National Athletics Awards: Olympian and Ad Astra star Nicola Tuthill named ‘Field Athlete of the Year’
Posted 21 November, 2024
Field Athlete of the Year Nicola Tuthill with her award during the 123.ie National Athletics Awards ceremony Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Olympian and UCD student Nicola Tuthill has been named the Field Athlete of the Year at the (opens in a new window)2024 National Athletics Awards.
A rising star in Irish field events, the Ad Astra Elite Sport Scholar enjoyed a stellar season in 2024, culminating in her Olympic debut in the hammer which saw the 20-year-old narrowly miss out on a bronze finish having held third place in the opening rounds of the competition.
Her 69.90m effort in the women’s hammer throw qualification round was just over a metre shy of making the final.
In her second year of Science at UCD, the Cork native is only the third female Irish thrower to become an Olympian, and was one of four current students at the University to compete in Paris.
Alongside being part of Team Ireland for the 2024 Olympic Games, this year saw Nicola finish ninth in her first senior final at the European Championships.
In May, she became the second Irish woman ever to throw over 70 metres, extending her Irish U23 record for a third time in 2024.
Last year, she was named University Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards following a season that saw her set six Irish U23 Irish record and win silver at the U23 Women’s Hammer Throw at the European Throwing Cup.
Among her many accolades are nine national titles, between U16, U17, U19, U20, U23 and senior, which were won before she turned 20.
Middle Distance Athlete of the Year Ciara Mageean Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
At this year’s 123.ie National Athletics Awards, Nicola was not the only UCD athlete to be recognised. Former UCD Ad Astra Elite scholar and three-time Olympian Ciara Mageean walked away with the ‘Middle Distance Athlete of the Year’ Award ahead of fellow UCD graduates Mark English and Sarah Healy.
The trio were among the thirty-strong cohort of UCD students and alumni to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Recognised as one of Ireland’s finest athletes, Ciara won a historic gold medal in the 1500m final at the European Athletics Championships in June, having previously won silver in 2022 and bronze in 2016.
The County Down track star has represented Ireland in the 1500m at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024 Olympics, and in October had her sporting achievements honoured at this year’s UCD Alumni Awards.
Speaking at the 123.ie National Athletics Award, CEO of Athletics Ireland, Hamish Adams said: “The 123.ie National Athletics Awards allow us to celebrate the great performances of our athletes and organisation over the course of the last year, while also offering Athletics Ireland the opportunity to thank and acknowledge our coaches, officials, and clubs for their enormous contribution to the success of our sport.”
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
