Three-time Olympic Gold Brownlee brothers scoop Sporting Pride of Leeds award at anniversary ceremony

The brothers were jointly awarded the prize at New Dock Hall in Leeds, in front of 450 guests on Friday evening.

On a night dedicated to recognising sporting achievement in Leeds and the wider area, the Brownlee brothers – who have won gold medals between them at each of the last three Olympic Games – took home the award won last year by inspirational Rugby League icon Rob Burrow. Previous winners include Kevin Sinfield MBE for his charitable work following Burrow’s Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis, former Leeds Rhinos man Jamie Jones-Buchanan and world champion boxer Josh Warrington.

Seventeen awards were presented in total which included honours for Leeds Athletic Netball Club’s Maggie Birkinshaw and John Baron of Leeds Beckett University in the Outstanding Service to Sport category.

Leeds Rhinos’ Under-18s Academy side were named winners in the Performance Team/Club category, while Michael Melia and the Rhinos Foundation were both recognised with the new Inclusivity Champion Award.

Leah Schlosshan and Jake Passmore were awarded Young Sportswoman and Young Sportsman, respectively, while Oliver Porter was nominated Young Disability Sportsperson as the youth of Leeds was represented by strong fields across various sports.

British diver Jack Laugher MBE who took Gold in Rio de Janeiro at the 2016 Olympics was awarded Sportsman of the Year as British track athlete Keely Hodgkinson – a silver medal recipient at Tokyo 2020 – was named Sportswoman of the Year.

Leeds Rhinos pair Nathan Collins and James Simpson were recognised in the Disability Sportsman category for their role in helping England to a second Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup title at the end of last year, while T34 wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft OBE claimed the prize in the women’s section.

Other winners included Potternewton Park Rollers, Danny and Louise Barnes, Adam Smallwood, Leeds University Union Women’s Rugby Union Football Club, Bob Jackson, The Gorse Academies Trust and Leeds Gorse Volleyball Club.

Hosted by sports journalist Tanya Arnold and the aforementioned Jones-Buchanan, the 20th anniversary awards ceremony was organised by Sport Leeds with the support of local partners Leeds City Council and Leeds Beckett University, sponsored by Leeds Trinity University, Leeds Sixth Form College and Blacks Solicitors.