Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix: British diver crowned National Lottery Awards athlete of the year

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix won double gold at the European Championships in Rome

British diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix says she is "very proud" of her "mind-boggling" achievements after she was crowned National Lottery Awards athlete of the year.

Then aged just 17, she won three medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, including two golds, as well as two European titles.

Those followed a bronze medal at the World Championships in Hungary.

It feels incredible and really rewarding," she told BBC Sport.

"Obviously I've been very open about my struggles this year and the obstacles that I've had to overcome. To end the season on such a high note with the Commonwealth Games, the European Championships and now this, it's just amazing."

Asked if her achievements had sunk in yet, Spendolini-Sirieix - the daughter of First Dates maitre d' Fred Sirieix - replied: "I don't think it has. It's incredible.

"It was my first Commonwealth Games and I was just going in to have fun and I didn't have any expectations because I didn't want to put pressure on myself.

"To achieve what I achieved is really just mind-boggling, honestly. I'm very proud of myself and I don't think I've said that out loud. So it feels good to say it, it's amazing."

Spendolini-Sirieix beat the likes of cyclist Laura Kenny and runner Eilish McColgan to the award, which recognises the "performances and legacy" of athletes and demonstrates the impact of National Lottery funding on elite sport.

"I'm very proud of how far I've come," she said. "I've put a lot of effort into training. No sport is easy and I'm inspired by all of the athletes that I encounter.

"It's about finding something within myself where I want to push to become the best athlete that I can be, the best person that I can be and this year I really found a passion to better myself both physically and mentally.

"I've been able to improve in my competition with my scoring, improving little technical bits and it's just about becoming better every day.

"I've learnt so much this year that I'm definitely going to put into my season next year and leading up to Paris [2024 Olympics] as well."