BT Sport has today announced the shortlist for its annual Action Woman of the Year Award, now in its third year.
The award celebrates the ten most outstanding sporting performances by British female athletes in 2015. A shortlist of nominees has been selected, each with the support of a high-profile ambassador.
The winner will be decided by members of the public, who can vote online from today at btsport.com/actionwoman for the athlete or team they believe produced the greatest sporting moment of the past year. This year’s nominees are as follows:
Nicola Adams – Flyweight gold medalist at the inaugural European Games
Lizzie Armitstead – UCI World Road Race Champion
Rachel Atherton – World Downhill Biking Champion and World Cup Series winner
Georgina Hermitage – Double gold and silver medalist, plus world record breaker, at the IPC World Championships
England Women’s Hockey Team – European Hockey Champions
England Lionesses – Bronze medal winners at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Jessica Ennis-Hill – World Heptathlon Champion for the second time
Johanna Konta – British No. 1 tennis player who is currently ranked inside the world’s top 50 and in 2015 became the first British female to beat a World No. 2 in 34 years
Sarah Outen – British adventurer who completed epic round the world journey
Oxford Women’s Boat Race Crew – Winners of historic Women’s Boat Race, on the same stretch of Thames and on the same day as the Men’s.
Every nominee is backed by their own ambassador, whether it be from the world of sport or entertainment. This year they include two-time Olympic gold-medalist James Cracknell, European Championship gold medal winner Jo Pavey, Britain’s most successful female Olympian Victoria Pendleton, and BT Sport duo Jake Humphrey and Rio Ferdinand.
The winner will be announced live on The Action Woman of the Year Awards Show, presented by Clare Balding on BT Sport 1 on Tuesday 1 December 2015.
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “It has been yet another brilliant year for Britain’s female athletes and we are proud to once again be recognising and celebrating all the remarkable achievements these outstanding nominees have achieved in 2015.”
Commenting on the awards, BT Sport presenter Clare Balding, said: “It is a privilege to be involved with the BT Sport Action Woman of the Year Awards again this year, as we reward those who have excited and influenced us over the last 12 months. These nominees are some of the best examples of females who have the power to inspire and empower women of all ages with their contributions to sport and I am really excited to once again present this year’s winner with the coveted award.”
To vote for your action woman of the year visit btsport.com/actionwoman.