Gallery: All the winners from the Donegal Sports Star Awards

International Achievement Award: This time it goes to an athlete who produced top performances at national, European and Olympic level last year. Last May Brendan, from Finn Valley AC, finished ninth at the European 50k Race Walking Cup in the Czech Republic. The following month Brendan Boyce finished second in the National 50k Championship in Galway. But undoubtedly the pinnacle of 2021 came on Friday 6th August when Brendan Boyce crossed the line 10th in the Olympic 50k Race Walk in Sapporo. At the end of the year in Raheny the Milford man reached the qualifying standard for this summer’s 35k Race Walking World Athletics Championships. Brendan was also named the Donegal Male Athlete of the Year.

Overall Award: For the past decade Milford man Brendan has been competing at the top level in the world in his sport. That has seen him represent Ireland at three Olympic Games as well as World Championships.
Competing in his third Olympic Games the Milford man went to Tokyo on a mission to medal. While he came up short on that ambition he gave every ounce of energy in the searing heat in the city of Sapporo to finish tenth in the world in the gruelling 50km Race Walk. It was Brendan’s best performance at an Olympic Games having finished 29th in London 2012 and 19th in Rio in 2016. In Sapporo the 35-year old crossed the line in a time of 3 hours 53 minutes and 40 seconds. It was a remarkable finish from the Bunlin man given that he lost contact with a breakaway group for a period with 15k left in the global final.
In December Brendan ended the year on a high in a brand new 35k distance at the national senior championships in Dublin. He achieved the qualifying standard for both the 2022 World and European Championships which take place this summer in Oregon, USA and Munich, Germany respectively.
And Brendan got an early Christmas present with the news that he was ranked third in the world in 35k Race Walking. He is winning the Overall Sports Star Award for a second time having previously been honoured in 2019. Brendan joins a select band of two-time winners that includes Sharon Foley, Billy Bourne, Sinead Jennings and Mark English.
Margaret Boyce receives an Olympic Recognition award on behalf of her son Brendan from Cllr Jack Murray