Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists Kellie Harrington and Ellen Keane feature in a female-dominated shortlist for the 2021 RTE Sportsperson of the Year.
Harrington and Keane are among six women on the eight-strong shortlist alongside boxer Katie Taylor, jockey Rachael Blackmore, Meath GAA's Vikki Wall and golfer Leona Maguire.
Paralympic champions Jason Smyth and hurler of the year Cian Lynch complete the competitive field, the winner of which will be announced on Saturday, December 18.
Portland Row boxer Harrington will be a popular inclusion as she captured the imagination of the nation on her way to lightweight gold in Tokyo.
Keane, from Clontarf, improved on her bronze medal performance in Rio in 2016 to take the gold medal in the SB8 100m breaststroke at the summer's Paralympic Games.
Derryman Jason Smyth also took home gold from the Tokyp Paralympics, equally the record of six golds in the visually-impaired T13 100m category.
Tippperary's Blackmore scooped the Champion Hurdle and Ruby Walsh Award at Cheltenham before winning the Grand National, the first women to achieve each feat.
Taylor remains the undisputed champion of the world after the Bray lightweight beat Natasha Jonas and Jennifer Han, and defends it again versus Firuza Sharipova on Saturday.
Cavan golfer Maguire's eyecatching performances on the LPGA saw her move to 43 in the world, represent Ireland at the Olympics and post 4.5/5 points on her Solheim Cup debut.
Meath footballer Wall was named player of the match as the Royal County produced a shock All-Ireland final win to deny Dublin the five-in-a-row.
Finally, Limerick hurler Lynch scooped the hurler of the year gong for the second time as he put in one of the all-time performances in the demolition of Cork in the All-Ireland final.
The RTÉ Sports Awards will be broadcast live on Saturday, December 18 on RTÉ One, hosted by Joanne Cantwell and Darragh Maloney.
