Mia Brookes, a dazzling talent in snowboarding, has clinched the prestigious BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year title for 2023.
At just 16 years old, Brookes etched her name in the history books as the youngest ever world champion in snowboarding and the first Briton to triumph in slopestyle, seizing gold in February.
Her ascent to the senior ranks this season has been nothing short of phenomenal, bagging a silver medal in both the slopestyle and big air categories of the World Cup.
“This is a dream come true. I’m overflowing with gratitude,” exclaimed Brookes, reflecting on her stellar season.
Having missed the Beijing Winter Olympics due to age restrictions, Brookes has her eyes firmly set on the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics.
“Getting to the Olympics and aiming for gold in the next two years is my goal,” she stated.
Other nominees for the award included archer Penny Healey and wheelchair basketball athlete Charlie McIntyre.
Stay tuned for real-time updates from Sport News Center’s Personality 2023 event.
How Mia Brookes Rose to Snowboarding Stardom
Beginning her snowboarding journey at just 18 months old, Brookes made an impressive debut at the World Cup level in October 2022.
Her nomination for the Young Sports Personality award was followed by a triumphant close to her first senior season, dominating the overall freestyle snowboard World Cup big air championship.
Brookes consistently performed at the top in all four big air World Cup events of 2023, including a notable second-place finish in Edmonton earlier this month, leading her to top the overall standings.
During the World Championships in Georgia this February, Brookes initially held the second spot with a score of 86.41, trailing New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. However, her daring execution of the Cab 1440 – a complex four-rotation trick named after skateboarding legend Steve Caballero – earned her a winning score of 91.38 from the judges.
The judging panel featured former England football star Theo Walcott, triple European champion sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, double European champion diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, and double Paralympic and world champion rower Lauren Rowles. Representatives from Sport News Center, Blue Peter, and the Youth Sport Trust were also part of the panel.
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