Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley has been named British Swimming Athlete of the Year after a public vote that saw him receive almost a quarter of the votes.
Daley has enjoyed great success through 2015 with medals at the FINA/NVC Diving World Series and finishing second in the rankings overall. He then travelled to the World Championships hungry for medals.
He competed first in the Mixed 10m Synchro with Rebecca Gallantree and the pair dominated to come away with the gold medal – the first champions in this event at a world level.
In the 10m Platform he was challenged by an in form Olympic Champion David Boudia and Olympic silver medallist Qui Bo. In the final he claimed the bronze medal with an excellent final dive to stand on the podium for the second time in the competition.
“This is a massive honour as the competition for this title has been immense,” Daley said. “This year has been fantastic and to have been back on the podium at a World Championships was a great way to end the season.
“There are so many people I want to thank for helping me to achieve my success. A huge thank you to my coach Jane [Figueiredo] for working so hard alongside me every day. She keeps my energy levels high even on a bad day. My family and friends as well – you’re with me every step of the way and I couldn’t do this without you. And course to my fans and everyone that voted for me – thank you.”
British Swimming Chairman Maurice Watkins CBE commented: “My congratulations go to Tom for being named British Swimming Athlete of the Year. He has had an impressive year having won both gold and bronze at the World Championships in Kazan.
“It is great to see so many of our athletes being recognised for their hard work and dedication to the sports. As we enter the Olympic and Paralympic year I know this work will continue giving the best possible foundation for the success that 2016 can bring.”
The British Swimming Awards also recognised by discipline the Athlete, Coach and Emerging Athlete of the Year celebrating the fantastic achievements throughout the sports for their success in 2015.
For Chief Executive David Sparkes this event has been the perfect way to recognise key achievements in the run up to the Olympic and Paralympic year.
“We have seen some really excellent performances through 2015 and what better way to celebrate them than an evening like this,” Sparkes said. “Firstly I would like to congratulate Tom for winning our overall prize. It was great seeing him back on the podium at a world level this year and I know he is working hard towards Rio 2016.
“It’s important to recognise those performances within each discipline. For the likes of Adam Peaty, James Guy and the team as a whole to end a great year with nine medals including winning three golds at this year’s World Championships was truly impressive.
“I was also in Glasgow this summer and saw the performances of the coaches and swimmers such as Tully Kearney who worked hard together to win 32 medals including 10 golds. This is something I know we will build on for Rio.”
List of winners:
Athlete of the Year: Tom Daley
Diving:
Athlete of the Year: Tom Daley
Emerging Athlete of the Year: Lois Toulson
Coach of the Year: Adrian Hinchliffe
Para-Swimming:
Athlete of the Year: Jessica-Jane Applegate
Emerging Athlete of the Year: Tully Kearney
Coach of the Year: Glenn Smith
Swimming:
Athlete of the Year: Adam Peaty
Emerging Athlete of the Year: Duncan Scott
Coach of the Year: Mel Marshall
Swimming news courtesy of British Swimming.