“People say, 'You will be 30 years old; you're too old. You'll get your nose broke,' say dad's a pushy dad. You hear stupid things and put them out of your mind.”

“People say, 'You will be 30 years old; you're too old. You'll get your nose broke,' say dad's a pushy dad. You hear stupid things and put them out of your mind.”

“My training diet can be quite strict when I'm coming up to competition; it's a weight-making sport, of course. But I eat quite healthily anyway, and it's less strict when out of competition.”

“It's important to have a healthy balanced diet but not to get too bogged down about it. It's important to enjoy your food, too.”

“I wouldn't really call myself a feminist. I obviously want equality and equal opportunities to the men.”

“Definitely, there's a lot of strength in depth in my division.”

“Mental strength is something you either have or you haven't.”

“I do a good job of staying positive and just moving on.”

“People need to get out and do some more exercise, especially children who are stuck inside with computers.”

“I'm honoured and delighted to be named the 'Irish Times'/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year 2014. This has been an amazing year for me and for Irish women in sport, and I would like to congratulate all the finalists in their respective fields who have excelled at major sporting events.”