Dacres, Atkinson headline RJRGLEANER Sports awards

This year's Commonwealth Games discus throw and IAAF Diamond League champion Fedrick Dacres has been named as one of four nominees for the RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation Sportsman of the Year award. The announcement was made during an official launch of the ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel yesterday.

Chris Binnie, the 2018 Pan American Games squash champion was also nominated, along with 2018 110m hurdles Commonwealth Games champion Ronald Levy and 2018 CAC Games shot put gold medallist O'Dayne Richards.

Reigning Sportswoman of the Year Alia Atkinson was once again nominated for the 2018. Atkinson won a silver medal in the 50m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games, as well as three gold medals at the CAC Games this year.

Her rivals for this year's award are 3,000m steeplechase Commonwealth Games Champion Aisha Praught-Leer, NACAC triple jump champion Shanieka Ricketts, Commonwealth Games triple jump champion Kimberly Williams, 400m hurdles Commonwealth Games Champion Janieve Russell, CONCACAF Women's Football Championship top goalscorer Khadija Shaw, Commonwealth Games shot put champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Windies Women captain Stafanie Taylor, who guided her team to the semi-final of the just concluded ICC Women's World T20 tournament in the West Indies.

Apart from the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards, the 2018 awards ceremony will feature recurring awards: individual awards for outstanding performances, team awards for outstanding performances, category awards for outstanding male and female athletes for individual sports; the ISSA Schoolboy and Schoolgirls awards; the Chairman's award; The People's Choice "Performance of The Year" award (voted on by the public); and the Gleaner Iconic Award.

The 2018 awards will be held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Friday, January 18, 2019.