Royal Holloway graduate crowned Sportswoman of the Year
Royal Holloway, University of London alumna Helene Raynsford has been named BBC South’s Sportswoman of the Year.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The BBC South Sports Awards take place each December to celebrate the finest in sporting achievement over the past year. A total of 16 awards were presented at a special ceremony on 3 December 2006, attended by both professional and amateur sportsmen and women from across the BBC South region.
Helene, who graduated from Royal Holloway with a degree in Biochemistry in 2003, is an all-round sporting success, having represented Great Britain internationally in both wheelchair basketball and rowing. After winning gold in the women’s arms single scull at this year’s Rowing World Championships, Helen returned home and went to watch the BBC South Sports Awards without knowing she had been nominated. "The Disabled Sports Woman of the Year award was fairly early on in the programme, and I wasn’t in the list of nominees. It was a shock then to hear my name in the mainstream category!" she says. "It is fantastic to be recognised in the mainstream sporting awards, and a huge credit to the team of people who worked so hard with me in both my basketball and my rowing."
During her time at Royal Holloway Helene was on the Student Talented Athlete Recognition Scheme, which provides wide-ranging support to assist student elite athletes throughout their time at the College. Currently she works for the NHS, managing a sexual health programme for young people in Surrey, which is flexible enough to allow her time for training. Despite the incredible success she has achieved already, she is still ambitious: "Next year I am aiming to be selected for the World Championships," she explains. "They are selection for the Paralympics the year after, so I intend to go back and defend my world championship title, and qualify the GB boat to go the Paralympics."
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This story was released on 2006-12-15. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.