17 year old James Guy and 15 year old Amy Marren have both received high praise for their accomplishments in 2013. The two young athletes were recognized by the BBC who put them in their top ten finalists for the Young Sports Personality of the Year Award. The list will be taken down to three on December 12th with the winner being crowned on December 15th at the First Direct Arena in Leeds in front of a crowd of 12,000.
To be eligible for the award athletes must be 17 or under as of January 1st, 2013.
Swimmer Josef Craig won the award last year after becoming the youngest British gold medalist at the Paralympic Games winning the S7 400 freestyle at the age of 15.
Both Guy and Marren received high praise from the British swimming brass, “James really deserves to be in this shortlist. It is also great for swimming for him to have been identified in this way. He is a good example for both junior and more experienced athletes in the way he approached the Worlds. He raised his game and showed no fear. It is a testament to him and his coach that his success has been recognized,” said National Team Head Coach Bill Furniss.
“This is wonderful news that Amy is in the shortlist. It is great that her efforts this year have been recognised in this way. She has taken a big leap forward over the past 12 months and she is a very exciting prospect for the future,” said National Performance Director Chris Furber.
In the last year Guy placed fifth in the 400 freestyle at the World Championships, collected two silvers at the World Junior Championships in the 200 and 400 freestyle and took home gold in the 200 freestyle at the European Junior Championships.
Marren had an incredible showing at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships where she won gold in the SM9 200 IM and S9 100 butterfly and collected two silvers in the S9 100 backstroke and S9 100 freestyle.