Among the contenders for Irish Sportswoman of the Year was Gina Akpe-Moses.
The sprinter rose to prominence this year when she won the European Under-20 100 metres title in Italy back in July, signalling the young athlete's promise.
Off The Ball's John Duggan caught up with her at the awards ceremony today to talk about life on and off the track.
Given the speed and intensity of the discipline, it can all be a bit of a blur from starting gun to the finish line - something that Akpe-Moses does not view as a disadvantage.
"You don't remember anything really. The only thing I remember is the start and the end. The middle part I don't remember," she explained.
"I feel like when you're unaware of what you're doing, that's when you know you're doing well. When you're too aware of your surroundings, that's a problem because you are too focused on yourself and you're analysing too much.
"So when you're too aware of things, then you know you're not running the best that you can run. When you forget everything, basically it's your best runs ever. That's what athletics is like for me anyway."
Her awareness of her surroundings kicked in again at the finish line as she immediately realised victory had been achieved.
"I could see it from the corner of my eye and knew I got this," she said, adding that she had been "surprised" by the achievement, given the build-up.
"It was actually amazing because I didn't expect it whatsoever. I was ranked fourth going into the competition. I aimed just to make the final because the other competitors, they were more prepared than I was. I knew they had the upper hand in terms of race prep."
Akpe-Moses first moved to Athlone from Nigeria aged two, before moving to Dundalk for a number of years. The family then settled in Birmingham, UK where she is based and trains. But she intends to always represent Ireland.
"Always going to be Irish, always going to stay at home. It's where I've been brought up. I've learned basically everything I know. It's close to my heart. I can't not say I'm Irish so it's always going to be there."
You can listen to the full interview on Off The Ball on Saturday.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
