Five elite sportspeople have been nominated for the British Elite Athletes Association’s (BEAA) Athletes’ Athlete of the Month award for April, with their peers set to decide the winner.
Emily Campbell (weightlifting), Jordan Houlden (diving), Jess Liddon (shooting) Team Mouat (curling) and Emma Wilson (windsurfing) have all been shortlisted in recognition of their recent performances.
Their fellow World Class Programme athletes will now vote for the winner of this month’s award, which celebrates both sporting and personal achievements.
Emily earned her nomination with a history-making performance. The double Olympic medallist became the first female weightlifter to win five consecutive European Championships as she claimed the continental title earlier this month. It was a dominant display from Emily, who lifted a total of 281kg to win the women’s +87 kg category and build on her remarkable legacy in the sport.
In diving, Jordan won the first global gold of his career as he triumphed in the Men’s 3m Springboard at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Canada. The 26-year-old was in the medal spots from the outset, securing the win on his final dive to finish with an impressive 470.85 points, more than 30 clear of the USA's Carson Tyler in second.
Jess enjoyed a record-breaking April as she delivered a fine performance at the 14th Grand Prix of Wrocław and Lower Silesia Wrocław Competition in Poland. The 31-year-old produced two personal best performances to set Scottish records in the 25m Pistol and 10m Air Pistol events to claim a bronze medal. Jess’ achievements were all the more impressive after she revealed on social media that the months prior to the competition had been particularly challenging.
It proved to be a remarkable month for Team Mouat. The Scots won the World Men’s Curling Championship for the second time, making history in the process as the first team ever to win gold after coming through a quarter-final, having only finished fifth in the round-robin. A week later they were victorious at the Players Championship, where they became the first rink in history to win four Grand Slams in one season.
Emma is shortlisted after winning the top award at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, the prestigious Olympic sailing season opener in Palma de Mallorca. The two-time Olympic bronze medallist was recognised with the Princess Sofia Trophy, the regatta’s top prize, after she won 14 out of 21 races in the foiling windsurfer fleet.
Elite athletes can vote for their Athlete of the Month by heading to their latest BEAA email, with the winner to be confirmed shortly.
Good luck to all five nominees!
