OLYMPIC SWIMMER WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
Kirsty Balfour has been awarded the British Olympic Association's
(BOA) 2006 Olympic Athlete of the Year Trophy for aquatics.
The European Champion has been selected for the new award
launched by the BOA to celebrate its centenary and the awarding
of the 2012 Olympic Games to London.
The BOA has given all 35 Olympic governing bodies a trophy
that they can award to their Olympic athlete of the year.
The British Swimming Board, who received nominations for
the award from across the disciplines, chose Balfour (22)
after her extremely successful year, where her performance
at the European Championships (50m) helped Britain to the
Top Team Trophy.
The Scottish swimmer added European titles in the 200m Breaststroke
and 4x100m Medley and silver in the 100m Breaststroke to the
medals she claimed at the Commonwealth Games - silver in the
200m Breaststroke and bronze in the 100m event. Balfour capped
her year with gold in the 200m Breaststroke and silver in
the 100m at the recent European Championships (25m) to prove
she is one of the most successful British breaststroke swimmers
in Europe.
She will formally receive her award at the 2007 Splash Awards
held in April.
Balfour, who trains at the City of Edinburgh, is thrilled
to have been selected for the award.
"I feel really honoured to have been recognised by both
the ASA and the BOA," she said. "I was surprised
to have been chosen for this inaugural award.
"I am really looking forward to the awards dinner, it
should be a great evening and hopefully I'll have more to
celebrate after the World Championships in Melbourne."
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