Six athletes have been shortlisted for the British Elite Athletes Association’s Athletes’ Athlete of the Month award for July.
Four Commonwealth Games champions are included after a successful few weeks for British sport, as well as athletes who won world and European titles elsewhere.
Angharad Evans (swimming), Emma Finucane (cycling), Reuben Ward (gymnastics) and Melanie Woods (para-athletics) have all been nominated following their achievements at Glasgow 2026, with Max Milne (climbing) and Bethany Shriever (cycling) completing the lineup.
First up is Angharad, who earned her nomination after winning four medals at the Commonwealth Games. The 23-year-old won double gold, taking the 100m and 200m breaststroke titles, and added a silver in the women’s 4x100m medley and a bronze in the mixed 4x100m medley.
There was a quartet of medals for Emma, too, who made history by becoming the first sprint cyclist to win four track gold medals at the same Commonwealth Games. The Welsh athlete triumphed in the sprint, team sprint, keirin and 1km time trial to become the first Welsh woman to claim four golds at a single Commonwealth Games and Wales’ most successful female athlete in Games history.
Max is included after securing his first-ever World Climbing Series victory with gold at the European Boulder Championships. Having finished second in 2024, Max delivered a commanding performance that saw him finish 24.9 points ahead of the silver medallist for a milestone win.
Bethany also enjoyed a landmark victory, making BMX history by becoming the first racer to win four elite world titles. She claimed her record-breaking triumph at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Australia, where extreme weather cut short the competition. With strong winds forcing the cancellation of the event on the second day, Bethany’s fastest lap in the first round secured an unprecedented fourth title.
Rueben wrote his name into the Team Scotland history books at Glasgow 2026 as he became Scotland’s first-ever Commonwealth Games men's all-around champion. “I mean it’s unbelievable to make history,” he said. “It’s something that I think a lot of people strive to do and sort of have a legacy as someone to have won an all-around, it is incredible.”
Melanie completes our shortlist after winning T54 400m and 1500m gold in Glasgow. In the latter event, she took the title in remarkable fashion. Having initially won the 1500m in a Commonwealth Games record time, she was forced to race again after a collision in the opening lap brought down several athletes, with the subsequent appeals leading to the result being voided. Undeterred, Melanie returned to the track to take the victory again, lowering the Games record she set in the original race.
Elite athletes can head to their latest BEAA member email to vote, with the winner to be announced shortly.
