Irish boxer Katie Taylor could not contain her delight after scooping Sky’s Sportswoman of the Month award for June.
Taylor won 33 per cent of the vote, beating off competition for the accolade from heptathlete Katerina Johnson-Thompson and golfer Michelle Wie who polled 24 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.
“Thanks so much. It is an absolutely huge honour for me particularly with the calibre of athletes that were nominated this month,” Taylor told Sky Sports News.
“I’d just like to thank everyone who has voted for me over the last week. It’s a huge honour and this sport has been incredible for me, so I’m delighted to have won this award. It’s fantastic for me.”
The Bray fighter, who is an Ambassador for Sky Sports Living for Sport, claimed her 16th major title in a row after winning the gold medal at last month’s European Championship in Bucharest.
It was Taylor’s sixth consecutive European title and the 28-year-old revealed her desire to constantly improve has been the key to her success.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” she said. “A lot of people see me coming back with these gold medals all the time but you don’t see how tough it is in the gym every single day.
“I try and go into every competition as an improved fighter and the beauty of sport is that you can never stop improving and you can never stop getting better.
“That’s what I’m aiming for - to become a better boxer every single day.”
The Olympic champion added: “The Europeans was the first major competition since the Olympic Games so it was very important for me to win it and I’m delighted to have retained my title.
“I’d love to defend my world title in November as well and my main goal is to defend my Olympic title in Rio so there’s a lot to train for.
“It’s going to be a tough few months but I have such a great team around me. My dad is my coach and with my dad by my side there is nothing we can’t achieve.”
Sportswoman of the Month June results:
Katie Taylor - 33%
Katarina Johnson-Thompson - 24%
Michelle Wie - 19%
Natasha Harding - 14%
Ellen Hoog - 5%
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor - 4%
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