World champion race walker to be honoured as nominations are revealed for the 123.ie National Athletics Awards following a landmark year for Irish athletics.
Athletics Ireland is delighted to announce that 2009 World champion and four-time Olympian Olive Loughnane will be inducted into the Athletics Ireland Hall of Fame at the 2026 edition of the 123.ie National Athletics Awards, taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, on Wednesday, November 25th.
One of Ireland’s most accomplished race walkers, Loughnane enjoyed an outstanding international career spanning more than a decade, representing Ireland at four consecutive Olympic Games and six World Athletics Championships, with her crowning achievement coming at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Born in Cork and raised in Carrabane, County Galway, Loughnane began her athletics journey with Loughrea AC before establishing herself among the world’s leading race walkers.
She represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London (2012), with her best Olympic performance coming in Beijing, where she finished seventh in the women’s 20km race walk in a personal best of 1:27:45.
The crowning achievement of her career came at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, where she produced a remarkable performance in the women’s 20km race walk, with her medal officially upgraded to gold in 2016, confirming her status as World Champion and cementing her place among Ireland’s greatest athletes.
Reflecting on the achievement back in 2016, Loughnane said: “A gold medal is the icing on the cake, I truly feel like I have it all now.”
Over the course of her distinguished career, Loughnane represented Ireland on 25 occasions at senior international level, claimed 14 national championship titles and set an Irish senior 10km race walk record of 43:22, which remains unbeaten to this day.
Following her retirement from competitive athletics after the London 2012 Olympic Games, Loughnane continued to contribute to Irish sport through leadership and governance roles, including serving on the Sport Ireland High Performance Committee and the boards of Sport Ireland and Athletics Ireland.
OLIVE LOUGHNANE – CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- WORLD CHAMPION: 20KM RACE RALK, BERLIN 2009
- FOUR-TIME OLYMPIAN: SYDNEY 2000, ATHENS 2004, BEIJING 2008 AND LONDON 2012
- OLYMPIC GAMES: 7TH, BEIJING 2008 (1:27:45)
- SIX CONSECUTIVE WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES (2001–2011)
- 25 SENIOR INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES
- 14 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
- NATIONAL SENIOR 10KM RACE WALK RECORD: 43:22 (2009)
The announcement comes as Athletics Ireland reveals the nominees for the 123.ie National Athletics Awards, which will celebrate another extraordinary year for Irish athletics, recognising the achievements of athletes, coaches, clubs and the volunteers who form the backbone of the sport.
The 2026 season has delivered memorable performances across all levels of Irish athletics, with Irish athletes continuing to make their mark on the European and world stage.
The international medal success began in March, with Nicola Tuthill and Eric Favors securing podium finishes at the European Throwing Cup, before Kate O’Connor added to Ireland’s medal tally with bronze in the pentathlon at the World Indoor Championships in Poland.
Those early-season successes set the stage for a remarkable summer, highlighted by an outstanding European Athletics Championships in Birmingham in August.
Mark English produced a memorable performance to claim gold in the men’s 800m, while Kate O’Connor continued her remarkable season by securing heptathlon gold. Rhasidat Adeleke added another major championship medal to her collection, while Andrew Coscoran claimed bronze in the men’s 1500m, completing a hugely successful championships for the Irish team.
Ireland’s emerging athletics talent also enjoyed an exceptional year, with a series of standout performances at European and world age-group championships.
At the European Athletics U18 Championships in July, Lucie Cawley claimed silver in the 2000m steeplechase, Emma Hickey secured silver in the 1500m, and Isabelle Gaffney took bronze in the 800m.
The World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon provided further evidence of the strength of Ireland’s next generation, with three top-six finishes, a national U20 record and numerous personal best performances among the highlights.
Ethan Dewhirst (Tír Chonaill AC) produced an outstanding performance to finish fifth in the men’s 400m hurdles final, while Seamus Clarke also secured a fifth-place finish, setting a new national U20 record in the process. Siún Quinn (Brothers Pearse AC) completed the impressive trio of performances, producing a lifetime best to finish sixth in the world.
These achievements, alongside a host of other notable performances across the season, underline the continued progress and depth of talent within Irish athletics.
Celebrating the People Behind the Performances
While the National Athletics Awards will recognise Ireland’s leading international performers, the occasion will also celebrate the dedication of the coaches, officials, clubs and volunteers whose contributions are essential to the continued growth and success of the sport.
With nominations now confirmed across the various award categories, anticipation is set to build ahead of what promises to be another memorable celebration of Irish athletics.
The 2026 123.ie National Athletics Awards will take place on Wednesday, November 25th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, commencing at 3pm.
2026 Nominations (listed alphabetically by surname):
U20 Athlete of the Year Nominations
- Seamus Clarke
- Ethan Dewhirst
- Siun Quinn
Sprints & Hurdles Athlete of the Year Nominations
- Rhasidat Adeleke
- Bori Akinola
- Sharlene Mawdsley
Endurance Athlete of the Year Nominations
- Nick Griggs
- David Kenny
- Jack O’Leary
Field & Multi Event Athlete of the Year Nominations
- Eric Favors
- Kate O’Connor
- Nicola Tuthill
Middle Distance Athlete of the Year Nominations
- Andrew Coscoran
- Mark English
- Sarah Healy
Team of the Year Nominations
- Men’s Senior European Cross Country Team (European Cross Country, Lagoa, 2025)
- Men’s U23 European Cross Country Team (European Cross Country, Lagoa, 2025)
- Women’s 4x100m Relay Team (European Championships, Birmingham, 2026)
Other awards to be presented on the day include: Para Athlete 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 25th at 3.00pm.
- Location: Crown Plaza Hotel, Santry, D09 X9X2
- Tickets on sale
- Dress code: Smart
- Event Tickets Link
If you have any queries, please contact maresaconnolly@athleticsireland.ie.
