ALREADY THIS year on our list of monthly award winners we had two young sportswomen, Chloe Magee (badminton) and Siobhán Byrne (fencing), who will make their Olympic debuts in Beijing this summer. After the deliberations for our June award we've made it a hat-trick after 22-year-old Emma Davis became the first Irish athlete to qualify for the Olympic triathlon.
Davis, competing in her first World Championships, sealed her place in Beijing when she finished 15th in a field of 79 in Vancouver last month, her Olympic qualification confirmed by the International Triathlon Union later in June.
It was her personal best performance at the World Cup event in South Africa in May that set Davis on her way to fulfilling her Olympic dream, her ninth-place finish - one of three World Cup top-10 finishes this year - moving her up the rankings and in to a qualifying spot for the first time.
"I have dreamt of racing in the Olympics since I was seven years old, it has been a major life goal for me," said Davis after Vancouver. "To achieve qualification means everything, but I don't think I will believe it until I am standing on the start line in August."
The sport made its Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000, the competitors enduring a 1,500 metre swim, 40 kilometres on a bike, before a 10 kilometre run - the distances can vary, however, in other triathlon events.
Davis first dabbled in triathlon when she was 15, her promise earning her an invite to the British World Class Programme - her father is from Bangor, Co Down, but moved to England due to work commitments. Having raced for Britain she applied, though, for a transfer to represent Ireland, getting the green light, if you can excuse the pun, in January. She has since been supported by the Irish Sports Council's International Carding Scheme.
"In 2006 I went over to race the Irish National Championships, it was a very well organised race and everyone was so friendly and it made me think what it would be like to race for Ireland. I was lucky enough to have the choice, it seemed right and I just felt more comfortable and at home racing for Ireland," she said.
After completing a degree in mathematics at Bath University in May of last year, Davis, who is based in Surrey, opted to go full time in her sport as part of her efforts to make Beijing. The move brought almost immediate rewards with victories at the Biathle World Championships in Monaco and the African Cup in Mombasa last year.
The 2012 Games in London will coincide with Davis, fitness permitting, nearing her peak, meaning qualification for Beijing, in only her second season as a full-time athlete, has come well ahead of schedule. Realistically she's unlikely to be in medal contention this time, but as her performance in Vancouver suggested, against the world's best, Emma Davis, long term, might well be one to watch.
MONTHLY WINNERS SO FAR
January - Kelly Proper (Athletics):The Waterford teenager, who was named Athletic Ireland's Junior Athlete of the Year for 2007, broke the Irish indoor record for the long jump over three successive meetings in Nenagh, Belfast and Cardiff.
February - Chloe Magee (Badminton):The 20-year-old from Donegal received the ultimate reward for an encouraging opening to her year, which included a hat-trick of titles at the National Championships, when she was qualified for a place in the singles in Beijing.
March - Nina Carberry (Horse racing):The young jockey had another memorable visit to Cheltenham, winning the Cross Country Chase for the second successive year on the Enda Bolger-trained Garde Champetre, also picking up a couple of wins at Fairyhouse later in the month.
April - Siobhán Byrne (Fencing):The German-born 23-year-old, whose father is from Meath, will become the first female Irish fencer to compete in the Olympics in almost 50 years after she clinched her place by reaching the final of the European qualifying tournament in Istanbul.
May - Leona and Lisa Maguire (Golf):The 13-year-old twins from Co Cavan made it an all-Maguire affair in the final of the Irish Close at Westport, Leona becoming the youngest winner of the tournament, Lisa going in to the Close as the leading qualifier by winning the Leitrim Cup.
• Each sportswoman is eligible for just one monthly award in 2008 but her achievements through the year will be taken into account by the judges when the decision on the overall winner is made.
