Square Mile Sport Awards - Vote Now!
The production line of young British sports stars emerging onto the world stage has continued apace over the last twelve months. Below are the 6 young sports stars that have been nominated for this award…
The winner was chosen from the 7 nominees below...
Rebecca Adlington, Swimming
The greatest thing to come out of Mansfield ever, the precocious talent of the 19-year old took the world by storm when she won two gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in the 400m and 800m freestyle, instantly becoming Britain's most successful Olympic swimmer in 100 years. Driven on by her mum's promise of a new pair of Jimmy Choos for every race she won, Adlington's astonishing late burst of speed in taking 400m gold was Britain's standout performance in the Olympic swimming pool. Her disarmingly normal demeanour in front of the media has also led to an appearance on The Charlotte Church Show and the renaming of the Yates Bar in Mansfield as the Adlington Arms.
Danny Cipriani, Rugby Union
Move over Jonny Wilkinson, there's a new fly-half in town. The swagger with which the 20-year old Danny Cipriani seized his England debut in this year's Six Nations was a sight to behold. All of a sudden the England backline looked a potent threat whereas it had previously stuttered with Wilkinson at the helm. The colourful Cipriani, whose list of female admirers is as long as his season points tally, proved in a heartbeat that his brand of attacking rugby would be as successful for England as it had been for Wasps whose Guinness Premiership triumph he masterminded. A broken ankle ended his season early but it had already been made clear that he is the future of English rugby.
Thomas Daley, Diving
As reigning European champion, there are few 14 year olds in the world who have commanded the media attention in the way that Thomas Daley did in the build-up to this year's Beijing Olympics. Not only did the diving sensation have to carry the hopes of a nation on his young shoulders but he also came up against the negative side of fame following a very public falling out with his synchro partner, the mobile phone carrying 26-year old Blake Aldridge, during the first stages of competition. Undeterred by this setback, the ever-confident Daley emerged unscathed to dive his way to the final of the 10m platform competition where he finished a very creditable 7th.
James DeGale, Boxing
In winning gold in the Middleweight boxing division at the Beijing Olympics, James DeGale followed in the footsteps of many a professional boxer who first emerged as an amateur Olympic champion. The 22-year old Londoner's confidence visibly grew as the rounds went on until his tense victory in the final over Cuban Emilio Correa who was deducted two points for biting. A southpaw who fights as a switchhitter, DeGale is now mulling over whether to take a reported £1m contract to turn professional or stay amateur and attempt to defend his title at London 2012. Tough choices indeed.
Laura Robson, Tennis
So starved has British tennis been of a successful female player that the emergence of the 14-year old Laura Robson at this year's Wimbledon came like a bolt out of the blue. The highly likeable teenager became the first British player to win the Girls Singles title since 1984, in the process taking the media by storm with her incredibly relaxed attitude in front of the cameras. Perhaps the only downside of her year was when the 28-year old Russian Marat Safin turned down her request for a date to the Winners' Ball. Britain has a new tennis hero. Let's just ignore the fact that she was born in Melbourne.
Eleanor Simmonds, Swimming
At the tender age of 13, Eleanor Simmonds made British Paralympic history in Beijing, coming home with two gold medals in the 100m and 400m freestyle in the S6 classification. The teenager who suffers from achondroplasia - a genetic disorder that stunts growth and is a common cause of dwarfism - produced a memorable performance in the swimming pool saw her become Britain's youngest ever individual Paralympic gold medalist. Originally considered a prospect for London 2012, the speed of Simmonds' progress was almost as astonishing as her relaxed and mature relationship with the media. Having begun swimming since the age of five, she went into the Games with a world record already under her belt and is now firmly established as one of the country's Paralympic legends.
Louis Smith, Gymnastics
Male gymnasts are not exactly easy to come by in Britain. So it was a very pleasant surprise when a 19-year old from Peterborough named Louis Smith navigated his way around the pommel horse in Beijing with a dexterity that belied his inexperience. In picking up bronze he became the first Briton to win an individual gymnastics Olympic medal in 100 years. Such was his composure under pressure against the highly fancied home crowd favourites from China that it seems unlikely that we'll have to wait longer than 4 years before he picks up his next medal.