Rachel Reid, Nicknamed ‘Superwoman’, Receives BBC Sport NI’s Unsung Hero Award

Rachel Reid has been recognized as Northern Ireland’s Unsung Hero for 2024. Karen Dougan, captain of the Lagan Dragons, stated that nominating Rachel Reid for BBC Sport NI’s Unsung Hero award was an obvious choice, describing her as a “superwoman” capable of “turn[ing] her hand to everything.” Reid expressed surprise upon receiving the award, while her crew and teammates celebrated enthusiastically as she disembarked from the pontoon on the River Lagan, indicating their lack of surprise at her victory. Established in 2015, the Lagan Dragons club, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, supports individuals directly or indirectly affected by breast cancer. Reid, who began participating in Dragon Boat Racing—a paddle sport originating in China where teams compete in long boats—in 1991, serves as the head coach for the Belfast-based organization. During the award presentation following a Sunday morning training session, Reid remarked, “This club means everything and these women are so inspirational.” She further commented on the members’ experiences, stating, “The journey that they have all been on, a lot of them are starting a whole new life after a horrible event. A lot of them have never done sport before, so it’s a new venture for them to be part of a team and going out and winning medals. It’s just a great experience for them and I feel very privileged to be able to help with that.” Following Reid’s receipt of the Unsung Hero award, which was met with significant applause from spectators along the Lagan, Dougan further characterized her as the “heartbeat of our club.” Dougan, the captain of Lagan Dragons, elaborated, “Rachel is so selfless, inspiring and inclusive. She is so warm and has the most amazing dry sense of humour. She is amazing and she has touched everyone’s lives in this club. She has helped us achieve far more than we thought we could.” Dougan detailed the considerable time and effort Reid invests, often personally, to ensure the Lagan Dragons operate efficiently. Dougan continued, “Rachel does so much for this club. She stays up to one or two o’clock in the morning working out the squad lists or training regimes. She is always tidying up the site, she brings a strimmer to cut down all the weeds and being things like fridges and microwaves to our wee club. We couldn’t ask for a better head coach than we have in Rachel. She is a lovely, beautiful and kind-hearted woman. She is just phenomenal.” Reid, who previously coached rugby and rowing, confessed that she “never really felt like I was making a difference” in those roles. This sentiment shifted upon her involvement with the Lagan Dragons, an inclusive club open to all, where members can choose to compete or participate solely for physical wellbeing. Reid further stated, “Now I feel like I am making a difference. Everyone in this club makes a difference, both to each other and myself. It’s an amazing club to be part of. There is a great networking community here. People come here and see others who have been through what they have been through. They are inspired by others. They are out there working hard, they are not any less of an athlete because they have had a breast cancer diagnosis.” Competitively, the Lagan Dragons have achieved considerable success, including a recent silver medal at the Irish championships. Reid, who is now nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year Unsung Hero award, with the winner to be revealed on BBC One on Tuesday, 17 December, commented, “Some people don’t want to race and that’s perfectly fine. Some of them want not only race, but win. That’s also great. We will keep working hard and try to achieve what everyone wants to get out of this club. You would think a club with 100 women would be a slightly scary prospect but they are all so supportive to each other and to me. They are building themselves up as a club. They are not reliant on me and they are learning to look after the club within the group, which is great.”