Athletics NI mourns the loss of Joanne Savage

Jo will be known to many as a very familiar sight at Mary Peters Track coaching a large group of young athletes, always with a smile on her face and a friendly word for everyone.

A very talented sports woman in her day, Jo excelled in hockey and athletics. She played on her school first XI for almost her entire time at Princess Gardens and Hunter House and also won medals in Long Jump, High Jump and 400m hurdles across many age groups at School and NI Championships including setting an Ulster Schools Junior Long Jump record of 5.04m and winning a silver medal in High Jump at the Celtic Games.

Her love of athletics continued as she started coaching with City of Lisburn when her own girls started training at the club. Jo’s coaching progressed through their Fundamental program before leading her own group of teenager athletes.  She guided many of our best performing young athletes through their junior years including 2022 Commonwealth Games representatives Ellie McCartney and Anna McCauley and more recently talented sprinters Jenna Breen, Cathy Hempton and Finlay Stewart as well as hurdler Holly Mulholland. Her dedication to those young athletes was clear for all see, caring for them as young people while nurturing their progress in their sport.
Jo will be missed by everyone in the Northern Ireland athletics community and is remembered fondly by Athletics NI staff, past and present, that she worked with while having numerous athletes in the Youth Academy or at NI international competitions.

Jo’s funeral will take place at 1pm on Wednesday 19th February at Ravenhill Presbyterian Church, 244 Ravenhill Road, Belfast. The family have requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations could be made to Menopause Together Ltd, Antrim Enterprise Agency, 58 Greystone Road, Antrim.
Our deepest sympathies go to her husband John, daughters Jodie and Olivia as well as her many friends and colleagues at City of Lisburn AC.

Thanks to Lyn Fisher and John Glover for providing the above information.