Ystrad Mynach’s Olympic gold medallist Lauren Price has won the inaugural Olympian of the Year award.
The 27-year-old middleweight boxer received the National Lottery award at Pontypool Amateur Boxing Club, where her boxing journey began.
The award was presented to Price by her grandmother, Linda, on Tuesday, October 26.
When Price was just three-days-old, she was taken in by her grandparents, who raised her and supported her lofty sporting ambitions.
Price said: “I don’t know where I would have been without the support of my grandparents.
“Everything I’ve achieved, I dedicate to them for all the support they have given me and I’m delighted my Nan is here to present me with this award.”
Price, who is one of around 1,000 athletes funded by the National Lottery, said she was “honoured and thrilled” to receive the award and thanked everyone who voted for her.
Grandmother Linda said: “I’m over the moon for her. She’s worked so hard all these years and deserves all the recognition that comes her way.
“I feel honoured and proud to present her with this award. I always told her to work hard and believe in herself. ‘Reach for the moon and if you fall short, you’ll land on the stars’, is what I always told her.
“It’s been a dream of hers since she was a young girl to win the Olympics and, after all the years of hard work, she’s finally achieved it. Her grandfather would be immensely proud of her. He was such a big part of her life and supported her in everything she did. We always knew she was going to succeed, no matter what she put her mind to.”
Before going into boxing full-time, Price played football for Cardiff City and won 52 caps for Wales. She also became world kickboxing champion aged 12, but switched from kickboxing to boxing aged 16.
Since deciding to concentrate fully on boxing, the former-taxi driver has been crowned European, World and Olympic champion.
After returning to Ystrad Mynach following her Olympic success in Tokyo, Price was given a rapturous welcome by residents, who lined the streets waving Welsh flags.
A phone box on Penallta Road was also painted gold to celebrate Price’s achievements.
In September, both Price and fellow Olympic medallist Lauren Williams, from Blackwood, were paraded through Ystrad Mynach and Williams’ hometown of Blackwood, while crowns adorned the streets.
Both Price and Williams were also enrolled onto a new Wall of Fame at Ystrad Mynach’s Centre for Sporting Excellence, and were later granted the Freedom of Caerphilly County Borough.
How Price won gold
Price won Olympic gold after a comprehensive 5-0 victory over China’s Li Qian in the women’s middleweight final on August 8.
Price, who attended Heolddu Comprehensive School in Bargoed, marked her Olympic debut on July 28 with a 5-0 win over Mongolia’s Myagmarjargal Munkhbat in the last 16, before beating Panama’s Atheyna Bylon 5-0 on Saturday, July 31 to reach the semi-finals.
At the semi-final stage, she beat Nouchka Fontijn, of the Netherlands, on a split decision to reach the final.
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