1st November 2018

TRIO NOMINATED FOR SPORTSAID ONE-TO-WATCH AWARD

Double IAAF World U20 Championship bronze medallist Kristal Awuah (coach: Matthew Thomas; club: Herne Hill), European U18 high jump champion Dominic Ogbechie (Marius Guei/Carol Jackson; Highgate Harriers) and World Para Athletics European T33 100m gold medallist Harri Jenkins (DSW Para Academy) have made the top 10 for SportsAid’s One-to-Watch award.

The shortlist was devised after assessing the credentials of around 1,000 British athletes from over 60 sports, all of whom are supported by SportsAid.

The trio all claimed their first international medals this summer whilst representing the British team at major international championships and also have enjoyed plenty of domestic success throughout the season.

The meteoric rise of Awuah has seen her go from claiming 100m and 4x100m relay bronze for the British team at the IAAF World U20 Championships, to donning the kit of Team Europe at the IAAF Continental Cup in a scintillating season.

Her double bronze in Tampere saw her become the first female track athlete since Jodie Williams in 2010 to claim two medals at a world U20 championship.

She has improved her 100m best six times in 2018, down from 11.61 (+0.2) to a European U20 lead of 11.16 (-0.1m/s), moving second on the all-time British U20 list behind Dina Asher-Smith. Awuah also shattered her 200m PB to 23.66, improving by nearly two seconds, and shaved over a tenth off her 60m best to 7.36.

Her stellar season led to her earning a place in Team Europe’s IAAF Continental Cup 4x100m relay team, running the first leg as they finished second in 42.55.

High jumper Ogbechie set a world leading Under-18 mark of 2.22m indoors in February at the English U17 Championships in Sheffield, breaking the age-15 world record in the process with his effort.

His record-breaking weekend in the Steel City continued as he set the British U17 long jump record the following day with a 7.53m effort to take gold, the furthest leap by an Under-17 for over a decade, putting over 30cm onto his personal best.

The Londoner followed that feat up in July by claiming a gold medal at the European U18 Championships in Gyor, Hungary, jumping 2.16m to match his outdoor best, a mark he then bettered in August, clearing 2.18m in Bedford at the England Athletics U17 Championships.

His exploits on the track are not to be discounted, blitzing the field to win the 200m at the English Schools Championships, along with the high jump and long jump, the first person to win those three different events at the competition.

The 16-year-old ends the year as the world and European leader in the high jump and world leader indoors in the long jump.

T33 sprinter Jenkins made his first appearance in a British vest at this summer’s WPA European Championships after switching to athletics having previously represented England in wheelchair basketball.

He claimed Great Britain’s first gold medal of the championships in the T33 100m when he stopped the clock at 19.44 (-0.2m/s), backing up his fifth-place finish at the WPA Grand Prix this year.

His best time of the year, an 18.59 (+1.8) clocked in London in June, places him as the second fastest over 100m in Europe this year and third fastest in the world in 2018. Added to this, he is one of the youngest in the T33 classification.

Previous winners of the One-to-Watch award include Olympic, World and European Championship high jump finalist Morgan Lake (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) and current F46 javelin Grand Slam holder, Hollie Arnold (David Turner; Blackheath & Bromley).

The top three is expected to be revealed on Thursday, 8 November, with the winner to be announced at the annual SportsBall in London on Thursday, 15 November.