The Cherry on Top Awards For 2023

We’re into the last days of 2023, and what a 12 months it’s been for women’s sport. We’ve had world competitions in T20 cricket, netball, football, athletics and gymnastics, as well as the Ashes, the Solheim Cup and the inaugural Women’s Finalissima. 

It’s been such an action-packed year that this week’s newsletter was a bit of a challenge to put together. Because, as a way of reflecting on women’s sport in 2023, I’ve created The Cherry on Top Awards.

There’s been so many astonishing achievements over the past 12 months, but I believe I’ve picked five worthy winners for the below categories. I’m sure I’ve still managed to forget someone, so just in case, congratulations to every female athlete and woman in sport who has broken boundaries, exceeded expectations and smashed stereotypes this year. Here’s to even more success in 2024!

Sportswoman of the Year – Aitana Bonmatí

With Spain and Barcelona midfield maestro Alexia Putellas lauded as the best women’s football player in the world until her ACL injury in July 2022, her teammate Aitana Bonmatí has always flown under the radar. 

But Bonmatí has stepped up in Putellas’s absence, dominating the midfield for both club and country. The 25-year-old helped Barcelona to Liga F and Women’s Champions League glory, before picking up the Golden Ball as Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history.

The individual accolades have come streaming in, including the 2023 Ballon d'Or Féminin and UEFA Player of the Year. 

Team of the Year – Australian Women’s Cricket Team

The Australian women’s cricket team is one of the most dominant in world sport. Much was made of the US women’s football team’s attempt to win a third successive World Cup title – a three-peat, if you will. This year, Australia won their third successive T20 World Cup for the second time in history. 

The defending 50-over World Cup and Commonwealth Games champions also retained the Women’s Ashes after an entertaining 2023 series against England ended in a draw. 

Young Sportswoman of the Year – Mia Brookes

Mia Brookes became the youngest world champion in snowboarding earlier this year, winning the slopestyle title just one month after turning 16. 

The teenager’s first season at a senior level has also resulted in a Big Air World Cup title. To top it all off, Brookes was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year this week. 

She is now working towards the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, having been too young to compete at Beijing 2022. 

Moment of the Year – Coco Gauff wins the US Open

This is a bit of a subjective award, but one of my favourite moments from this year was Coco Gauff winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open.

It feels like Gauff has been playing tennis forever, despite being just 19-years-old. She burst onto the scene with a win against Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019, and since then it’s felt like a Grand Slam title has been inevitable. 

To do it in front of a home crowd at Flushing Meadows is really special, and I’m sure there will be many more Grand Slams to come.

An honourable mention to Sifan Hassan, who won the London Marathon on her debut across 42.1 kilometres, despite stopping twice and nearly getting hit by a motorbike.

Comeback of the Year – Simone Biles

Simone Biles stepped away from gymnastics for two years after suffering from the "twisties" during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The American icon was forced to withdraw from a number of events at the Games, and then spent the next 48 months working on her mental health. 

This period of time away from sport could not have been easy, particularly as Biles was required to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the abuse perpetrated by disgraced US Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

Biles made her return in August 2023 by winning the US Classic, before earning a historic eighth title at the US Gymnastics Championships. Next up was the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, where Biles clinched four gold medals.

The 26-year-old Biles is up to 37 career Olympic medals and world titles, solidifying her status as the most decorated Olympic gymnast in history. To remain at the top of elite sport after such a difficult period is truly remarkable. I’m really looking forward to seeing Biles at Paris 2024!

An honourable mention to Katerina Johnson-Thompson, who returned from injury to win a second heptathlon world title.

Winning Women

• Apparently there were some other awards this week? I’m sure everyone was mostly looking forward to The Cherry on Top Awards, so in case you subsequently missed BBC Sports Personality of the Year, it was a third successive trophy for a female athlete! Congratulations to Mary Earps, third-place Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Young Sports Personality of the Year winner Mia Brookes. Fatima Whitbread was also honoured with the Helen Rollason Award.

• Rebecca Welch is set to become the first female referee for a Premier League fixture this week! She will take charge of Fulham's match against Burnley on Saturday.

• More good news in the world of officiating. Jacqueline Williams became the first female umpire to stand in an England men’s cricket match, doing so during a T20 international encounter against West Indies. 

Bits and bobs

• I was a bit disappointed by Netflix’s Under Pressure, a documentary about the USWNT and their journey at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. But I’m currently loving Arsenal’s five-part documentary Step by Step, which charts the recovery of Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead from ACL injuries. As well as giving insight into what it’s like to be a professional player coming back from the injury, it also delves into why there’s an ACL crisis in women’s football.

• Some more great women’s football content here. This is a cool interview with Spurs striker Beth England from Art of Football, and I also thought Copa90’s post below about Hy Money, the UK’s first female football photographer, was brilliant. 

• Fair play to tennis player Coco Gauff, who is apparently ending the year as the highest paid female athlete of 2023 with a sweet annual earning of $22.7 million (£17.9m). I don’t know about you, but if I was related to Coco, I'd have high hopes for my Christmas present this year.

• It might now be too late to order this as a Christmas gift, but I’m a big fan of this new women’s sport merchandise from TOGETHXR. 

• The FIA has replaced masculine language with gender-neutral terms in Formula 2 and Formula 3 rulebooks. Interestingly this has not been extended to F1 – hopefully there are plans for this in the future.

• I loved this video of junior world boxing champion Siofra Lawless receiving a hero’s welcome as she returned to her school in Wicklow, Ireland. The 16-year-old defeated India’s Shrushti Sachin Sathe in the 63kg final at the Junior World Boxing Championships.

• To round off, check out Mary Earps’s reaction when she realises the people next to her are reading a newspaper with her face on the front. Brilliant!

@1maryearps

Good morning 🤣🤣 #mearps27 #BBCSPOTY

That’s all for today’s newsletter. All that’s left to do is wish you a very happy and restful festive period. I hope you spend it doing lots of things you love. I’ll be back for the first newsletter of 2024 in early January.

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