West Gorton basketball prodigy scoops third place in prestigious national award

Basketball star Irene Oboavwoduo never could have imagined she would be one of 10 nominees for SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch Award, so finishing third came as a massive shock.

The 16-year-old, from West Gorton in Manchester, has enjoyed an outstanding 2024, captaining England to U16 Four Nations gold and claiming the tournament’s MVP award for her performances.

Irene was surprised to be presented with her third-place plaque by her mum Judith during a training session with her Manchester Mystics teammates at the Manchester Basketball Centre.

The annual award, supported by Aldi, the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner, recognises Britain’s brightest young sporting prospects and has been running since 2006 with previous winners including Olympic champions Tom Daley and Alex Yee and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.

The top 10 athletes were selected from around 1,000 rising stars, supported by SportsAid, across more than 60 different sports in 2024. And Irene explained how honoured she felt to be recognised for her efforts as she now sets her sights on making it Stateside in the US college game.

“It is really exciting to finish third,” said Irene. “I didn’t think I would even make it into the top 10 so this is really special. I was shocked and honoured. There are all these amazing athletes who have achieved so much in their sports over the course of the year. So I’m really proud of myself to be recognised in the top 10 through all the hard work I have put in.

“It’s really an honour, all the people who have won it, like Tom Daley and Jodie Williams, all those amazing athletes, it really shows the talent and level I’ve been nominated for. It gives me more motivation to carry on and progress in my sport.”

Tha