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Kellogg and Minichiello named Olympic Athletes of the Year

4 January 2010

The award was introduced in 2005 to mark the British Olympic Association’s Centenary Year and the success of London being awarded the 2012 Olympic Games.

The BOA presented a trophy to each of the 33 summer and winter Olympic sports for them to award on an annual basis to their top performing athlete of the year, and in badminton this went to Donna Kellogg and her doubles partner Anthony Clark, while bobsleigh awarded its trophy to Nicola Minichiello and her partner Gillian Cooke.

Donna retired last month after losing out in the semi-finals of the World Super Series Masters in Malaysia. She competed in the doubles and mixed doubles at the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing, having also competed at the Olympics in Athens in 2004 and Sydney in 2000. Donna and partner Anthony Clark were also 2008 European Champions.

Nicola (pictured) is set to represent Great Britain at her third Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver next month, a year after she won the World Bobsleigh Championships in Lake Placid, becoming the first British driver to win in more than 45 years and the first British woman to win the event in the history of the sport.

Andy Hunt, BOA Chief Executive, said: “Following on from the unprecedented success of Team GB at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, 2009 has seen athletes from many of our Olympic sports raise the bar even higher.

“The award of the Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy recognises the quality, focus and commitment of athletes who represent the very best of British talent in their respective Olympic sports.”