Kristy Gillespie, the 2008 Australian and Victorian Womens Motocross Champion, has been nominated for the Victorian Female Athlete of the Year Award at the 2008 VicSport Awards.

Kristy, who lives just over the border in Albury, has dominated the Womens Motocross scene in Australia this year, with her maiden Australian Womens Motocross Championship the jewel in the crown. She also won the Victorian Womens Motocross Championship, winning every race in the series, and won 36 of the 37 races she entered this year across Victoria.

Her victory in the 2008 Victorian Womens Motocross Championship was her third successive title, highlighting her dominance of Womens Motocross in Victoria.

Kristy started riding bikes at a young age thanks to the involvement of her family, particularly her brothers. Once she started riding competitively it didn’t take long for her to shine.

She finished third in the 2005 Australian Womens Motocross Championship as a 17 year old and a year later won her first Victorian Womens Motocross Championship.

In 2006 she again finished third in the Australian Womens Motocross Championship, but has major success on the other side of the Tasman winning the 2006 New Zealand Womens Motocross Championship at just 18 years of age.

2007 saw her win her second consecutive Victorian Womens Motocross Championship and again finish third in the Australian Womens Motocross Championship. She returned to New Zealand later that year to defend her title, however World Champion Katherine Prumm proved too strong and Kristy finished in second place.

The nomination for the Victorian Female Athlete of the Year Award is deserved recognition for Kristy’s consistent excellent performances over the last few years.

She is up against some formidable opposition, however. Athletes also nominated include Olympic Gold Medallist Leisel Jones; Aerial Skiing World Champion Jacqui Cooper and Olympian and Opal Penny Taylor.

Past winners of the award include Cathy Freeman, Alisa Camplin, Jacqui Cooper and Penny Taylor.

The 2008 VicSport Awards will be presented on Thursday 30^th October at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.