Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh Continues to Highlight Sporting Talent

Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh has announced the latest winners of the prestigious Sports Personality of the Month Award for February & March.

Sponsored by Decathlon, the award recognises the achievements and dedication of sporting stars in the Lisburn & Castlereagh area. The winners are selected each month by the Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh Executive Committee and each successful winner is presented with a £100 Decathlon voucher.

The Sports Personality of the Month winner for February was Taekwondoin, Laura Burns. Laura has achieved a 4th Dan Kokkinos recognised Black Belt Dan Grade and has devoted 18 years to the Lisburn Taekwondo Club. Over a decade, she has progressed from provisional judge to class 1 by demonstrating her expertise at competitions across the UK and earning points to excel through the judging classes. Recognising her talent, the World Taekwondo Referee Department invited Laura to attend the International Poomsae Referee course in Manchester, England from 7th to 12th February. Laura has succeeded in the course and now proudly holds the title of a qualified International Referee for Great Britain, making her just the third female, and second in Northern Ireland, among the 17 UK international referees.

Triathlete, John Jackson was March Sports Personality of the Month. His recent success came at the Triathlon Ireland National Series Duathlon Race, held at Down Royal Racecourse on March 24th. Out of 63 competitors, John secured an impressive second place, completing the race in just 50 minutes and 11 seconds. This triumph adds to his accolades, as he previously represented Ireland at the European Sprint Triathlon Championships in 2023, held in Madrid, Spain.

Entries for the latest Sports Personality of the Month are currently open. For more details or to make a nomination, please visit https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/sportspersonalityofthemonthaprilandmay24  Nominations close on Friday 31st May 2024 at 5pm

 Pictured L – R: Laura Burns, Lee Aston, Decathlon Belfast Sports Department Manager, John Jackson and Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Sports Development Officer, Faron Morrison.