Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix named as BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year finalist

Diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix has been named as a finalist in the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 18-year-old Commonwealth and European champion was one of 10 initially in the running for the accolade.

However, that has been condensed into a top three with Spendolini-Sirieix up against skateboarder Sky Brown and gymnast Jessica Gadirova for the honour.

The winner will be announced at the Sports Personality show, which takes place in Salford on Wednesday 21 December from 6.45pm.

It will be screened live on BBC One.

Spendolini-Sirieix was crowned Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2020, beating footballer Jude Bellingham and Paralympic skier Neil Simpson to the title.

Her nomination is in recognition of a fantastic 2022 which has seen Spendolini-Sirieix rise to the top of her sport.

Golden glory

At the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Spendolini-Sirieix topped the podium twice, winning gold in the 10m Platform and also the 10m Mixed Synchro alongside Noah Williams.

She also won a silver at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre with Eden Cheng in the 10m Synchro.

That success was followed by more golden glory at the European Aquatics Championships in Rome.

After helping Great Britain win bronze in the team event, Spendolini-Sirieix was victorious in the 10m Platform and then partnered Lois Toulson for the first time as they claimed the 10m Synchro title.

She rounded off her competitive year by ending her junior career in ‘amazing’ style after topping the rankings in the Women’s Platform (16-18) at the FINA World Junior Diving Championships in Montreal, Canada.

In October, Spendolini-Sirieix was named the 2022 National Lottery Awards’ Athlete of the Year.

Following a public vote, she beat the other nine nominees to the crown after receiving more than 4,000 of the 11,000 votes.