Awards for Andy Murray and Maia Lumsden at Commonwealth Game
13th November 2012
After an unparalleled year for British and Scottish sport, there was a lot to celebrate at the Commonwealth Games Awards Dinner in Glasgow at the weekend.
Such was the strength of the nominations this year that judges were unable to choose between Scotland's greatest Olympian Sir Chris Hoy and world number three Andy Murray in his first Grand Slam winning year. Both were named as Scottish Sportsperson of the Year 2012 and jointly awarded the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy. Chris and Andy will both receive two Business Class flights to Dubai courtesy of Award sponsor Emirates - the Official Airline Partner of Glasgow 2014.
The dinner, organised by Commonwealth Games Scotland in partnership with Glasgow 2014 Ltd., looked back at the incredible success of the London 2012 Olympic Games and contemplated the excitement to come for Scotland over the next two years.
Murray was one of four Scottish athletes shortlisted for the top award of the evening. He capped a fantastic year by winning his first Grand Slam event, the US Open in a pulsating match against world number one Novak Djokovic. This followed a breakthrough gold medal win at the London 2012 Olympics, avenging a Wimbledon final loss to Roger Federer. Partnering Laura Robson, Andy came close to winning two Olympic titles eventually losing in three sets in the mixed doubles final to claim silver. The year started with reaching the final of the Australian Open and has finished with him being ranked a clear number three in the world going into the season ending ATP Masters finals, behind only Djokovic and Federer.
Announcing the award, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman Michael Cavanagh said: "2012 has been an incredible year for Scotland's top sportsmen and women with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games capturing the imagination of the whole country.
"I am delighted that Emirates are supporting the Lonsdale trophy again this year. All four shortlisted athletes gave performances which would make them worthy winners, but in the end the judging panel felt that Chris and Andy just had the edge over the others."
The evening also saw a number of presentations by Ronnie Sloan, Chairman of Scottish Sports Aid to recognise the achievements of Scottish junior athletes between the ages of 12 and 22 years. 14-year-old tennis player, Maia Lumsden from Glasgow, was named the Most Improved Junior Sportsperson. She started 2012 in style winning the Tennis Europe grade 1 14U event in Bolton and was a semi-finalist in Tarbes, France (the unofficial 14U World Championships). Maia was a member of the GB 14U girls' team who won the European Championships, and were runners-up in the World Championships. She also won the AEGON Junior International 18U event in Nottingham in April and finished the summer ranked No.1 in Europe for 14U girls.
Congratulating the athletes Duncan Hamilton, Executive Director of Scottish Sports Aid said: "The dedication of young players like Maia, and the sacrifices made by their families, both in terms of finance and time, cannot be overestimated. We hope that, with the continuing support of our sponsors and patrons, Scottish Sports Aid will be able to nurture many more such Scottish sporting stars in the future."
More than 350 people from Scottish sport and business joined