Star sprinter swoops in for BMet’s elite athlete trophy title

Gina Akpe Moses has spent the last 12 months preparing to race in the 2018 World Under 20 Championships, taking place in Finland next month.

Now, the 100m sprinter is further motivated to pick up a second gold medal after receiving the top trophy at BMet’s Sports Awards.

The 19-year-old received the Elite Sportsperson of the Year Award after qualifying for the championships and being on target to achieve top marks in her applied science course at Matthew Boulton College. She has also completed an Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE).

“I’m honoured to get this award, especially as the college has so many athletes doing brilliantly in their teams and individually.” said Gina. “I opened my season with a personal best and have been doing everything I can to keep performing at a high level.

“Awards like this and support from other students and my coaches makes me appreciate how far I’ve come. All of it encourages me to keep looking ahead and be a better athlete.”

She continued: “The World Championships are another opportunity for me to compete against the best of the best. Getting gold again like last year would just be amazing. I believe I can still improve on my race time and the 2020 Olympics are an achievable goal.”

Commending Gina on her award, BMet Principal Andrew Cleaves said: “She is a rising star that keeps on rising. The award is our way of congratulating her on her ability to make it work both on and off the field.

“This is the first time we have presented an elite sportsperson award to a student and she is a most deserving recipient. Here’s to Gina having another excellent summer of success.”

Following the championships, Gina hopes she’ll be selected for the Senior European Athletics Championships which will be in Berlin in August. She will then take up a place at university to study psychology.

“My college course has given me a massive insight into the different fields of science I can go into,” she added. “I’m now an expert at juggling my training schedule with classes and coursework deadlines and of course taking time just to hang out with friends and family. If you believe enough in what you want to achieve, somehow you make it all happen.”

BMet’s Sports Awards were held at Aston Villa Football Club with presenters including midfielder, Jordan Lyden and women’s team captain, Katy Walsh.

Over 100 students received awards in recognition of their success in individual and team competitions at both regional and national level. Individuals were also commended for academic achievement as well as for going above and beyond in their roles as coaches, volunteers and ambassadors for sport.