Diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, one of the breakout stars of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been crowned the National Lottery Awards 2022 Athlete of the Year after a staggering 11,000 votes were cast across the competition.
Then aged just 17, Andrea wowed crowds in Birmingham this year with an incredible performance and bagged an impressive trio of medals – all while being cheered on by her dad Fred Sirieix, maître d’ and matchmaker on the hit Channel 4 show First Dates.
She won two gold medals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – one in the Women’s 10m platform and one in the Mixed Pairs Synchronised 10m platform with Noah Williams – and a silver medal in the Women’s Synchronised 10m platform with Eden Cheng. She also went on to win two further gold medals at the European Championships in Rome and a bronze medal at the World Aquatic Championships in Hungary this summer.
The National Lottery Athlete of the Year category recognises the performances and legacy of our sporting heroes and showcases the impact of National Lottery funding on elite sport.
Ten incredible athletes were shortlisted for this year’s National Lottery Athlete of the Year award and members of the public cast more than 11,000 votes to decide this year’s winner.
Despite stiff competition from the likes of cyclist Laura Kenny and runner Eilish McColgan, Andrea, now 18, emerged as the clear favourite with more than 4,000 votes online and on social media.
To commemorate her Athlete of the Year win, Andrea will receive an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy.
Andrea is among more than 1,000 elite athletes funded by The National Lottery through UK Sport’s World Class Programme. The programme allows athletes such as Andrea to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support.
Andrea, 18, said: “I’m just speechless. It’s mind-blowing. To be one of the nominees and then to have won, I don’t really know how to describe how I’m feeling. I’m just very, very thankful.
“It gives me a lot of joy because I love what I do, I love my sport. To win accolades and awards like this, it’s such a beautiful sport and it’s incredible.
“The National Lottery help fund athletes and without them I wouldn’t be able to train. I’m very grateful for all of their support and to the public as well, every week they raise £30 million for good causes and that is mind-blowing. It’s the power of community and the power of everyone working together for us so I’m very, very grateful.”
No-one does more to support our athletes than National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. For more information about The National Lottery Awards, visit lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and follow the campaign on Twitter @LottoGoodCauses #NLAwards.
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