At a special presentation in London in April, Dame Kelly Holmes received the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Trophy for the International Sportswoman of the Year, 2004.

While she had participated in Atlanta and won a bronze in the 800m in Sydney 2000, at the age of 34, after a series of injuries, her promising career was finally crowned with two Olympic champion titles in Athens in the 1500 m and the 800 m events.

The presentation was arranged at the headquarters of Sport England by the Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain.

Charles Camenzuli, General Secretary of AIPS, read the Citation for the AIPS award and the trophy was presented to Kelly Holmes by Duncan Mackay, the SJA Sportswriter of the Year. He had himself been in Athens as an athletics correspondent to see her achievement of winning the two gold medals.

In response, Dame Kelly said: "Of all the many awards I have received since winning in Athens, this has to be the most prestigious. I have received something like 30-40 awards, not least from the International Athletics Writers, but I realise that this award is from all the world's sporting journalists, not just those who report on athletics. I am therefore deeply honoured."

In a brief question and answer session, Dame Kelly repeated her vow to be in Helsinki for the World Championships, saying that, for her, Athens was not the end of the road.

"I am training hard in South Africa as well as spending a lot of time trying to promote athletics amongst schoolchildren here in Britain, but I still want to run, to race and to win!"

reprinted from World Olympians Association

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