The Olympic 1500m silver medalist was recognized for her success with Gemma Ricci, Laura Muir, Megan Keith and Scout Adkin.
The shortlists for the 4J Scottish Annual Awards have been announced and with the remarkable achievements of Scottish athletes in an Olympic and Paralympic year, choosing a winner will be no easy task.
Josh Kerr, last year’s Scottish Sportsman of the Year, has been nominated again after a standout year. The 26-year-old won the world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow earlier this year before winning silver in the 1500m final at the Olympics, breaking the British record in 3:27.79 behind surprise winner Cole Hawker.
His season didn’t end there, as he went on to break the long-standing 5th Avenue Mile record in New York with an impressive 3:44.3 in early September.
Gemma Rickey also had a personal best in the 800m, clocking 1:55.61 to finish second behind Keeley Hodgkinson at the London Diamond League. He also reached the semi-finals in Paris despite aiming for a podium finish.
Gemma Rickey (Getty)
Meanwhile, Laura Muir set a new Scottish 1500m record in Paris, finishing fifth in her third Olympic final. The Tokyo silver medalist finished in 3:54.37, competing in her 24th major final.
Rounding out the contenders is Megan Keith, who won a bronze medal in the 10,000m at the European Championships in Rome. Scout Adkin also earned a nomination after winning silver at the European Off-Road Championships, while she also led the Great Britain women’s team to gold.
This year was also notable for the achievements of Scottish paraathletes.
Last year’s winner Sammy Kinghorn has been nominated once again for Para-Athlete of the Year after an incredible season. The Paralympics were the most famous achievement of his career, where he won his first ever Paralympic gold in the T53 100m.
Sammy Kinghorn (Getty)
Along with his historic gold, he won four silver medals in the 400m, 800m, 1500m and medley relay, contributing to the team’s impressive total of 18 medals.
Another standout was Ben Sandilands, who clocked 3:45.40 in the T20 1500m world record at the Stade de France to secure the gold medal. They are joined in the ranks by Melanie Woods, who recorded a personal best while finishing sixth in the T54 800m final.
The awards ceremony will also honor Scottish athletics legend Liz McColgan as the evening’s guest of honor as she is also nominated for Coach of the Year.
Liz McColgan (Mark Shearman)
“I think in many ways it’s been a brilliant year for Scottish road,” McColgan said.
“We look at the World Indoor Games and the Olympics and see examples, but there are other disciplines, age groups and para-athletics.
“A lot of our best athletes have been through that and I think it’s really important that we celebrate that and thank everyone involved. I’m looking forward to a great October night and I’m really looking forward to my visit.”
4J Athlete of the Year
Scout Adkin; Megan Keith; Josh Kerr; Laura Muir; Gemma Rickey
4J Para Athlete of the Year
Samantha Kinghorn; Ben Sandilands; Melanie Woods
U20 Sportsman of the Year
Scott Hopper; Angela McAuslan-Kelly; Natasha Phillips
U17 Sportsman of the Year
Josh Mungin; Zara Redmond; Holly Whittaker
Master athlete of the year
Grant Bailey; Paul Forbes; Chris Upson
Details for the 4J Annual Awards Dinner can be found here here
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