The 77th edition of the SJA British Sports Awards – the longest-established awards of their kind in Britain – will take place on Tuesday, November 11, 2025; for the second consecutive year, the Awards will be announced live on Sky Sports News; SJA members are invited to VOTE NOW to decide the big three prizes on offer; our SJA Academy members are making their cases for the awards…
By MIKHAIL SHKLOVER
Britain sprinter Amy Hunt made a sensational international breakthrough in 2025.
Hunt’s 200m silver at the World Athletics Championships was arguably the highlight of the competition for GB, in which they secured five medals and no golds.
The 23-year-old earned her first global individual medal and her first World Championships medal, setting a personal best time of 22.08 in the semi-finals in Tokyo.
Her individual medal builds on last year’s silver with Team GB in the 4x100m relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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She is now the second-fastest British woman of all time in the 200m, only behind Dina Asher-Smith’s time of 21.88.
Earlier in the season, Hunt also set personal bests of 7.09 seconds in the 60m and 11.02 seconds in the 100m.
Speaking to the BBC after the 200m final, Hunt couldn’t hide her excitement as she broke down in tears, hugging her friends and family.
She said: “I have not stopped smiling or crying!
“As soon as I saw my mum, I burst into tears. I knew I could do it as long as I put in a good turn and was with them off the bend. I am so proud of myself.”
Her success has come in a personally challenging year when she lost her grandfather, a great inspiration to her.
Hunt said: “Moments before the race, I just thought of my grandad. I knew he was watching over me, I knew he was going to guide me.”
Hunt’s triumph comes after years of combining rigorous education at the University of Cambridge with the demands of professional sport.
The sprinter was awarded a 2.1 degree in English literature and graduated in summer 2023.
During her time in Cambridge, Hunt commuted to Loughborough for training, demonstrating her commitment to world-class athletics in between her degree.
Speaking to The Independent, Hunt underlined how important it was to combine education with elite sport.
She said: “I don’t think anyone else has a world medal and a Cambridge degree. So that’s pretty lit.
“I’m so proud of myself for choosing the harder path, I could have picked an easier way out many times.
“You can be an academic badass and a track goddess.”
The sprinter is an inspiration to all young sportspeople in the country, showing that you don’t have to abandon education in order to achieve sporting glory.
Hunt overcame injuries, bereavement and successfully combined academic and sporting commitments to bring one of Britain’s few World Championships medals.
She should undoubtedly win the SJA Sportswoman of the Year 2025.
Mikhail Shklover is a member of the SJA Academy for media professionals starting their careers. Click here to join.