THREE NOMINEES FROM ATHLETICS FOR THE 2020 BRITISH ETHNIC DIVERSITY SPORTS AWARDS

Para Athletics Head Coach, Paula Dunn, and world medallists, Dina Asher-Smith and Kadeena Cox have been nominated for 2020 British Ethnic Diversity Sport Awards (BEDSA) Awards.

The BEDSAs are designed to recognise and celebrate the contributions made by black and minority ethnic communities. The awards will help drive change in the sport sector where role models from more communities are a priority to increase participation

British Athletics Para Head Coach, Paula Dunn MBE, is shortlisted for the Coach of the Year award. Dunn, who has held the role since the end of 2012, has guided the British team to record medal hauls at the Paralympic Games, World Championships and European Championships during her tenure.

Dunn, a former European and Commonwealth medallist, received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours at the end of 2018 for her services to sport.

Dunn and the Paralympic programme team at British Athletics, are well underway with preparations for the Paralympic Games later this year, but prior to that, the WPA Marathon World Cup at the London Marathon in April and the WPA European Championships in Bydgoszcz in June are notable milestones in the para athletics calendar.

[Paula Dunn – Para Athletics Head Coach at British Athletics]

There are two representatives from athletics in the Sportswoman of the Year awards.

Dina Asher-Smith (John Blackie; Blackheath & Bromley) won her first world title back in October, sealing 200m gold in a national record of 21.88s.

She had won 100m silver behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) earlier in the week, also in a British record time (10.83s). She completed the championships with 4x100m relay silver alongside a team of Asha Philip, Ashleigh Nelson and Daryll Neita.

In September, she won the Diamond League trophy over 100m, beating Fraser-Pryce in Brussels. This followed success in the series in Doha and Stockholm earlier in the year, on both occasions over the 200m distance.

Meanwhile, Kadeena Cox (Joe McDonnell; Sale Harriers Manchester) continues to be successful in two sports, winning medals at both the World Para Athletics Championships last November, and the World Para-Cycling Championships earlier this year.

Manchester-based, Cox, battled to world silver in the T38 400m last year. She was embroiled in an enthralling contest with Margarita Goncharova (RUS), just missing out on retaining her title by the closest of margins.

Voting for the BEDSAs is now open at http://bedsa.org/voting-form/