Banchory skiing brothers Neil and Andrew Simpson doubled up with two honours at the Scottish Sports Awards.
The pair burst onto the scene this year with stellar performances on the world stage and were named para athlete of the year and sportsperson of the year, at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh on Wednesday night.
Neil, who was born with the visual impairment Nystagmus, is guided by his brother Andrew and the pair followed up a world silver medal with gold and bronze at the Winter Paralympics.
In doing so they became the first British men to win a gold at a Winter Games and were awarded MBEs in the 2022 birthday honours list.
Neil and Andrew are currently in Canada training and were therefore unable to make the ceremony.
They took the para athlete of the year prize in the first batch of prizes earlier in the evening but capped the event off by winning the Lonsdale Trophy for sportsperson of the year.
“It’s been a big year and to be nominated for this is another huge thing. At the start of the year, we didn’t think any of this was going to happen,” Andrew told the Press and Journal this week.
Neil and Andrew Simpson take the top award of the night! 🏆
Their names join the illustrious list on the Lonsdale Trophy as Scottish Sportsperson of the Year 2022! #ScottishSportsAwards22 pic.twitter.com/wUJANpJDPC
— Team Scotland (@Team_Scotland) December 7, 2022
“It’s pretty much gone as well as we could have hoped for. To go to the World Championships, get second, then go to the Games and do what we did, it couldn’t have gone better.”
“To be put on the same page as a lot of the other people who have been nominated – there’s some other amazing athletes and you just have to look at some of the previous winners to know it’s a huge honour to be nominated.”
Elsewhere, Eilish McColgan won sporting moment of the year, for her memorable 10,000m victory at the Commonwealth Games.
After winning Great Britain’s first curling gold in 20 years at the Winter Olympics, Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, Hailey Duff and Mili Smith were named team of the year.
Niamh Mitchell was named young athlete of the year for becoming Scotland’s first female boxer to win a major international title. Jake Wightman, who won World Championship gold and Commonwealth silver in the 1,500m, was named male athlete of the year.
David Murdoch took the coach of the year award, after success at European, World and Olympic level for Team GBs curlers.
Cuminestown track cyclist Neah Evans was pipped to the female athlete of the year award by runner Laura Muir, after her four medals in four finals this summer.
Eilish McColgan won Sporting Moment of the Year after following in her mother’s footsteps and winning 10,000m 🏃♀️ gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. #ScottishSportsAwards22 pic.twitter.com/HJZ1lxyfeL
— sportscotland (@sportscotland) December 7, 2022
Raza Sadiq of Glasgow’s Active Life Club won the community hero of the year award and Rosebank Primary in Dundee won the school sport award. Falkirk Junior Bike Club took the club sport honour.
Scottish Handball were presented with the governing body prize and North Berwick’s GEO Foundation won the sustainability in sport award.
Scottish Sports Awards: The individual north nominees in their own words
