Junior World Triathlon Champion, Glasgow's Kirsty McWilliam, has been heralded by an all star panel as they were shortlisted in The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards. The Awards will be held at Lords Cricket Ground on Thursday February 12.

The judging team, which included Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and BBC Sport's Jill Douglas, named the young Scot alongside Wimbledon junior champion Laura Robson, downhill mountain biker Rachel Atherton, cricketer Holly Colvin and weightlifter Zoe Smith in the Young Sportswoman of the Year category.

McWilliam enjoyed an outstanding 2008 which saw her crowned as the ITU Junior Triathlon World Champion in Vancouver, Canada, and European Junior Championship silver medallist in Lisbon, Portugal. The Stirling University student also won the British Sprint Triathlon Championships in Reading, holding off top senior Andrea Whitcombe, and made her debut at the Olympic distance, finishing sixth at the prestigious Mazda London Triathlon.

"It is fantastic to have been recognised by such a high profile panel and nominated alongside four other extremely talented athletes for the Young Sportswomen Award. It means a lot to me when other people recognise my achievements and I really appreciate my nomination. It is also a great sign that triathlon is really starting to make a mark in the public domain despite still being a relatively small sport," said McWilliam.