2018 Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards
31st year of the awards will feature categories including Sportswoman of the Year, Team of the Year, Disability Sportswoman of the Year, Grassroots Awards and many more
Sunday 9 September 2018 23:07, UK
This year has seen a new generation of stars emerge and as voting launches for the 2018 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year awards, nominations are now open.
The awards promise to be yet another memorable celebration of the achievements of inspirational women from the elite athletes and coaches who have starred on the global stage to the administrators and community volunteers who do the work that doesn't always get seen.
Sunday marks the awards' launch and with it the opening of two weeks of nominations for those who have made an impact and will be recognised at an awards ceremony in London on November 1.
Nominations close at midnight on Sunday, September 23 and the finalists in a number of categories will be revealed once a judging panel narrows down the fields to the final contenders.
As the build-up to the awards night continues and we will be taking a deeper look at the finalists with features and interviews at www.skysports.com/Sportswomen and our Sportswomen show.
Every year there are amazing people, every year there are three or four who could win the award
With women's sport better supported than ever before and young girls getting involved thanks to hard work of volunteers and inspiration of those succeeding at elite level, it promises to be a memorable occasion.
As the countdown to cricket and netball World Cups in the UK next year continues, 2018 was the turn of the Hockey World Cup where ticket sales totalled more than 80,000 and featured the spellbinding story of the Ireland national team reaching the final.
England's netballers ascended new peaks with a first-ever major medal, beating Australia in Australia to claim Commonwealth gold.
Dina Asher-Smith and Georgia Hall stepped up on the biggest stages of all, while Laura Kenny and Serena Williams showed pregnancy was little more than a short lay-off before a return to the big stage.
Speedskater Elise Christie claimed the top prize in 2017 and as the countdown to this year's awards begins in earnest, two-time champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, who is on the judging panel this year, has been speaking to the Sunday Times.
"I've always found it inspiring to have people you can look up to, as athletes and as people. I wanted to be that kind of character," she said.
"When I started to come back I had to cut training sometimes by more than 50 per cent. I wanted to be with my baby. But that also gave me a new sense of motivation. I wanted him to see what Mum could achieve.
"I was at the track training when I was pregnant, and people told me I should be at home with my feet up. That's why it's been nice to see Serena talking about how she feels travelling with her baby and competing."
The Sky Sports Sportswomen show and Facebook page will build up to the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year until it's awards night on November 1.
