Mitchell is WA’s Sports Star of the Year

World Champion gymnast Lauren Mitchell was last week named the Western Australian ANZ Sports Star of the Year for 2010.

Sharing in the dual WAIS-AIS scholarship holders success, were her WAIS coaches Martine George and Nokolai Lapchine – who were named joint winners along with Kookaburras mentor Ric Charlesworth of the 2010 Western Australian Coach of the Year.

In a year that has already brought so much success to the sport, Mitchell became the first gymnast to win the prestigious award, the first female to win in 11 years, the first athlete to win the junior and senior award in consecutive years and only the second athlete to have won both awards, since Olympic swimmer Neil Brooks.

The award for Mitchell came a week after winning the Australian Institute of Sport’s 2010 Junior Athlete of the Year award, and follows in the footsteps of winning a world championship in the Netherlands and claiming four Commonwealth Games gold medals.

In a glittering night for WAIS scholarship holders, footballer Samantha Kerr was crowned the 2010 Western Australian Junior Sports Star of the Year, for her excellent campaign with Perth Glory in the W-League and starring for the Matildas in their Asian Cup success in China.