A documentary about the late Northern Irish footballer Jimmy Hasty won the outstanding short documentary prize at the Sports Emmy Awards in New York on Tuesday night.
The UEFA documentary One-Armed Wonder: The Extraordinary Story of Jimmy Hasty from director Richard Milway tells the incredible story of the murdered Belfast striker who lost an arm as a teenager but still enjoyed a successful football career.
In 1950, at 14-years-old, Hasty lost his left arm in an accident at the Jennymount Mill in Belfast. 13 years later, he was the top goal scorer in Dundalk Football Club and a key player on the first ever Irish team to win an away match in Europe.
Director Milway told RTÉ Entertainment they are "so thrilled" with the win and thanked Dundalk FC, Paddy Malone and Hasty's family for their help making the documentary.
"Jimmy was an incredible man and this award is a testament to that", the director added.
The #SportsEmmys Award for Outstanding Short Documentary goes to Extraordinary Stories | One-Armed Wonder: The Extraordinary Story of Jimmy Hasty (https://t.co/DOVoou0GdN). pic.twitter.com/nWhq25HHv9
— Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) May 22, 2024
While collecting the Sports Emmy award on Tuesday night, Milway said: "I'd like to thank the Hasty family, Jimmy's sons Paul and Martin and his wife Margaret. It's 50 years since Jimmy was killed and this was the first time that Margaret spoke about Jimmy's death. She did so with amazing grace and courage and I'd like to dedicate this award to her."
Meanwhile, Irish director Laura McGann has said she is "thrilled" after her freediving documentary The Deepest Breath has won the outstanding long documentary at the Emmy Sports ceremony. The documentary is a co-production between Irish production company Motive Films and Ventureland.
A word-of-mouth hit and also critically acclaimed, The Deepest Breath tells the story of the Irish expert safety diver Stephen Keenan and the Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini and their love for one of the most dangerous sports in the world, where devotees travel to the deep on a single breath.
Thrilled! https://t.co/8mdnFu3SMM
— Laura McGann (@LauraMcGann) May 22, 2024
Collecting the award, The Deepest Breath producer Sarah Thompson said: "This is amazing. Thank you so much to Allessia Zecchini for sharing her story with us and the world."
Thompson dedicated the award to "Irish champion" Keenan.
Read more: Irish director scores global Netflix hit with The Deepest Breath
