Joe Reid and Yasmin Ingham have been crowned sportsman and sportswoman of the year for 2019, as the Isle of Man Sports Awards were held online for the first time, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Joe Reid claimed his first senior British athletics title in 2019. His victory in the 800m final at the indoor championships in Birmingham earnt him the chance to represent Great Britain at the European Indoor Championships the same year.
The 24-year-old said:
‘My family and I have been attending the sports awards for many years, and to win this award is a massive honour.’
In 2019, equestrian star Yasmin Ingham, 22, won the under-25 British eventing title to become the first ever person to hold titles at all four youth age groups. She had previously won titles at under 16, 18 and 21 level.
Yasmin said:
‘I was flattered to have been nominated thrilled to have won.’
Hundreds of people streamed the celebration of Manx sporting achievement and watched awards handed out across 11 categories and 58 people receive their Isle of Man Sport Aid Scholarships for 2020/21.
Tom Gandy was named the Isle of Man Sports Ambassador for his performances on the PGA European Pro Golf Tour and 89-year-old snooker legend Roy Gelling, who hasn’t missed a league game in 65 years, was recognised with a lifetime achievement award.
British Junior Cycling Champion, Amelia Sharpe retained the U21 sportswoman of the year trophy, Island Games star Will Draper won the men’s prize and the Isle of Man Junior Cycling Team were recognised as the best team for 2019.
Meanwhile, Claire Battye, who led the Island’s Senior Netball team (Manx Rams) to a gold medal at the Netball Europe Open Challenge, was named coach of the year, equestrian star Chloe Chadwick was named Disability Sportsperson of the Year and Dave Norman, who has won 21 national squash titles (A world record), was awarded the Veteran’s trophy.
In the final two awards of the evening, Petra Atchison was named Sports Administrator of the Year for her work in Manx athletics and Leah Goddard was presented with the Sure Sports Leader of the year trophy.
Gary Corkhill, Executive Chairman of Isle of Man Sport, said:
‘I would like to offer my congratulations to all of our winners and once again thank them for putting the Island on the Sporting map. I hope the digital awards were worthwhile and provided a brief respite from the difficult times we are experiencing.’
Organisers Isle of Man Sport thanked their technical partner, Duke Video, for all their hard work to ensure the online presentation of the Sports Awards was able to be enjoyed by so many people.
Dr Alex Allinson MHK, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, said:
‘I am delighted that so many people have joined us online to celebrate the success stories of the Island’s athletes, coaches and teams.’
John Coleman, CEO of Microgaming, who sponsor the annual awards, said:
‘Through our CSR initiative, Microgaming PlayItForward, we were proud to support the Isle of Man Sports Awards for a third consecutive year. It was wonderful to recognise and celebrate the incredible achievements and hard work of our island’s sporting talent in 2019 via the event's first ever virtual awards ceremony. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, including Microgaming Ambassador Ben Grainger, 2019 Isle of Man Sportswoman of the Year Yasmin Ingham and 2019 Isle of Man Sportsman of the Year Joe Reid.’
