Snowboarder Mia Brookes is BBC Young Personality of the Year
19th December 2023
Brookes started snowboarding at 18-months old and she made her debut at World Cup level in October 2022.
She finished in the top five in all four 2023 big air World Cup competitions.
Since being shortlisted for the Young Sports Personality award, she has finished her first senior season – securing the overall freestyle snowboard World Cup big air title.
We reported it here on PlanetSKI:
“It’s one of my biggest dreams. I can’t thank anyone enough,” Brookes said as she reflected on a successful season.
Massive Congratulations from us all at PlanetSKI:
At the age of 16, she was the youngest ever snowboard world champion, and now Mia Brookes is the Young Sports Personality of the Year 🏆
Having just completed her GCSEs, she’s looking ahead to the Olympics.#BBCSPOTY pic.twitter.com/k3LTbZKKDA
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 19, 2023
Too young to compete at last year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, Brookes is setting her sights on Milan-Cortina 2026.
“The Olympics in the next two years… I want to keep going and try and get the gold there,” she said.
At February’s World Championships in Georgia, she was in the silver-medal position after her first run with a score of 86.41 to New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s 88.78.
However, the Briton’s gamble of attempting the Cab 1440 – a highly complicated four-rotation 1440 switch named after legendary skateboarder Steve Caballero – earned her a winning 91.38 score.
GB Snowsport had been quick to react:
Ladies and gentlemen, Mia Brookes—your BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year! 🏆✨
Huge congrats, Mia – your hard work, passion, and sportsmanship are truly inspiring! 🌟#gbsnowsport pic.twitter.com/ggiGB5kfCY
— GB Snowsport (@GBSnowsport) December 19, 2023
Last weekend Mia’s third place finish in Copper Mountain,USA, that gave her a third Big Air World Cup podium out of four competitions this season.
It followed a second place in Edmonton, Canada, and third place in Chur, Switzerland, in October.
Mia finished the competition behind Japanese riders Kokomo Murase and Mari Fukada, but crucially ahead of her closest rival for the Crystal Globe, Reira Iwabuchia Brookes.
“I’m really happy to have won the Big Air Crystal Globe – I’ve been planning on this achievement since the start of the tour this year, and to finish it off with a podium is so special,” said Mia Brookes.
“Excited for Slopestyle season to start soon after Christmas.”
Big air, big moves! 🥉😎
Epic performance in the Freeski Big Air World Cup today from Kirsty Muir, taking 3rd place at @CopperMtn 🤩
Congratulations Kirsty 🤍#gbsnowsport pic.twitter.com/fqkjSYQZJi
— GB Snowsport (@GBSnowsport) December 16, 2023
The judging panel for the Young Sports Personality of the Year award consisted of former England footballer Theo Walcott, triple European champion sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, double European champion diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, and double Paralympic and world champion rower Lauren Rowles.
There were also representatives from BBC Sport, Blue Peter and the Youth Sport Trust.
