10 British athletes who made 2023 their own

News 22 Dec 23

The past 12 months have been ripe for British athletes to make their mark ahead of the fast-approaching Olympic year.

From world champions to history makers, the British public have been privy to countless success stories and memorable moments on the track, in the pool and even on snow.

With the year now coming to a close, here's our list of 10 athletes who made 2023 their own.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (athletics)

No matter what life throws at her, Katarina Johnson-Thompson will always bounce back.

Three-time Olympian KJT clinched her second World Championship title in Budapest this summer, four years after her first and following a series of injuries that sent her back to the drawing board.

In fact, the heptathlete was convinced that ahead of Budapest 2023, she wasn't even a contender for gold.

But that soon changed as a strong long jump, personal best javelin and storming 800m catapulted Johnson-Thompson to an emotional gold medal in one of the most memorable sporting moments of the year.

Johnson-Thompson went on to finish third at the 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Kieran Reilly (BMX freestyle)

Talk about winning your maiden world championship title in style.

Kieran Reilly soared into the history books as he became the first-ever British male BMX Freestyle world champion at the UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow.

In front of a packed home crowd, Reilly laid down a phenomenal performance of 95.80 in his second run of the competition to clinch gold.

Earlier in the year, Reilly had stormed to European Games gold in Poland, scoring a superb 92.33 to etch his name into the record books as the first-ever man to win a BMX Freestyle Park gold for Team GB.

With X Games silver also on his belt, it's clear that Reilly's 2023 has been nothing short of incredible.

Josh Kerr (athletics)

We'll never get over Josh Kerr's 1500m World Championship-winning run.

Kerr overhauled heavy favourite and Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the final 200m in Budapest, stealing gold from under his nose, in an almost exact replica of fellow Briton Jake Wightman's famous 2022 World Championship victory.

A moment that had onlookers on the edge of their seats, Kerr clinched victory in one of the most dramatic ways possible to make a statement in Budapest.

Off the back of his middle-distance success, Kerr also added victory in the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile in September to his name.

Emma Finucane (track cycling)

The fastest woman in 200m at sea level - Emma Finucane had a more than memorable 2023.

The track cyclist took home her first-ever world title in the women's individual sprint at Glasgow 2023, putting in a superb ride to beat Germany's Lea Friedrich in the first two races of their best-of-three final and becoming the first British champion in the event in a decade.

The 20-year-old's success came after she helped the British team to women's team sprint silver earlier in the competition.

But it was a storming qualifying run that saw Finucane soar into the record books, recording the fastest ever 200m by a woman at sea level in a new British record of 10.234 seconds.

Matt Richards (swimming)

It's no secret that British swimmers are fast at 200m freestyle, but 21-year-old Matt Richards stamped his name on the event this year.

Richards clinched World Championship gold in a time of 1:44.30, for his maiden individual world medal, bringing along teammate Tom Dean for silver.

The newly crowned world champion then added a second title to his name in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay, ensuring his dominance in the event.

In December, Richards also clinched the 200m freestyle European short course title to complete a stunning year in the pool.

Joe Clarke (canoe slalom)

Joe Clarke will head into Paris 2024 as a three-time Kayak cross world champion and two-time 2023 world champion.

The canoe slalom athlete stormed the white water at this year's world championships in London, clinching gold in the men's K1 and kayak cross.

Kayak cross victory also brought a brilliant three-peat, adding a third title to his 2022 and 2021 efforts.

After missing out on qualification to Tokyo 2020, the paddler was officially announced as part of Team GB once more for Paris 2024 following his incredible year in the boat.

Zharnel Hughes (athletics)

The fastest British man on land, Zharnel Hughes was a rocket this year.

The track star broke Linford Christie's 30-year-old British record in the 100m in June, setting a new mark of 9.83 seconds in New York.

And just one month later, Hughes added a second record to his name, breaking John Regis' 30-year-old record in a time of 19.73 seconds in front of a British crowd at the London Diamond League.

On red-hot history-making form, Hughes clinched 100m bronze at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, his first individual medal at the event.

Mia Brookes (snowboarding)

Mia Brookes became the world's youngest snowboarding world champion in 2023.

Aged just 16, Brookes claimed the world slopestyle title, becoming the first woman of all time to land a cab 1440 in competition in the process.

In December, Brookes added the Big Air World Cup crystal globe to her belt after finishing in the top five in all four competitions.

To cap off her record-breaking year, the teenager was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Beth Potter (triathlon)

Beth Potter will head into her second Olympics in a brand new sport and as triathlon world champion.

The former 10km runner grabbed her maiden world title in 2023, winning the World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal event and Olympic Test event in Paris on the way.

But it was at the final in Pontevedra, Spain where Potter stormed to the top of the podium to clinch the overall world title.

Victory secured Potter a place on the train to Paris 2024, eight years after making her Olympic debut on the track.

Penny Healey (archery)

Becoming world number one was the greatest present 2023 could have gifted teenage archer Penny Healey.

Known on the World Cup scene for her pink hair and bucket hat combination, women's recurve gold at the Antalya World Cup catapulted the archer to the top of the world rankings aged just 18.

Healey went on to clinch double gold at the European Games in Poland later in the year, standing on the top step in both the women's individual and team events

Sportsbeat 2023

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