SQUASH Down squash champion wins a hard fight to scoop Sportswoman of the Month Award

13 Nov 2008


Squash champion, Madeline Perry, from Banbridge, Co. Down, scooped The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council 'Sportswoman of the Month Award' for October today for her outstanding spell on the professional squash circuit in October, reaching the semi-finals at the World Championships in Manchester before making it to the last eight of the Qatar Open, one of the sport's most prestigious tournaments. Perry's success has lifted her up to 11th in the world rankings as she prepares to battle it out against previous month's winners, for the title of Sportswoman of the Year at an awards ceremony in Dublin on 23rd January 2009.


In Manchester Perry beat the sixth seed in straight sets in the second round and then fought back from two games and 9-7 down to beat another higher ranked player to reach the semi-finals. Her run was ended by the world number one, Nicole David from Malaysia. She maintained her form in Qatar, again beating players ranked above her to reach the quarter-finals, picking up yet more valuable world ranking points.


It was just a year ago that the 31-year-old was in Italy for training, was knocked unconscious outside a restaurant in Milan, her attacker stealing her handbag and leaving her with a broken temporal bone in her skull and bleeding and bruising to the brain. When she was finally released from hospital in Milan, Perry was told by a local neurosurgeon that she had been lucky to survive.
Remarkably, just two months later, she won the sportswoman for December award when she made it eight titles in 10 years at the National Championships in Dublin on her return to action - it would probably have been a 10-in-a-row if injuries hadn't forced her out of the 2000 and 2005 events.


However, the prospects of Perry regaining lost ground on the international circuit seemed bleak, not least because she had been advised not to travel by air until she had fully recovered - she was also warned not to drive for six months.


What makes Perry's form remarkable is that just a year ago her doctors doubted she would ever be able to compete at the highest level in her sport again.
Commenting on her exciting win, Perry said:


"It's only over the last couple of months that I've started to feel back to normal. What happened last year was pretty traumatic, I nearly died then, and I was told I'd never be able to concentrate. Getting up the rankings again is probably more difficult than it was the first time, but this is a fantastic boost."


Perry had dropped to 16 in the rankings, having risen to sixth in the world two years ago, but her success in October has lifted her up to 11th, with another rise expected in the December rankings.


She has become the only sportswoman to win one of the monthly awards every year since 2004 and she joins eleven other female sport stars and monthly winners so far this year including Chloe Magee, a 20 year old Badminton champion from Donegal who went on to qualify for the singles in Beijing and Siobhan Byrne, the German-born 23 year old who became the first female Irish fencer to compete in the Olympics in almost fifty years.


Established in 2004, the aim of the awards is to recognise the abilities and achievements of women in Irish sports. The awards run over a twelve month period, with the judges selecting a winner each month for her ability to excel at sport. From the twelve monthly winners, the overall Sportswoman of the Year is selected and announced.


The winner is decided by a judging panel, which is represented by individuals from RTة, The Irish Times and the Evening Herald.


Further details on the Sportswoman of the Year Awards can be found on www.irishtimes.com/events/sportswoman/.


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