Aisling Blake squashes competition to be announced as ‘Sportswoman of the Month’
Dublin, Wednesday, 10th April, 2013 –Irish Squash player, Aisling Blake has today been named The Irish Times / Irish Sports Council ‘Sportswoman of the Month’ for March 2013. Blake has become the Irish National squash champion for the first time after beating the long time champion Madeline Perry in Fitzwilliam LTC – Madeline having won on 14 previous occasions.
The Sligo native was just eight years old when she began playing squash, tennis and badminton and now as a full time world professional squash player, she has a world ranking of number 23. Blake is also a voice for her fellow professionals. In 2011 she was elected to the board of the International Women’s Squash Association as the players’ representative and at the beginning of the year was elected president of the association.
This is the first time Aisling has won the ‘Sportswoman of the Month’ award. The accolade of winning the Irish Times/Irish Sports Council ‘Sportswoman of the Month’ means Aisling will be the fourth of 12 sportswomen to be in the running for the prestigious title of ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ at an awards ceremony in December 2013.
Established in 2004, the aim of the Sportswoman of the Year awards is to recognize the abilities and achievements of women in Irish sports. The awards run over a 12 month period, with the judges selecting a winner each month for her ability to excel at sport. From the 12 monthly winners, the overall Sportswoman of the Year is selected and announced in December. The winner is decided by a judging panel, which is represented by individuals from The Irish Times, RTÉ, and the Evening Herald.
Further details on the Sportswoman of the Year Awards can be found onwww.irishtimes.com/events/sportswoman/.
