Ballagh man nominated for Rowing Ireland Award
Steven McGowan and Katie O’Brien competing in the World Rowing Championships. Pic. Benedict Tufnell/World Rowing
A County Roscommon man has been nominated for the Rowability Award of the Year at this year’s Rowing Ireland Awards.
Paralympic rower Steven McGowan from Ballaghaderreen and his rowing partner Katie O’Brien from Clarinbridge in County Galway qualified for Paris 2024 during the World Championships in Serbia in September.
Steven was born in Donegal but grew up in Ballaghaderreen. He attended national school in Tibohine and secondary school at St Nathy’s College. In September 2017, he was involved in a life changing single-vehicle crash in Fairymount which left him with a severe spinal injury.
Steven was air-lifted to hospital in Galway for emergency spinal surgery. After four months of recovery in Galway, he went to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, where he spent the next seven months undergoing intense rehabilitation in an attempt to restore power to his legs.
Incredibly Steven only took up rowing less than two years ago and also represented Ireland at the 2022 World Rowing Championships.
His rowing partner Katie, from Clarinbridge in Galway is the current World Champion in the Women’s PR2 Scull as well as holding the world record both on the water and on the rowing machine. She also won bronze in the single at the 2019 World Championships.
They are both now fully based in Cork training at the National Rowing Centre.
The winners of the award will be announced at the Rowing Ireland Awards on Saturday, November 18th in Portlaoise.
