Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month of June 2021 - Clodagh Walsh
Clodagh Walsh is Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month for June 2021
River Lee Hotel
Tuesday July 27th 2021
Clodagh Walsh, Abbey Striders AC, is Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month for June 2021 - Photo: Tony O'Connell Photography
The award was presented to Clodagh at a function at the River Lee hotel, on Tuesday July 27th 2021
Clodagh Walsh with sponsors and representatives from Cork City Sports - Photo: Tony O'Connell Photography
The Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by 96FM/C103FM, The Echo, The River Lee, Cork Crystal and Leisureworld
Cork City Sports - Awards Archive
Clodagh Walsh, with her coach and brother Ray Walsh, and her mother Carmel
The Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month of May 2021 is Clodagh Walsh, Abbey Striders AC - Photo: Tony O'Connell Photography
Cork City Sports Athletics Person of the Month - June 2021 - Award Citation
Clodagh Walsh (Abbey Striders AC) is the June recipient of the Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month.
Clodagh Walsh (Abbey Striders A.C.) is the Cork City Sports Athlete for the Month of June. At the 2021 National Senior Track and Field Championships, Clodagh vaulted a height of 3.45m, to secure victory in the women's pole vault championship. Clodagh is also the current Irish Universities title holder at this event.
Echo Feature on Clodagh's Award
Clodagh Walsh, Abbey Striders AC - Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Clodagh Walsh, a third-year marketing student at Munster Technological University has been named as Cork City Sports Athletic Person of the Month for June 2021.
Last month, Walsh, a 21-year-old pole-vaulter from Mallow, jumped a season's best of 3.45 metres to claim gold in the Women’s Pole Vault at the 149th consecutive Irish Life Health National Athletics Championships.
As an MTU Sports Scholarship recipient for the past three years, Walsh appreciates the ongoing support she receives:
“I am very grateful to everyone at MTU for helping me to achieve this success. Last year, when I found myself in a position where I had no equipment, the university stepped in. They helped me to purchase the right equipment so that I could continue my sporting journey and compete successfully at national and international level.”
In addition to being the first female student at MTU to win a National Senior Outdoor Track and Field title, Walsh’s achievements to date include Intervarsity Indoor Pole Vault Champion, Celtic International Colleges Pole Vault Champion, Cork City international Sports Pole Vault Champion (PB 3.70m) and Intervarsity Outdoor Pole Vault Champion.
Ms Walsh is an MTU Ambassador for 20x20 Women in Sport, an initiative set up in 2018 by the Federation of Irish Sport with the aim of creating a cultural shift in Ireland so that women in sport are seen as strong, valuable, and worth celebrating.
“MTU has a strong tradition of supporting women in sport, and I am thrilled to be the first female student at MTU to win a National Senior Outdoor Track and Field title."
"For me, 20x20 is a way to give back. Anything I can do that helps support younger girls coming through, I am delighted to be involved in,” she says.
Craig Harrington, Athletics Development Officer at MTU praised Clodagh’s achievements saying:
"Over the past three years, Clodagh has been one of the most successful athletes our university has ever seen, winning many national and international titles while wearing the ‘red and white’ colours.
"As an active member of the MTU Athletics Club, Clodagh organises the gear for our student-athletes and always puts her hand up to coach juvenile athletes from all over Cork. All of us in MTU are extremely proud of Clodagh and look forward to supporting her in achieving even greater success in the future," he added.
MTU is a university with a strong sporting tradition, boasting some of the finest facilities in Ireland.
In June 2020, construction commenced on a €22 million MTU Arena in Cork which will be another major boost to MTU’s sports facilities, and which will include a large multi-function hall incorporating two basketball courts with seating for an audience of 400 people, a gym and studio rooms.
Half of the new sports arena will be dedicated to the sport of athletics, with Athletics Ireland helping to fund it.
MTU annually awards sports scholarships for a wide range of sports. The scholarships, many of which are sponsored by external stakeholders such as Munster GAA, Kerry GAA, Tralee Rugby Club and Kennedy Coaches, range in value from €500 to €1,500.
MTU recognises talented sportspeople from a wide variety of sports including athletics, basketball, boxing, camogie, GAA, golf, handball, hockey, ladies football, orienteering, powerlifting, sailing, and soccer.
Scholarship benefits include access to all MTU sports facilities including the elite gym and weights room, sports education talks and workshops, and a mentoring support network.
These scholarships provide valuable assistance to students in their quest for sporting excellence.
Further information on how to apply for an MTU sports scholarship is available on the MTU website
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