Rachel Blackmore has been nominated for the BBC World Sport Star of the Year award.
The Tipperary jockey had an unstoppable year becoming the first female rider to win the Aintree Grand National with victory on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Times in the famous race.
The 32-year-old followed that up by becoming the first woman to claim the Cheltenham Festival Leading Jockey title with six winners, including the Champion Hurdle on de Bromhead's Honeysuckle.
Rachael Blackmore, who is the jockey of choice for the Knockeen trainer, has been rewarded for her record-breaking achievements in 2021 with a nomination in the World Sport Star category at this month's BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
The nominees for World Sport Star at BBC Sports Personality of the Year are:
⭐ Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez
⭐ Rachael Blackmore
⭐ Tom Brady
⭐ Novak Djokovic
⭐ Elaine Thompson-Herah
⭐ Max Verstappen
Vote & T&Cs 👇
Voting closes at 1300 GMT on Tuesday 14 December 2021#SPOTY— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 6, 2021
The Irish jockey is one of six nominees for the award and faces stiff competition from some of sport's biggest names, including Formula One driver Max Verstappen and tennis great Novak Djokovic.
Boxer Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is on the list after his victory over Caleb Plant last month made him the first undisputed world super-middleweight champion.
He is joined by NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who won a record-extending seventh Super Bowl as he helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
He also became the oldest man to feature in the showpiece match, at the age of 43 years and 188 days.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic has also been shortlisted after winning three of the four men’s grand slam singles titles.
The Serbian triumphed at the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon to make it 20 career grand slam titles in all.
Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah completes the list after she claimed three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
She won the individual 100 metres and 200m and was part of the Jamaican team which triumphed in the 4x100m relay.
Voting opens on Monday and closes at 1pm on Tuesday, December 14th.
The award will be presented during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award show on Sunday.
