TEAM-mates and coaches have sung the praises of Maidenhead's Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger after she was shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award this week.

Grainger finally broke her duck of three successive Olympic silvers at London 2012 when she emphatically took gold at Eton Dorney alongside Wokingham's Anna Watkins in the double sculls.

The Scottish rower, who has been a member of the GB rowing team since 1997, joins a star-studded list of Olympians and Paralympians on a 12-strong list for the coveted award, of which the winner will be decided by a public vote on December 16.

Jessica Eddie, who has been part of the women's squad for the past eight years and is the women's athlete rep, said: "She has been performing at the highest level for 16 years in what is an extremely difficult and demanding sport. The competition within the team is ruthless, and more often than not she comes out on top.

"To have won medals on a world or Olympic stage across every open-weight boat class is something very hard for people to grasp, it's almost like Jess Ennis winning all of her separate events.

"She's the kind of athlete who is there, day in and day out, setting a benchmark for the team and training alongside such an outstanding individual has without a doubt raised the standard of the GB women's squad to what it is today." The 37-year-old is GB's most successful Olympic female rower and was awarded an MBE in 2006 for services to rowing.

Her glittering rowing career has also included six World Championship titles and she was part of the quad that won GB women's first Olympic medal in Sydney 2000. She has already been named "Olympian of the Year" at the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards and was in the 2012 World Rowing Female Crew of the Year, as chosen by FISA, after her and Watkins remained unbeaten and won gold at all three World Cups this year.

Watkins has made it her personal mission to champion her partner's cause by starting a campaign on Twitter, as Grainger is not on the social networking site.

Kate Burt, chief executive of British Rowing said: "She has always been an exemplary ambassador for the sport of rowing and her gold medal performance with Anna Watkins at Eton Dorney at London 2012 was one of the iconic moments of The Games. She is a true sporting legend." David Tanner, GB rowing team performance director added: "Katherine has been an exemplary and inspiring member of the GB rowing team for the past 16 years. She is determined, focussed and competitive in everything she does, coupling that with a great sense of humour and humility. She is a remarkable medal winner who knows how to connect with people, young and old, and inspire them to achieve their own goals. Needless to say, we are very proud of her".

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