Awards pile up for Caithness cycling champ
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A CAITHNESS world cycling champion’s season of success has seen him short listed for four different sports awards,
Team GB cyclist and Olympic hopeful John Paul has taken the runner-up prize in one and won another – with the remaining two awards to be announced in December.
At the end of last month the 18-year-old – originally from Lybster but now living in Oxford – was runner-up in the Commonwealth Games Committee’s Scottish Sports Person of the Year Awards and just last Saturday he was crowned cyclist of the year through the Braveheart Cycling Fund.
“After all the racing and hard training throughout the year it’s nice to get a few awards and a bit of recognition,” said Paul yesterday.
“I’d just had the Braveheart rider of the year and I’ve got a couple more coming up shortly.”
“The Braveheart rider of the year and Commonwealth Games one were both senior awards so to be nominated was really great.”
He added: “It’s been really, really good.”
Paul is now in the running for the Young Scottish Sports Person of the Year through the Daily Record and Sunday Mail which will be awarded on December 1.
The final award is another senior award – Oxfordshire’s Sportsman of the Year. The winner is due to be announced on the evening of December 9.
Paul capped off his most successful season so far this year by getting accepted into the Great Britain Olympic Academy for track sprint where he is currently training full time in Manchester with the GB team, which includes Sir Chris Hoy.
He hopes the training could pave the way for a place at the London 2012 Olympics.
“It’s a lot harder but in many ways it’s easier too as you are right in the middle of things,” he said.
“I guess it’ll just take a bit of time to get used to.”
This year John took the world title for the under-19 individual sprint, as well as being crowned a double European champion and setting new personal bests in several events.
