Army Sports Awards: Rising Star Nominee 'Surprised' To Be Considered

Army athlete Jessie Lutwyche said she was "surprised to be nominated" for the Rising Star award at this year’s Army Sports Awards.

The Birmingham-born runner has had a breakthrough season in the sport but was shocked to be put alongside some top talents.

"I was honestly quite surprised when I was nominated for the award especially when you consider the other people considered," she said.

"It gives you the confidence to progress and actually, you do have an opportunity to progress and get far."

Lutwyche spends her time working as a student nurse and finds it difficult to balance work with her training.

"As a student nurse, you do have to do quite long shifts. Some days it is quite hard to fit around as you are up early and late at night.

"You have to use those days off to get some good [running] sessions in."

The runner made her debut in the National Cross Country Championships last year, finishing 12th in the Under 23s category.

She was amazed by the people she was running against.

She said: "It was definitely a big event. I had never done it before so I wasn’t aware of the standard.

"It was amazing to be running alongside some really high-class athletes and some high-class athletes from the Army as well."

To cap off a remarkable year, Lutwyche represented the UK Armed Forces in the NATO 10k race in Budapest and managed to finish on the podium.

"It was a brilliant opportunity. You feel really proud to represent your country.

"The support from the crowd knowing you are military is fantastic."

You can watch the Army Sports Awards LIVE on Facebook and here on our website from 9.50pm on Thursday 21 November.