BT Sport has today announced the nominees for the tenth annual BT Sport Action Woman of the Year Award, in association with The Independent.
A historic year of achievement for women’s sport sees six athletes recognised for outstanding performances.
England's Lionesses were crowned European champions after an unforgettable win over Germany in the final at Wembley, with Beth Mead winning the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament.
The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham saw 18-year-old Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix secure double gold in diving, Hannah Cockroft continue her record of winning gold at every major athletics championship in wheelchair racing and Eilish McColgan set a new Commonwealth record in the 10,000m.
Elsewhere, Eve Muirhead led Team GB to gold in the curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics and MMA fighter Molly McCann triumphed at UFC London as the only British woman on the card.
Based on athletes’ individual achievements, a shortlist of nominees has been selected by a panel of judges including BT Sport’s Clare Balding.
“This year has seen extraordinary achievement in sport, from the Women’s Euros to the Commonwealth Games," BT Sport presenter Balding said. "Being able to honour these exceptional athletes and their golden endeavours is a testament to their individual journeys. I am thrilled to work alongside BT Sport to spotlight our inspiring nominees who will hopefully ignite a new generation of sportswomen to pursue their dreams.”
BT Sport Action Woman of the Year nominees
Beth Mead – Football
Winner of the Euro 2022 Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament, Mead is also nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or Féminin after a stellar performance as England’s star forward this summer.
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix - Diving
The 18-year-old has enjoyed a breakout year in diving, winning gold medals in the 10m Platform and Mixed 10m Synchronised Platform with Noah Williams, and a silver medal in the Women's Synchronised 10m platform with Eden Cheng at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Hannah Cockroft – Athletics
Cockcroft won gold in the T33/34 100m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, completing the set of gold medals at every major athletics championships. The 30-year-old was competing at the Commonwealth Games for the first time and set a new Games record time of 16.84.
Molly McCann - MMA
McCann gave an electrifying performance at The O2 at UFC London back in March. In a homecoming fight and with a contract renewal at stake, Molly set the octagon alight in a face-off with Brazilian, Luisa Carolina. The Liverpudlian unleashed a reverse spinning elbow to the temple, knocking her opponent out cold. As the only British female fighter on the card that evening, Molly flew the flag for all aspiring MMA fighters in the UK.
Eilish McColgan - Athletics
McColgan started off the year breaking British records in the 5K road race in Dubai and the European 10km record. The Scottish runner then claimed the first major title of her career at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Eilish took the gold medal in the 10,000 metres final in style, setting a new Games record, as well as a silver in the 5000 metres. This win signified Scotland’s 500th overall medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Eve Muirhead - Curling
Muirhead skippered Team GB to gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, leading her team to a 10–3 win over Japan to clinch her first Olympic title and securing Team GB's only gold medal of the Games. The Scot also partnered with Olympic silver medallist Bobby Lammie to win the mixed doubles world championship in Geneva to make it a full set of curling gold medals.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Wednesday 16 November and broadcast live for anyone to watch on BT Sport, online and on Facebook and YouTube.
The vote is open to the public now until 9 November at btsport.com/actionwoman
