Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh Celebrates Local Champion and Guinness World Record Breaker

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

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.

Sports Personality winner for August was tramploinist, Jay Downey. The 14 year old is the current NI and Irish Champion for his age group. His outstanding performances in August 2023 secured him a spot at the World Championships in Birmingham, England, which will take place from the 13th to the 20th of November 2023. Jay recently competed in the 2023 Loulé Cup which was held in Loulé, Portugal from the 11th to the 15th October. We wish Jay all the very best for the World Championships next month.

September’s Sports Personality winner was Jessika Robson, an open water swimmer who made history on 9th September 2023. At just 17 years old, Jessika became the youngest swimmer ever to conquer the North Channel, regarded as the toughest of the Ocean Seven swims. Jessika started her 41km swim in Donaghadee, south of Belfast Lough and finished in Portpartrick, Scotland. With unwavering determination Jessika completed the challenging swim, battling strong tides and currents along with several bad Lion Mane Jelly stings in a time of 11 hours and 46 minutes and in doing so, set a Guinness World Record for being the youngest person ever to attempt it, let alone complete it.

Vice Chair of Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh, John McFaul, commented, “The level of sporting talent unearthed across the council area continues to be unbelievably impressive. This month we have celebrated a NI & Irish champion and a Guinness World Record breaker. Both teens should be extremely proud of their remarkable achievements. I hope these two amazing athletes will inspire other clubs or families to make a Sports Personality of the Month nomination and showcase the breadth of sporting talent we have in Lisburn & Castlereagh.”

Entries for the latest Sports Personality of the Month are currently open. For more details or to nominate, please visit https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/sportspersonalityofthemonthoctobernovember23/?fbclid=IwAR13pEd-QpxuRjsGdCYvE1YcR1XznuOgYryWSiP_RCkvhDr8gU-eGdzr49s  Nominations close on Friday 1st December 2023 at 5pm.

Pictured L-R: Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh Vice Chair, John McFaul, Jay Downey, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Sports Development Officer, Faron Morrison, Jessika Robson and Matthew Ferguson, Communication Manager, Decathlon Belfast.