IN WHAT was undoubtedly the most emotional moment of the night, Cecil Johnston was announced as The Echo 2009 Sports Coach of the
Year.
The Tallaght Athletic Club Chairman walked up to receive his prize amid thunderous applause and cheers which in itself was testament to his colossal contribution to athletics in the community down through the years.
“I was just shocked when I heard the announcement and I simply couldn't get out of my chair” Cecil told The Echo after the presentation. “It was just a sense of disbelief for me and it took a long time for it all to sink in” he added.
Cecil, who is the first to insist that he is part of a very strong coaching team and committee in Tallaght Athletic Club, has worked tirelessly for young athletes in the area since way back in the early nineties.
His passion for the sport can be seen in his commitment to the growth and development of Tallaght AC which today stands as one of the top athletic outlets in the county, if not Ireland, thanks to people like himself.
Speaking about his love for athletics Cecil said “I first ran for Metro and I competed in first Mini Olympics which was what the Community Games were originally known as. I remember carrying the torch from Whitehall to Santry and Eamonn Coghlan's father Bill, in a car, calling out my name on the megaphone.
“My involvement with athletics in Killinarden goes back to about 1990 when it was proposed that the community games be brought back to the area. I was immediately on for it because it brought back to me memories of when I used to run.
“Killinarden had runners who were excellent in cross country and for many years they made up about half of the Dublin Cross Country team with one year seeing us field 14 runners on the panel. I use to train kids from the Killinarden area and move them into West Dublin Athletic Club which is today known as Dublin Striders.
“I moved to Tallaght Athletic Club in 2002 and in 2006 we had our clubhouse finally completed. The next big stage of our development was the track and this year we had it resurfaced and developed into a top-class eight-lane facility. This year we had ten members completing their Level One Coaching Courses and we'll be looking to build on all that in 2010 as more kids come into the club” he explained.
Cecil has and continues to work with some of the most promising and successful athletes in the country.
His young protegee Laura McDonnell was the first Irish athlete to medal in the British and Irish Mountain Running Championships while Sean Connolly picked up this season's National 10km Road Race title.
Johnston is relentless in his drive to promote Tallaght AC and athletics in general, and next year he plans to take the sport into various second-level schools in an effort to further increase participation.
And the fact that more club members have acquired coaching qualifications, means that the club has the means to facilitate an increase on the 300 members that it already boasts.
What's more, with the development of its track, Tallaght AC now stands as one of the most viable alternatives to Santry, and so could well be hosting a number of major domestic and even international meets in the near future.
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Photos In Gallery by The Echo
