Middleton named Olympic Athlete of the Year for hockey

BARRY Middleton has been named by Great Britain Hockey as its BOA Athlete of the Year after inspiring England to victory at the EuroHockey Nations Championships earlier this year.

CAPTAIN MARVEL: England skipper Barry Middleton named Olympic Athlete of the Year for hockey (England Hockey)

The 25-year-old, former Cannock ace skippered England to a win in the Netherlands with a superb victory in the final over Olympic champions Germany.

Middleton, who now plies his trade with HGC in the Netherlands, was also vice captain of the Great Britain side that finished fifth at the Beijing Olympics.

Despite his relative youth, Middleton has appeared in two Olympic Games, one World Cup, four European Cups and one Commonwealth Games and is currently in Australia, preparing for the Champions Trophy.

"I am obviouslyextremely pleased to have won it but also very surprised," said Middleton. "It's certainly not something I expected and to be honest, I think there are a number of people in the squad who have performed excellently this year and could have won it."

The Olympic Athlete of the Year award is handed out by the British Olympic Association to each of the 35 national associations in Olympic sport, who in turn select their elite competitor of the year.

Great Britain Hockey performance director David Faulkner, who won Olympic gold with Great Britain at Seoul 1988, believes Middleton was fully deserving of the award.

"I am personally delighted that Barry has been recognised," said Faulkner. "Not just for his outstanding performances on the pitch but for also for the way in which he lead the England team to their first ever win at the European Cup in Amsterdam earlier this year."

England get their Champions Trophy campaign underway on November 28 against Germany.