RECORD BREAKING TRIO HEAD THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTSWOMEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS NOMINATIONS

A trio of European champions and the 4x100m European Championship gold medal winning relay team have been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year awards.

Dina Asher-Smith (coach: John Blackie; club: Blackheath & Bromley) heads the nominations for Sportswoman of the Year after a record-breaking 2018 that saw her claim a hat-trick of golds at the European Championships.

T38 100m and 200m world record holder Sophie Hahn (Joe McDonnell; Charnwood) and F46 javelin world record holder Hollie Arnold (David Turner; Blackheath & Bromley) are both shortlisted for the Disability Sportswoman of the Year.

The duo both claimed gold medals at the WPA European Championships in August and at the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in April, securing them both a Grand Slam in the process.

Asher-Smith began the season with a 200m bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and continued her upward trajectory as she broke the British 100m record at the Oslo Diamond League in June.

A time of 10.92 (+1.6) revised her own national record by some 0.07 seconds having clocked 10.99 back in 2015. After claiming the British 100m title in a championship record time to qualify for Berlin, she improved her 100m time once again to a world-leading 10.85 (0.0m/s), breaking her own British record on her way to gold.

She followed that up four days later when she became the first British woman in history to run sub-22 seconds in the 200m, defending her European title and setting another world leading mark of 21.89 (+0.2).

The 22-year-old rounded off her stunning championships by helping the women’s 4x100m team to gold, a storming leg on anchor capping a memorable and record-breaking championships as she became the first Briton to claim triple gold at a major championships.

Asher-Smith’s compatriots Asha Philip (Steve Fudge; Newham & Essex Beagles), Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Steve Fudge; Sutton & District), Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan; Enfield & Haringey), who completed the team, are on the shortlist as part of the Team of the Year.

Showing the strength in depth that contributed to Olympic and world successes in 2016 and 2017 respectively, the previously untried quartet delivered when it mattered most in Berlin, a time of 41.88 seeing the British record of 41.77 given a scare while also standing as the quickest in the world for 2018.

T38 sprinter Hahn has enjoyed a stellar 2018, which has seen her break her own T38 200m world record, claim a hat-trick of gold medals at the World Para Athletics European Championships and complete the Grand Slam in the T38 100m.

Hahn began the year powering to a Commonwealth Games record of 12.46 (+0.9) and her fine run of form continued at the Müller Anniversary Games, where she smashed her own T38 200m world record to win in 25.93 (-0.1).

In Berlin, Hahn set a WPA European Championship record of 26.51 (-1.8) on her way to T38 200m glory and followed it up with her second gold and second championship record in the T38 100m in 12.52 (+1.7).

Victory completed the T38 100m Grand Slam for Hahn but she added a third medal of the Championships to her tally as part of the Universal 4x100m relay that powered to victory in 48.73.

Like Hahn, Arnold claimed a Grand Slam of her own in the F46 women’s javelin, but had to break her own world record to win, and obliged with a sixth-round best of 44.43m.

The 24-year-old completed the Grand Slam in Berlin at the WPA European Championships as she set a championship record 40.15m, improving on her silver medal from 2012 in Stadskanaal, Sweden, ensuring her of the Paralympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles at the same time.

The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in London on Thursday, 1 November. To view the shortlists in full and to vote for the Team of the Year, click here.