The British Swimming Awards take place this weekend (3 October) and alongside the Athlete of the Year prize the sports are also celebrating their Coach and Emerging Athlete of the Year.
For Swimming the nominees for Coach of the Year are Jol Finck (Millfield), Mel Marshall (City of Derby) and Ben Higson (Stirling Uni). Finck led James Guy to a string of impressive performances during 2015, culminating in a multi-medal haul at the World Championships in Kazan.
Marshall has had an impressive 2015 guiding Adam Peaty to three gold medals at the World Championships in Kazan and a new world record in the 100m Breaststroke at the British Championships in London. Higson coached Robbie Renwick, Ross Murdoch and Duncan Scott to World Championship gold medals in Kazan.
Para-Swimming have nominated Ashley Cox (Boldmere), Glenn Smith (Nova Centurion) and Kris Gilchrist (Warrender). Cox helped guide Tully Kearney to her impressive success at the World Championships in Glasgow.
Smith coached Ollie Hynd to retaining his world titles and breaking his brother’s world record and Charlotte Henshaw to her silver medal. Gilchrist took Scott Quin to his first silver medal at a world level.
The diver coaches nominated are Adrian Hinchliffe (City of Leeds), Jane Figueiredo (Dive London) and Peng Li (City of Leeds). Hinchliffe was instrumental in Jack Laugher’s success throughout the year as well as leading the City of Leeds programme.
Figueiredo began coaching Tom Daley in January 2014 and this year has seen him return to the podium at a world level when he won gold and bronze in Kazan. Li coaches a number of the young divers in Leeds and guided Matty Lee and Lois Toulson to gold at the European Games in Baku.
Emerging Athlete of the Year sees Tully Kearney, Ellie Robinson and Lewis White nominated for Para-Swimming. Kearney set herself out as one to beat ahead of the Rio 2016 Paralympics after a golden 2015 that saw her claim an impressive four world titles in Glasgow.
Robinson has shown great progress throughout 2015 and has broken six British records and broken the European record in the 100m Butterfly. Lewis has been shortlisted in the emerging athlete category based on the hard work and dedication he has shown in the last year.
Diving has named Matty Lee, James Heatly and Lois Toulson in the Emerging Category. Lee is young 10m platform diver from Leeds and at 17-years of age this year Matty won gold at the European Games as well as competed at the FINA World Championships in Kazan.
Heatly reached senior Grand Prix finals and secured a top four finish. He ended his junior career as European Games champion on 3m with a performance of consistency and quality. After winning gold at the British Championships in February she then went on to compete at the FINA Grand Prix in Canada and reached the final of the 10m Platform. She then competed in Baku at the inaugural European Games where she won the gold medal in the Platform.
Abbie Wood, Duncan Scott, Luke Greenbank and Rosie Rudin have been nominated in the Emerging Athlete category by Swimming. Wood became the winner of Team GB’s first ever swimming medal at the European Games when she won the first of her four medals.
Scott became Team GB’s most decorated athlete at the European Games in Baku with four gold medals and then backed up the performance with gold at the World Championships in Kazan as part of the 4x200m Free relay. Greenbank won two Backstroke gold medals at the European Games in Baku, including a dominating performance in the 200m event.
At the World Junior Championships, Rudin became the second British athlete in 2015 to set a World Junior record in winning the 400 individual medley ahead of British team-mate Georgia Coates.
The winners of each category will be announced on the 3 October during the British Swimming Awards in Manchester.