Olympian Lizzy Yarnold honoured by Kent County Council

Lizzy Yarnold said she felt honoured to be given £5,000 for her choice of charities

Winter Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold has been presented with an award by her home county of Kent.

Kent County Council's Invicta Award honours the 25-year-old for her performance at the Sochi Games, where she won Great Britain's only gold.

It also comes with a £5,000 donation for the recipient to give to a charity of his or her choice.

Yarnold has divided it between mental health charity Mind and Slide Away, a Kent bereavement support service.

'Very special'

"In my room at home I have many of the trophies which I have worked very hard to get in the sporting world," she said.

"Now, to be given the Invicta Award and some money that I can pass on to other people, it is something very special.

"I do feel very, very honoured which is why it's taken me a long time to decide which charities to give the money to."

Previous winners of the Invicta Award include double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes and quadriplegic yachtswoman Hilary Lister.

Yarnold grew up in a farming family in West Kingsdown, near Sevenoaks.

Kent County Council chairman Eric Hotson said she was a unanimous choice for the award.

"We've had an Olympian before and this girl's been an absolute cracker," he said.

Yarnold said her next goal was to become world champion.

"I am back training and I'm loving it," she said.