9:01am Friday 9th November 2007
By Simon Spurgeon
Saskia Clark was the toast of the county last night.
The West Mersea sailor was named Essex's Sports Personality of the Year at a gala ceremony hosted by SportEssex, in Chelmsford.
Clark's award comes hot on the heels of her being nominated for a place in the Great Britain sailing team for the Beijing Olympic Games next August and recognises the fantastic form that won her the position.
Clark was unable to attend the event as she is currently in Palma, Majorca, doing intensive fitness training before heading back out on to the water in mid-December, but accepted her award via a video link.
She said: "It was a shock to win I guess.
"Even though we have qualified we have not achieved what we want yet.
"Next year is a big year for us.
"It is great to have support at home and knowing that people are supporting us makes me proud of what we have achieved so far.
"Coming from Mersea, which is a big sailing community, you know you have a level of support, but knowing that it is also coming on a wider scale is really quite special."
The West Mersea Yacht Club member, along with skipper Christina Bassadone, has qualified to represent her country in the women's 470 Class after three years at the top end of the world rankings, with medals at the last two world championships to her name and the duo are also tipped among the favourites for a gold medal in China.
Clark said there is still a lot of hard work for her and Bassadone to do before they complete their dream of Olympic success at the sailing venue of Qingdao.
Clark has recently returned to Europe from China where she and Bassadone were doing equipment and technical training at Qingdao and after a month of fitness work in the Balaerics, the pair will be back on the water at a regatta near Barcelona before Christmas.
That will be followed by the world championships in Melbourne, Australia, in January and one more training camp in Qingdao to complete their light wind preparations.
Over 200 dignitaries, athletes, coaches and others involved in sports also saw Braintree BMX club secretary Julie Watts collecting the Unsung Hero award.
Colchester Gladiators American Football Club and Colchester Rugby Club shared the Innovative Scheme award.
Colchester Rugby Club star David Smith was shortlisted for the Sports Personality award, while 13-year-old swimmer Ryan Crouch from Tendring made the final three in the Paralympic Hopeful category On the coaching side, Robert Hardy from Braintree Lawn Tennis Club and Mark Seaman from Braintree BMX Club were both finalists for the Coach of the Year award.
They each received the honour of being Highly Recommended in their respective categories.
In addition to their success last night, Clark has been shortlisted for the regional BBC East Sports Awards.
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