Canoeist Paul wins Citizen sports award
Youngster takes top prize
Canoeist Paul King is the 2008 Citizen Sports Personality of the Year.
The Citizen award was presented at Shenley Leisure Centre on Tuesday at the Sport Milton Keynes Sports Achiever Of The Year awards.
Paul, aged 18 from Walton Park, wins the trophy for the first time and he follows in the footsteps of table tennis player Andrew Baggaley, tennis player Melissa Gibb, athlete Charlotte Stacey, judo star Jemma Berry, swimmer Laura Beechey, badminton player Arthur Cheung, fellow badminton star Michelle Cheung (twice) Marshall Milton Keynes Athletic Club long jumper Greg Rutherford and team-mate and sprinter Craig Pickering in winning the prestigious Citizen award.
The trophy was presented by Citizen sports editor Paul Chapman.
Paul started kayaking when he was 10 after attending a come and try it session at Milton Keynes Canoe Club.
He is a C1 paddler and has competed in youth freestyle events for four years. He was selected to represent GB for the first time in 2008 in both OC1 and C1 and competed in the European Championships in Spain.
In 2007 he was British OC1 freestyle champion and narrowly missed out on retaining his title in 2008 losing by just five points to his future coach and Gb team paddler Jamie Burbeck.
He now aims to selected to represent GB in the World Freestyle Championships this year.
A total of 16 awards were presented on the night with Sport Milton Keynes chairman Marie Collins welcoming the sporting stars and the winners introduced by MC Rick Townsend.
Haversham Sailing Club's Jonathan Pakes was rewarded for his efforts in 2008 by winning the boys' under 18 award, the girls' award going to Renzoku Judo Club's Sarah Down.
The men's over 18 award went to City of Milton Keynes Swim Club's Graham Joyce with Orbit Trampoline Club's Julie Hardy winning the girls' award.
Awards in the over 50 category went to Marshall Milton Keynes Athletic Club's Bob Austin and Anick Valapinee.
The award in the disabled boys' and men's category went to MMKAC's Thomas Green while Aces Wheelchair Basketball Club's Hen Freeman won the ladies' award.
Loughton won the primary schools' award with Denbigh School securing the secondary schools' award, these awards presented by Nina Sweetland.
MK Victors Boxing Club's Tony Wright received the coach of the year award, Stony Stratford FC's Mike Judd won the service to sport award with MMKAC's women's athletics team voted the team of the year.
The Parkside Community Sports and Football Club received the club of the year award with Special Needs Unit Gymnastics' Andy Fisher the volunteer of the year award.
During the evening the guests were entertained by displays from the Harlequins Trampolining Club and the MK Pathfinders American Football Club.
The guest speaker was double Olympic hurdler and now GB bobsleigher Matt Douglas while the trophies were supported by Jim Marshall of Marshall Amplification.
Also presenting trophies on the night were Jonathan Ellery, who was representing Jim Marshall, Andy Dransfield from the Hockey Foundation Trust, Shenley Leisure Centre manager David Hall, Peter Thomas, Marie Collins and Rick Townsend, John Chapman and Trevor Church, Robert Benbow and the Mayor Cllr Jan Lloyd.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Thursday 09 February 2012
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