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Kate McIlroy – Inducted 2016
Friday, 28 October 2016
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Marsden Years: 1990- 1999 (Year 4-13) Kate McIlroy receives this award in recognition of her dedication as a professional sports woman. Sport has always been part of Kate’s life. Swimming, running, team sport, coaching and achieving at the highest level as well as dealing with injury and disappointment, have all been part of her success. Throughout her school days Kate was involved in sport, balancing it with other school activities at a high academic level. She was School Games Captain in her final year, and awarded the Weston Cup for Sportsperson of the year in 1998 and 1999. At Victoria University mountain running became more than a hobby and in 2005 she became the world mountain running champion and New Zealand Sportswoman of the year. In 2006 she was 6th in the Women’s Steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and in 2009 moved to Triathlon. She has run successfully in the World Triathlon series and was 10th in the 2012 London Olympic Triathlon. Whereas professional sport has taken up much of her life Kate sees sport as being integral to the life of young people, and keeping them involved in sport is one of her challenges. Long term vision, attitude and self-belief all form part of Kate’s success “There have been some hard times mentally, but I have always known that I had the ability to do it”[i] [i] Dominion Post 13/4/2012 |