City reception honours athletes after year of successes

Athletes Jonathan Brownlee and David Stone will head up a list of Leeds-based sportsmen and women attending the reception hosted by Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Jim McKenna at Civic Hall this afternoon.

They will be joined by many of the athletes based in Leeds who appeared at the recent Commonwealth Games in India, five of whom returned with medals, and some of the leading coaches and sports administrators in the city.

The reception is a celebration of their achievements during the year, led by Jonathan Brownlee who enjoyed a superb year as he became both Under-23 Triathlon World Champion and also the Sprint Triathlon World Champion in the shorter version of the event.

The 20-year-old trains in the city alongside his elder brother Alistair Brownlee, the 2009 World Triathlon Champion, and the pair will be targeting more success on the international stage next year as the London 2012 Olympic Games gets ever closer.

Jonathan's fantastic double achievement was matched by Rawdon's Paralympic cycling star David Stone, who won both the T2 category time-trial and road race at the World Paralympic Road Championships which were held in Canada this summer.

Among the Commonwealth Games stars attending the reception will be Johanna Jackson, 25, who made history in Delhi by becoming the first British woman to win a major international race walking title with her triumph in the Women's 20km Race Walking event.

Other medallists to be honoured will be squash star James Willstrop (silver) and badminton player Jenny Wallwork (silver), along with cyclists Lizzie Armistead (silver) and Anna Blyth (bronze).

In all Leeds boasted 19 athletes and one coach who participated in the Commonwealth Games, and their impressive medal haul would have seen the city finish 19th in its own right in the overall medal table.