Who could be Northern Ireland’s 10 rising stars in 2023?

Who could be Northern Ireland’s 10 rising stars in 2023?

Who could be Northern Ireland’s 10 rising stars in 2023?: Despite being such a small place, Northern Ireland’s sporting stars continue to shine on the world stage.

We all know the Rory McIlroys, Ciara Mageeans, Marissa Callaghans and Mark Allens, but who could be the next potential superstar to make the mark?

BBC Sport takes a look at some of the brightest talents who could be preparing for the big 2023.

Josh Rock

Josh Rock won his first PDC title by defeating Luke Humphreys in the Players Championship event in October. Being 21 years old and already a sports superstar says a lot. However, that is exactly what happened to Josh Rock. He headed towards the crime scene. He won the PDC World Junior Championship, reached the round of 16 of the European Championship, and hit nine darts against the great Michael van Gerwen in his televised Grand Slam of Darts debut. Great. Roque’s form was so impressive that he finished seventh for the most bookies to win the World Championship title at the Alley Palli in his first year, and despite missing out on the quarter-finals as a sport to watch. but strengthened his position.

Joel Andres

Julie Andrews is leaning towards a brighter future for Northern Ireland.
With so much talent emerging in the Irish League, it’s hard to narrow them down to one talent but here we went with Julie Andrews. The 20-year-old midfielder scored his first international goal away to Austria in April and was a game-changing substitute in Northern Ireland’s famous 1-0 win over Italy in November. He finished the season impressively with Glenthorn struggling for consistency in the league, scoring the decisive goal in the Irish Cup final and the standout scoring two goals in the County Antrim Cup final, what a player. Is.

Tom McKibben

Tom McKibbin defied Rory McIlroy’s standards to win DP World Tour card.
Rory McIlroy’s footsteps will be tough to follow, but so far Tom McKibbin has taken it lightly. So much so that the 19-year-old paraphrased “don’t surprise me anymore”.

The Hollywood golfer (yes, that’s the same as another McIlroy) recently won his DP Tour card and holed out in his second event together in South Africa. Not bad It’s probably going to be a learning year as they rise through the ranks, but don’t be surprised to see the talented youngster pick up a trophy or two along the way.

Ruari Canawan

Ruairi Canavan is one of the top contenders in Ulster football
Peter Cavanagh was a Welsh footballer of his generation. Betty Darragh lives up to her name. Will Ruairi be the best?

The 19-year-old forward led Tyrone to All-Ireland Under-20 victory, after which he was named Under-20 Player of the Year. In November, Glenn went viral over a delicious Errigal Ciaran dummy that saw his opponent eating grass while splitting poles. He’s amazing, he’s a great talent, and he could make his debut in 2023. There are some genes in the Canavan family.

Amy Hunter

Amy Hunter continues to influence Ireland’s history century after century.
Amy Hunter became the youngest captain in the world when she turned 16 in October 2021. How are you tracking it? He is now the mainstay of the Irish team and with some solid hitting performances, he helped the team qualify for the T20 World Cup.

Next year he will have the chance to showcase his skills on the global stage at the World Cup in February, where the Ireland under-17s will take on England, India, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Nathan Duke

Nathan Doke with former Ulster favorite Rowan Penner
After Ruan Pienaar and John Cooney were treated like heroes at Ravenhill, a promising half-and-half in Ulster will be hard to come by. However, Nathan Doke took the stage with his skilful passing and composure and put pressure on Cooney to become Ulster’s first pick at number nine. For good measure, he can also play in the halves. The 20-year-old made his Irish debut in September and could be an outside bet for Andy Farrell’s World Cup squad if he has another solid campaign. Either way, your future on both white and green is pretty good if the tournament comes too soon.

Dylan Carlson

Commonwealth Games champion Dylan Eagleson will seek further success in the ring in 2023.
As always, Ireland punches above its weight in boxing (I’ll show you), and Dylan Eagleson may be the brightest of all the geniuses. The 19-year-old bantamweight added gold to his silver medal at the European Championships in May at the Commonwealth Games in August.

It may be 18 months until the 2024 Olympics, but talented Bangor wrestlers will be chasing gold at the world championships in Uzbekistan in May.

Kate O’Connor

Kate O’Connor won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Kate O’Connor pipped Katarina Johnston-Thompson to win silver in the heptathlon at the Commonwealth Games and the biggest medal of her career to date.

It was a strong performance from the 21-year-old that earned him a silver medal at the 2019 European Under-20 Championships.

After her impressive performance in Birmingham, the heptathlete will look to build on that at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.

Robyn McBride

Robyn McBride reaches the last 16 at the B3 World Championships in Rio.
Northern Ireland already has a bocce world champion thanks to Claire Taggart, but another para-athlete wants to follow suit.

Robin McBride held his first World Championships for England in Rio in December, where he defeated the world number four and world number 12 to reach the last 16.

Competing in the B3 category, the 24-year-old won bronze in singles at the World Boccia Challenger in Veldhoven and then won silver in doubles with Will Arnett.

Molly McKenna

Molly McKenna could rebound in 2023 with a bright future in gymnastics (sorry, sorry).

The 16-year-old is set for a promotion to the Great British A team in 2022 after an extraordinary finish to his youth career, when he took the European and world titles in the double mini trampoline discipline.

In June, the 15-year-old at St Benedict’s College Randlestown became the first gymnast from Northern Ireland to win a gold medal at the European Championships in her discipline and age category before winning the title. World Cup in Bulgaria in November.

Definitely someone to watch in the future.