Sports Personality of the Year 2017

For the fourth year in succession, the Derry News is asking the public to vote for their Sports Personality of the Year  2017. Last year, double gold Paralympic champion and Eglinton native Jason Smyth was named the winner, seeing off the challenge of West Brom and Republic of Ireland footballer James McClean and kickboxing champion Finneen Bradley. This year, the competition is as close as ever and is simply too close to call. Read about the contenders below and then vote at the bottom of this page.

Marcus Christie (Cycling)

The perfect year ended in the perfect way for local cyclist Marcus Christie who was named on the Northern Ireland squad for the Commonwealth Games. The cyclist will now travel to Brisbane in April for the Gold Coast event looking to better the 13th place finish that he managed in Glasgow in 2014. After a two year hiatus from the sport, Christie returned to what he loves last year enjoyed plenty of success– taking bronze medal in the national time trails. He is also the current National Pursuit champion, and is the national record holder over 50 and 100 miles. Since his return to cycling, the former Foyle College student has notably stepped up his training regime – with hundreds of people following his journey as he documents his day-to-day activities on his Facebook page ‘Marcus Christie – Commonwealth journey to the Gold Coast’. It should make very interesting reading in 2018 as the Games get closer.  

James McClean (Football)

With each passing year, James McClean’s stature grows, culminating in his becoming the first ever person from Derry to win RTE’s prestigious Sports Person of the Year award for 2017. Adored in his hometown and now adored nationally, McClean was the star performer for the Republic of Ireland last year, with his winner against Wales in Cardiff the high point as the Republic qualified for the World Cup play-offs. The games against Denmark ultimately ended in disappointment with an emotional McClean showing just what the result meant to him in the post-match interview. McClean was part of a resilient West Brom squad which ensured Premier League survival in the early part of 2017 and is now proving himself to new manager Alan Pardew, with his recent goal against West Ham a sign of the talent the former Derry City man possesses.  

Connor Coyle (Boxing)

Connor Coyle hardly had a minute to himself in 2017, travelling between Derry and Florida to train, box, train, box and then train again. It has been an exhausting schedule which would test any up and coming sports person, but Coyle is determined to succeed. Whilst he started his professional career in the latter stages of 2016, he really came into prominence in 2017, winning five straight fights to take his record to an impressive 7-0, with much more to come this year. He defeated Miguel Aguilar, Daruma Almenarez, Benjamin Jordan, Joshua Maxwell and Calvin Metcalf and as a result is now making waves in the USA. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist is not going to rest on his laurels either, already planning fights in February and April and he has stated his intention to end 2018 with one title, at least.  

Paddy McLaughlin (Football)

It has been an unforgettable year for Paddy McLaughlin and Institute whichever way you look at it. Coming into his first managerial role in the summer following Kevin Deery’s departure, McLaughlin had big shoes to fill. Whatever happened on the field, no one could have predicted what would happen to the Riverside Stadium, which was incredibly destroyed during storms in August. ‘Stute had to play the first few months of the season away from home and since then they have switched between Wilton Park and the Limavady Showgrounds. Despite this upheaval, ‘McLaughlin has led his team to the top of the Bluefin Championship, where they sit clear with games in hand to play over their opponents, a quite significant achievement for the former defender. ‘Stute may have no home to call their own, but in McLaughlin, they have the right man to guide them through this uncertain time.  

Emma Doherty (Gaelic)

Local dentist Emma Doherty had a memorable year in 2017, and getting married was just the start of it. A born leader, she led both Steelstown and Derry to success, suffering through the lows and highs with both teams. Doherty captained the Brian Og’s to a first ever Derry Senior County Championship win with a 1-7 to 0-6 victory over Ballinascreen in the autumn, but she wasn’t finished there as she led her county to their first All-Ireland Junior Championship final since 2008. The sole survivor from that 2008 team, Doherty led her team into Croke Park against favourites Fermanagh and the Oakleafers came so close to victory, with a late penalty salvaging a draw and a replay for the Erne Ladies. With that penalty went Derry’s chance however as they lost the replay, much to the devastation of Doherty and her team mates. But there is no doubt that, on reflection, 2017 was a hugely successful year for Doherty – the TG4 Junior Player of the Year - on and off the pitch.  

Catherine Whoriskey (Athletics)

Catherine Whoriskey is undoubtedly an inspiration. The City of Derry Spartan just gets better and better with each passing year and in 2017 she enjoyed her most successful year to date. The mother-of-one was proving unbeatable over shorter distances, so she entered the Walled City marathon in June and with hopes and expectations raised that the event would finally have a local winner, she stepped up to the mark. Catherine completed only her second ever marathon in a time of 2:50:38 to seal an ultimately comfortable victory over former Olympian Pauline Curley. To add to that, Whoriskey stormed to victory in September’s Waterside Half Marathon, her third successive victory in the event. In a year in which she also represented Ireland, Whoriskey challenged herself again and again, and, like the born winner she is, proved herself time and time again.  

Tyrone McCullagh (Boxing)

Tyrone McCullagh, AKA ‘White Chocolate', went 4-0 for 2017, rounding off the year with an impressive win over German Tom Tran in Belfast. McCullagh stopped his opponent in the fifth round to take his overall record to 9-0 at the end of what was a memorable and sometimes bizarre year for the Derry man. His September rumble with Craig Derbyshire ended with the Yorkshire journeyman being disqualified by referee Hugh Russell junior for a headlock while plans for a Celtic title showdown were scuppered when he couldn’t find an opponent. But those incidents haven’t made the 27-year-old any less determined. McCullagh signed for MTK (then MGM) in January and has been busy since, appearing on the undercard of Ryan Burnett’s World Title bill and topping a show twice. He is planning for an even better 2018 and is hoping to be part of some of the huge bills planned for Belfast, including Carl Frampton’s possible hometown fight in March or April.  

Alan Grant (Hurling)

It was a busy 2017 for Alan Grant that came with mixed success on both the hurling and football field. Under the new management of Collie McGurk and in a transitional year where the Oak Leaf were trying to right the wrongs of 2016, Grant came to the fore as a key player and that was shown back in June in the Nicky Rackard final where he hit 1-5 at Croke Park as Derry made light work of Armagh on a 3-22 to 2-15 scoreline. The win sealed their return to the Christy Ring this year. His efforts also earned him a place in the prestigious Shinty panel – and Irish team of 20 players who took on Scotland in the annual international game back in November. At club level, it was a mixed bag for Na Magha and Grant, who claimed an emphatic victory over Coleraine in the Derry championship final, but are still searching for an Ulster title.  

Daryl Gurney (Darts)

2017 will be known as the year when Daryl Gurney crossed the line inti darts stardom. When Gurney dropped to his knees at the end of the World Grand Prix final in Dublin a couple of months ago, he became darts newest major winner and rubber stamped a superb year on the PDC tour. It all started 12 months ago with a career-best run to the World Championship quarter-final that set him on a brilliantly consistent course to that emotional success and a status as one of the most in-demand names in the game. Gurney's 2017 has made him one of the sports most respected competitors; he has risen to fourth in the Order of Merit, reached at least the last eight of every major televised tournament this year. Only world no 1 and winning machine Michael van Gerwen could match Gurney's consistency in the biggest events of the year.  

Kenny Shiels (Football)

‘In your absence, we will still play the game…but in your absence, it won’t be the same’. These harrowing words were spoken by Derry City manager Kenny Shiels at the end of the funeral mass of Ryan McBride, just days after the sudden death of the Candy Stripes captain. Shiels, his staff, players, the entire club and the entire city were left devastated when news emerged that Ryan had died at home just 24 hours after he captained his hometown team to a 4-0 win over Drogheda United at Maginn Park. From that tragedy, Kenny Shiels somehow pieced the club back together and led them onward throughout the season. There were highs and lows, but each one was achieved on the back of that devastating loss, and achieving European qualification was an incredible feat for Shiels. The fact that this was achieved by playing Derry’s home games away from the Brandywell for an entire season should also not be forgotten.  

Shane Duffy (Football)

What a rollercoaster year 2017 proved to be for Shane Duffy. The Derry centre-half and former Foyle Harps man kicked things off in May when he won promotion to the Premier League with club Brighton. Although they didn’t get their hands on the trophy, pipped to the post by Newcastle, it mattered little as Duffy got set to play at the top table for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old also enjoyed a golden spell with the Republic of Ireland, having established himself as a starter under Martin O’Neill thanks to an impressive European Championship campaign in 2016, although it unfortunately ended in disaster as Denmark hit back with five goals in the second leg of the World Cup qualifying play-off, despite the Derry defender rising highest to head the men in green into an early lead.  

Lisa Curran (Crossfit)

Mother-of-three Lisa Curran is a rising name in the sport of ‘Crossfit’, a relatively new phenomenon that is slowly but surely making itself known worldwide. Lisa, who trains at the only Crossfit gym in Derry’s Pennyburn Industrial Estate, is in her sixth year of the sport and has progressed to such a level that she finished 3rd in the United Kingdom at the Crossfit Open Games at the start of 2017. If that is not impressive enough, Lisa’s achievements earned her 12th place in Europe overall and 103rd best in the entire world, not a bad achievement for someone with three boys under ten years of age. Lisa’s recent achievements in the Crossfit Open Games qualified her for the Masters Online Qualifiers, a worldwide event that she has never attempted before. 2017 ended on a high with a podium finish at the North West Fitness Championship.  

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