TWO World champions will be honoured at the 2025 Medtronic Galway Sports Stars awards presentation banquet in January.

For rower Fiona Murtagh and swimmer John Shortt took their respective sports by storm last year, with gold medal triumphs at the highest level.

Their outstanding achievements over the past 12 months will be celebrated at the awards ceremony on Friday, January 16, in the Galway Bay Hotel.

It will also be a special night for Galway hurling legend Noel Lane, who won three All-Ireland senior hurling medals in the eighties, as the Ballinderreen clubman will be inducted into the Sports Stars Hall of Fame.

It’s a banquet which will recognise another year of high achievement by Galway sportspeople, not least the horse racing exploits of jockey Danny Gilligan, who apart from riding two winners at the Cheltenham Festival, landed the Galway Plate for a second time in three years on Western Fold.

On a night of great celebration for Galway camogie, the county’s achievement in toppling champions Cork in the All-Ireland Final last August will be recognised with three awards – Team of the Year; Manager of the Year, Cathal Murray; and Player of the Year, Aoife Donohue.

Those record-breaking ladies’ footballers from Kilkerrin-Clonberne are no strangers to these awards and after winning a fifth consecutive All-Ireland senior title in December, their outstanding feats are acknowledged with the Club of the Year accolade and the Player of the Year in Olivia Divilly.

In hurling, Galway’s lone All-Star last year, Cathal Mannion, had an outstanding campaign and joins his brother, Padraic, in the Sports Stars honours list, while Rob Finnerty takes the Gaelic football award due to his excellent scoring exploits in the maroon jersey.

American Pro Stop handball champion Niamh Heffernan is a first-time Galway Sports Stars award winner as are Lisa Casserly (Water Polo), Rob Penney (Athletics), Aoibheann Costello (Women’s Soccer), Connacht warrior Finlay Bealham (Rugby), Declan Gbinigie (Basketball) and Darragh Fahy (Special Achievement) for his top level success in the Triple Jump.

A previous award winner and National Elite champion, Adam Hession of Monivea BC, takes the Boxing award, with Gort Women’s GC securing the golf award in recognition of capturing two All-Ireland pennants – the Intermediate and Minor Foursomes.

Sadly, Galway soccer lost two of its greatest servants, brothers Ollie and Martin Horgan, during 2025, but in a reflection of their immense contribution to the sport, their families will posthumously receive the Soccer award on their behalf in what will be a poignant presentation.

The Sports Stars awards are the definitive benchmark of sporting achievement in the county and Galway’s biggest private employers and medical devices company, Medtronic, continue as sponsors of the awards which have been going strong since 1965.

The adjudicating panel comprises of sports journalists from the Connacht Tribune and Tuam Hearld, and special guest is Republic of Ireland soccer legend Packie Bonner.

Pictured: World Junior 200m backstroke champion John Shortt and World singles sculls champion Fiona Murtagh who are both being honoured in the 2025 Galway Sports Stars awards.