Rio stars honoured at the Team GB Ball

Team GB’s hockey gold medallists were the big winners at the inaugural Team GB Awards last night with the squad picking up three of the five categories.

Danny Kerry won Coach of the Year while the BBC Moment of the Games and the publically voted Great Britain’s Choice Award, presented by Aldi, both went to the team who became Team GB’s first ever women’s hockey gold medallists in Rio this summer.

The awards were part of the 2016 Team GB Ball as the Rio Olympians came together once again to celebrate the success of the Games this summer and help support Team GB on the road to PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

Elsewhere, Zoe Hainsworth was named Team GB’s Rio 2016 Superfan in the award presented by Panasonic before five-time Olympic medallist Katherine Grainger was honoured as the Olympians’ Olympian in the final award of the evening, voted for by Team GB’s Rio 2016 athletes.

Team GB Awards 2016

Team GB Superfan, presented by Panasonic: Zoe Hainsworth

Great Britain’s Choice, presented by Aldi: Team GB’s Women’s Hockey Team

Coach of the Year: Danny Kerry, Women’s Hockey

BBC Moment of the Games: Team GB’s Women’s Hockey Team

Olympians’ Olympian: Katherine Grainger

Held at Battersea Evolution and presented by the double act of Claudia Winkleman and Tom Daley, the Team GB Ball hosted over 800 guests for a three-course dinner, a live and silent auction before Gary Barlow entertained the athletes and guests with hits including Shine and Never Forget.

Alex Danson said: "It’s an absolute honour to receive these awards and to be recognised as a sport in this way. Thank you to everyone who voted for us and hopefully what we did as a team this summer has put hockey on the map. The reaction has been incredibly special for the whole of Team GB, so to have played a part in that and have so many people follow our journey was amazing. If I’d had written the story before the Games it couldn’t have been as perfect as it was."

Danny Kerry said: "This is the icing on the cake and it’s been a spectacular evening for the team and the staff. At the Games we prepared ourselves well and when it all comes together it really is something special. I’m very proud of the girls – it really is something exceptional. The challenge now is winning after winning and I’m really excited about that."

Katherine Grainger said: "I’ve been part of Team GB for 20 years now and it’s the most fun, inspiring and wonderful team I could imagine. I love being part of a sport where I don’t compete alone and winning medals as part of a team makes it extra special. The great thing for me over the last five Olympic Games is that as rowers we finish in the first week so it’s been an absolute pleasure to be the biggest super fan during the second week for the last 20 years."

ENDS

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