The athletics community, dignitaries of Cork and event sponsors were out in force today for the 2016 Cork City Sports athlete of the year award for 2016. There was always going to be stiff competition for the award with three Olympians, Lizzie Lee (Leevale AC), Michelle Finn (Leevale AC) and Robert Heffernan (Togher AC), plus two athletes who had competed at the European Championships in Berlin, Claire McCarthy (Leevale AC) and Mark Hanrahan (Leevale AC) on the nomination list.

Robert Heffernan of Togher AC was the Cork City Sports Athlete of the year 2016. Robert competed in this his 5^th consecutive Olympic games, which was an historic achievement. He filled the country with pride by finishing a credible 6^th place in the gruelling heat. This makes four top-10 finishes from his now five Olympic attempts, a standout record for any Irish athlete, especially in such a gruelling event where so much can, and often does, go wrong.

The Cork City Sports Athlete Of The Year Award is sponsored by:

96FM & C103FM

The Evening Echo

The River Lee

LeisureWorld