PARALYMPIC ace Kylie Grimes has been crowned Farnham’s sports personality of the year.

The gold-medal winner received the accolade at a packed Farnham Sports Council awards evening at the town’s rugby club.

The judges told the audience: “Farnham has always grown and developed some incredible talent and the sports personality trophy is littered with many great names in the world of sport – and the majority of them have been international stars in their own right.

“Kylie initially came to some prominence playing wheelchair rugby for Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“But she then turned to the world of athletics where she represented Great Britain in two world and two European championships and also the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016.

“In 2018 she returned to the sport of wheelchair rugby. Though she won a European championship gold medal in 2019, the team’s real focus was on the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

“In Tokyo last year Great Britain won the gold medal in the competitive, often brutal, sport of wheelchair rugby and, in the process, they had to beat the two top seeds in the semi-final and final matches.

“Kylie was the only female member of that gold-medal winning team and thereby became the first woman ever to win a Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair rugby. She has succeeded because of her great determination and self-belief.

“Additionally, through her work in the local community, she has become a popular motivational speaker and she is good at inspiring others to believe in themselves.”

Farnham Sports Council also presented highly-commended certificates to Andrea Coombs (swimming) and Jimmy Hassell (boxing).