Ireland's most successful sports achiever

Well done again Katie Taylor.

"The Olympic champion beat France’s Estelle Mossely to claim an unprecedented sixth successive European Elite lightweight title in Bucharest, Romania today." The Examiner website

Not only did she win herself, but her achievements have attracted other young Irish women into the sport of amateur boxing, with outstanding success.

What more can I say? She's truly our greatest.
 
Aidan O'Brien today became the only trainer to train three winners in a row of the World's most important and well known classic - the Epsom Derby, a history spanning more than 230 years.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Aidan O'Brien today became the only trainer to train three winners in a row of the World's most important and well known classic - the Epsom Derby, a history spanning more than 230 years.
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That's great but it's a bit like calling the guy who develops running shoes a sportsman.
 
Purple said:
That's great but it's a bit like calling the guy who develops running shoes a sportsman.
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Well of course you have eliminated both Aidan O'Brien and Katie Taylor there. I was careful in my choice of words "sports achiever" to include horse racing or motor sport or indeed female sports achievers.

The Sunday sports sections were quite revealing for this debate. Both Katie and Aidan had on Saturday achieved remarkable goals and records in their quite separate persuasions. I have to say the coverage of Aidan's achievements swamped that of Katie and indeed RTE also gave the same priorities. And that is just the Ireland Sundays. A similar perusal of the UK Sundays for example would probably not even mention Katie but would be possibly equally effusive on Aidan's unique 230 year achievement.


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Duke of Marmalade said:
... The Sunday sports sections were quite revealing for this debate. ....
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In what way? I tend to form my opinions on this and other matters independently. The remit of the sports editors to flog newspapers or column inches of ads by pandering to populist themes doesn't influence me.

Professional horse-stuff is commercial and sells newsprint, superlative consistent performances by an amateur sportswoman doesn't. What's new?
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Neither would qualify in a strict sense as a "sportsman", which is what I thought the thrust of your point was.
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My apologies if I was not clear. I meant that the person who engages in the sport (the jockey, the driver, the footballer, the boxer etc.) is the sportsperson. The people who train the horse, design the car etc. are critical to the achievement of the sportsperson but are not themselves athletes or sportspeople. That in no way diminishes their achievements though.
 
I see the BBC's Brendan Foster claiming that Mo Farah is the best ever British sportsperson. Leaving aside the fact he (Mohamed) was born in Somalia, I was underwhelmed by the studio's suggested challengers: Ian Botham Johnny Wilkinson

Stephen Hendry won 7 snooker world championships and surely that makes him a shoe in. Or are Somalians more British than Scots?
 
If you are extending the question to look across the water, Stephen Redgrave is the world's greatest achiever in sport
 
cremeegg said:
If you are extending the question to look across the water, Stephen Redgrave is the world's greatest achiever in sport
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Never heard of him, but having looked up Wiki I see what you mean. Easily the winner - he must have been pretty sore that the panel didn't even give him a mention.
 
Could I congratulate Ireland's greatest ever sports achiever, Katie Taylor for adding to her accumulation of title by winning yet another Gold Medal in the inaugural European Games in June 2015. Without a shadow of doubt our greatest ever, male or female.
 
Ireland have just had their greatest sporting achievement EVER in beating the English 19/9 at Cheltenham and yet RTE News & Sports majors on the GAA club championships being played before an empty stadium, with the sensational aforementioned success an afterthought. Unbelievable
 
You've obvously had an 'enoyable' Paddys day!
A half empty stadium in Croker equates to probably close to 40,000 spectators. Not bad for 3 country parishes and a rugby/milllionaires strongold in Sth Dub.
RTE showed nothing of the 2 finals live. The sports section of the news covered it alright. And there's a 1 hour highlights package on now.

Meanwhile, on planet Ryle Nugent, we've just had nearly 4 hours of a live minority sport...rugby. And even then, a very much subsection within that sport...u-20's and womens.

Both feel free to have a go at GAA...a national pastime amongst certain groupings in this country
 
Delboy said:
You've obvously had an 'enoyable' Paddys day!
A half empty stadium in Croker equates to probably close to 40,000 spectators. Not bad for 3 country parishes and a rugby/milllionaires strongold in Sth Dub.
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Watching Ireland trounce England at Cheltenham was most enjoyable, yes.

What I saw of the GAA coverage was completely empty stands behind the goals. Ok they cut to a section of the crowd wildly cheering some goal but I got the distinct impression this was the sum total of spectators. Even The Donald would be embarrassed to describe the attendance in the thousands.
And another thing, what about the endless coverage of GAA results on Sunday evening. They aren't finished until you get to the Under 8s, Inter County, LGBT Camogie, Division 10Z
 
No. It's Michelle Smith de Bruin. Three golds and a bronze at the Atlanta Olympics. Four golds and three silvers at the Vienna and Seville European Aquatic Championships. The National Aquatics Centre should be named after her.
 
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