BISHOP AUCKLAND gymnast Amy Tinkler has been announced as one of the three shortlisted candidates for the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year award.

Tinkler, who won the overall Local Hero award at The Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Awards last week, has been shortlisted for the BBC honour along with rugby union player Keelan Giles and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Robinson.

The winner will be presented with their award on BBC One’s The One Show on Wednesday, December 14, and will follow in the footsteps of previous winners such as Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray and Ellie Downie.

Tinkler, who turned 17 in October, won a bronze medal on the floor at this summer’s Olympics in Rio, becoming the first British gymnast to win a medal in the event.

A member of South Durham Gymnastics Club in Spennymoor, she was the youngest member of Team GB, and also retained her floor title at this year’s British Championships.

She is up against Giles, an 18-year-old winger with Welsh side Ospreys, who scored eight tries in his first four professional matches, including a hat-trick in a European Challenge Cup win over Lyon.

Described by Ospreys coach Steve Tandy as an “unbelievable finisher”, Giles was called up to Rob Howley’s senior Wales squad for the Autumn internationals, having starred in his nation’s Under-20s Six Nations Grand Slam campaign.

The final shortlisted candidate is Robinson, a 15-year-old swimmer who broke the Paralympic record as she won gold in the 50m butterfly in Rio.

She also won bronze in the 100m freestyle in a British-record time, and claimed four medals at this year’s IPC European Championships.