26 September 2014 

Teenage sprint sensation Maria Lyle (coach: Henry Gray) has been named the Allianz Athlete of the Month Best Youngster for August 2014.

The 14 year old received 42 per cent of the overall vote after she announced herself on the big stage winning double gold at the IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea.

In her first major championships, Lyle saw off Italy’s world champion Oxana Corso to win the 100m and 200m crown to join the likes of Hannah Cockroft (Jenni Banks) and Jonnie Peacock (Steve Fudge) in gold medal success for GB & NI in Swansea.

This triumph comes after an unforgettable year for the Dunbar-based athlete, who broke both sprint world records with the first coming on her international debut in Dubai. Lyle beat the previous T35 200m record by over a second with a time of 31.01, before bettering that in May to post a time of 30.75 in Bedford.

Not content with one world record in a day, the newest star of para-athletics stormed to a world record in the T35 100m clocking 14.63 and putting herself in a strong position for more success in Doha next year, where she will be looking for more titles at the IPC Athletics World Championships.