a host of international medals coming home across Cross Country, European U23, EYOF, and Conor Kelly’s superb gold at the European U20 Championships in Finland.
Today’s nominations are sure to draw much healthy debate over the coming weeks as we build up to the awards ceremony on November 26th which will start at 3pm.
2025 Nominations:
U20 Athlete of the Year Nominations
- CIAN CRAMPTON
- CONOR KELLY
- DUBEN AMAH
- PRECIOUS AKPE-MOSES
- SEAN DOGGETT
U23 Athlete of the Year Nominations
- ANIKA THOMPSON
- ANNA GAVIGAN
- EIMEAR MAHER
- NICK GRIGGS
- NICOLA TUTHILL
Endurance Athlete of the Year Nominations
- EFREM GIDEY
- FEARGHAL CURTIN
- FIONNUALA MCCORMACK
- NIAMH ALLEN
- PETER LYNCH
Field & Multi Event Athlete of the Year Nominations
- DIARMUID O’CONNOR
- ERIC FAVORS
- KATE O’CONNOR
- NIAMH FOGARTY
- REECE ADEMOLA
Track Athlete of the Year Nominations
- ANDREW COSCORAN
- CIAN MCPHILLIPS
- MARK ENGLISH
- SARAH HEALY
- SARAH LAVIN
Other awards to be presented on the day include: Team of the Year, Performance & Development Clubs of the Year, Services to Coaching, Lifetime Services to Athletics, Official of the Year, and many more.
123.ie National Athletics Awards
- Wednesday November 26th at 3.00pm.
- Location: Crown Plaza Hotel, Santry, D09 X9X2
- Tickets on sale HERE
- Dress code: Smart
If you have any queries, please contact maresaconnolly@athleticsireland.ie.
