Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Maria Tsaptsinos has been shortlisted for Star of the Year at the TASS Stars Awards.

TASS – the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme – is a Sport England funded initiative which helps athletes in education and aged 16-plus to get the very best from their sporting and academic careers without having to choose between the two.

During this academic year, TASS has supported Tsaptsinos, who recently graduated with a first-class geography degree from the University of Nottingham.

Tsaptsinos was among scores of nominations from which a panel of experts including triple jump world record holder Jonathan Edwards and 2017 Star of the Year winner, boxer Georgia O’Connor, selected the shortlists in five categories.

She will be up against fellow Commonwealth Games bronze medallist from Gold Coast, shooter Sam Gowin, and British triple jump Champion Naomi Ogbeta, with the winners to be revealed at a presentation event on Saturday 21 July.

As well as Star of the Year, the other categories are: Most Inspirational, Most Determined, Most Committed and Most Potential.

Nominations were made across five categories designed to celebrate the attributes of a successful dual career athlete: Most Inspirational, Most Determined, Most Committed, Most Potential and Star of the Year.

TASS National Director Guy Taylor said: “We were keen to once again shine a spotlight on the TASS athletes who are excelling in both their sport and study.

“At TASS we understand how difficult it can be to juggle the demands of training, competition and full-time education, so we believe it’s important to recognise those who not only succeed, but thrive on the challenge.

“We hope the TASS Stars Awards will provide a platform to share the incredible achievements of these young people who prove without a doubt that sport and study can be a winning combination.”