Lily Sheeran, take a bow. World and European karate champion, the teenager took time out to pop in to the chamber office at the weekend to accept another accolade, this time a sports award, inspired by Flogas, the energy partners for Ireland's 2028 Olympic programme and Drogheda and District Chamber.
The award is branded 'Sporting Hero' and no better recipient.
A Kumite Karate star, she has been perfecting her art for a decade, not only winning titles and competing from Riga to Warsaw, Italy to Germany, Netherlands, Scotland, England, Romania and Belgium, to name but a few, but developing a persona that makes her a role model in more ways than one.
Martial Arts has been a male dominated arena down the years, she states, but the picture has changed. To those interested in following their dreams, 'go for it!,' she urges. "Some women lack confidence because martial arts has been a male dominated sport, but it's great and I work with both men and women who can make me better. Every competition is new and you must learn something all the time. People can take a loss hard, but the only way to learn is from your mistakes. Those losses give you something to work on.'
Lily passes on what she has learned in her career so far in self defence classes for women in Drogheda. It’s part of the Louth Parent Hub and brings together organisations from the LCDC to the LLD and the European Union. It's something she feels is vital and inspires confidence and a sense of achievement within the group of women. It’s community and integration at its best. 'People kind of see me as a role model. That's nice,’ Lily smiles.
She also trains young people in the Red Dragon club on Sunday mornings, encouraging discipline and respect at a young age.
A Trinity College student of Biomedical Science, a former basketball player with a champion Greenhills team in the past and hopes of becoming a senior world and European champion on the biggest stages in the future, the world stands at the feet of a truly great champion. Go Lily!
Our thanks to Flogas for their continued commitment to backing our sporting heroes