Sarah Vaults Into Youghal’s Sporting History
By Christy Parker | Photos By Michael Hussey (YoughalOnline.com)
Sports Star Of The Year Sarah Ryan receives her trophy from former Olympic Silver Medallist and Sports Council of Ireland CEO, John Treacy with proprietors William and Ann Moloney
Youghal’s Sport Star of the Year 2007 is Sarah Ryan. The 17 year-old pole vault athlete scooped the title before an invited audience, including fellow monthly nominees, at the annual showcase in the Usual Place bar. Olympic silver medallist and Sports Council of Ireland CEO, John Treacy, presented the winner with a €500 travel voucher and a Clashmore Crystal vase on behalf of Usual Place proprietor Willie Moloney. She is the tenth recipient of the honour, which has evolved into the definitive recognition of sporting excellence in the locality.
Sarah’s amazing year culminated in her retaining a top four place in the Irish Senior Women’s pole vault rankings. Her best performance came in the Irish colours at the Celtic International Championships at the Antrim Forum complex, near Lough Neagh. There, her personal best of 2.85 metres brought her 3rd spot and gave Ireland a female presence on the podium for the first time in six years. It also propelled her into the top 10 of all time best Irish female pole vault performances.
She describes Antrim as her “best career memory” and it was all the more remarkable in that it followed sharply on her worse one. “In a competition in Santry a week before, “I couldn’t clear any height at all,” she recalls. “It was my a terrible feeling and left me very disheartened.”
That failure was a fleeting visitor though, as 2007 saw Sarah also become the U-18 All Ireland champion and also took the U-20 All Ireland Indoor Championships. She claimed 1st spot in the Munster U-18, U-20 and Senior Indoor and Outdoor championships. County honours included U-18, U-20 and Senior Championships. She currently holds the Munster Junior and U-17 records and the Munster U-18 championship best performance at 2.60m, which is also a Munster Schools record.
The effervescent athlete lives on the Quarry Road with her dad Bernard, mum Sandra, (nee Curley), and younger brother David. Sandra is a former sprinter and relay runner with Youghal Athletic Club. Like David, Sarah is also a keen javelin thrower (Munster Champion 2007 and ranked 6th in Ireland in her age group) and has successfully graced hurdling too. Her heroines are Cork hurdler Dervla O’Rourke and Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva while she holds an interest in “all sports really.” Outside of sport, music grabs her attention and Snow Patrol and Rihanna would be welcomed at the door of this former Irish dancer. However she may not want it known that the first ever concert she attended was a Westlife gig. Best not to mention it then…
Sarah first flirted with pole vaulting “for a laugh” at the CIT sports grounds where she proved an instant winner, clearing all of “1.65 or something,” she laughs. Three years later she believes she will soon surpass the 3.00 metre mark in competition, having already done so in training.
Technique amounts to timing in her sport but success is a matter of “dedication and commitment,” she says. While training indoors at Youghal GAA headquarters under the tutorship of coach Eamonn Flanagan may not test this adherence to the limit, getting up at 6 am of a weekend morning to go to Dublin often does. She travels for specialist training at the Raheeny Shamrock Athletic Club under top coach Noelle Greene, raising the bar alongside Northern Ireland and Commonwealth Games star Zoe Brown, amongst other notables. “I certainly don’t enjoy the early starts but this sport is great fun and I’ve made a lot of great friends,” she decides. On those friends, trainers and her family, she gladly bestows gratitude towards her success to date.
Given that pole vaulters usually peak in the their mid-20’s the sky may, literally, be the limit for the Pobalscoil na Trionoide Leaving Cert student. She concedes it with unwarranted hesitation but she would, of course, “love to pole vault in the Olympics”, where the average vault is 4.40 metres for females. Surprisingly, no Irish pole vaulter has ever made it to the Olympics. “That’s probably down to insufficient funding,” she states without compromise. Were she to repeat or surpass John Treacy’s achievement, she might even embarrass the government into a ‘dig out.’ Then again, it’s difficult to embarrass an Irish government!
Meanwhile there is that matter of that €500 travel voucher. “I don’t where I’ll go. She’d quite like to “trade it towards a car” and travel on from there. Either way, Youghal’s 2007 Sports star seems sure to be going places.
The awards night also saw local veteran Willie O’Mahoney receive Clashmore Crystal on induction into the Youghal sports’ Hall of Fame in lieu of services to athletics. Waterford hurlers Dan Shanahan and Eoin Murphy were present to collect complimentary plaques bearing their name in respect of their past year’s successes. Local sports writer and commentator Derek Kiely was MC for the occasion.
Hall Of Fame Award William O’Mahony receives his trophy from former Olympic Silver Medallist and Sports Council of Ireland CEO, John Treacy with proprietor William Moloney and MC Derek Kiely
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