TEENAGERS at the top of their game in 2017 means it’s a female-dominated final shortlist for the Para Sports Person of the year award, sponsored by Imagine Cruising.

TEIGAN HIGGS, 13, a member of the Chippenham Moonraker Gymnastics club, won five silver medals in the disability gymnastics British Championship Open Junior Class.

The Hardenhuish School pupil, a member of the Team Bath Evolution Trampoline Club shone in the top level, the Open Junior competition, for beam, vault, uneven bars, floor and overall silver.

She is also the current South West Disability trampoline champion and narrowly missed out on qualification for the British Championship finals this year.

Determined to raise the profile of disability gymnastics, she is on her club’s Young Leadership junior coaching programme.

Another Chippenham athlete, LAUREN BOOTH, has also been in excellent form in the indoor arena this year.

The 16-year-old stormed to two national titles and broke five national records at the British Cycling National Track Championships in Manchester in January.

Leaving even Paralympic Games medallists in her wake, she won both the C1-5 time trial and flying 200m events, holding off the challenge of four-time Paralympic gold medal-winner Jody Cundy in the former.

The Abbeyfield School pupil, who contracted bacterial meningitis as a baby and now has hearing loss in one ear and cerebral palsy, represents Wales and trains at the Newport Velodrome.

She also took part in road racing with Great Britain’s para-cycling team in Belgium this year and since May, when she moved categories while para status was being reviewed, competed with able-bodied athletes achieving top-10 finishes and a victory.

Part of the Great Britain Cycling Team Para-cycling Programme for 2017, Booth hopes to compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Someone already with Paralympic experience under her belt is Urchfont athlete POLLY MATON, who competed in last year’s Games in Rio, but really came to the fore in international competition this year.

Having already claimed fifth place in the T47 100m at the World Para Athletics Championships in London in July, the-then 17-year-old turned her attention to the long jump final despite carrying a slight calf strain in her left leg.

Bumped down out of the medals into fourth, when France’s Angelina Lanza jumped 5.22m, with one jump to go, Maton, who is coached at Team Bath by Colin Baross, showed there was no need to be concerned as she leaped a new personal best of 5.23m to claim silver.

“To do it in front of my home crowd and in front of my friends and family – in an event I’ve perceived to be my weakest entering the championships – is something I can’t put into words,’’ the Dauntsey’s School student said.

The 2017 Wiltshire Sports Awards, set up by the Swindon Advertiser, Gazette & Herald and Wiltshire Times in conjunction with Wiltshire & Swindon Sport (WASP).

Newsquest Wiltshire group sports editor Owen Houlihan, WASP CEO Steve Boocock and 1968 Olympic 400m hurdles champion David Hemery will meet in January to decide the award winners.

All the winners will be announced at the Corn Exchange celebration ceremony at the end of January, which will include an audience with 1985 World Snooker champion and now-television commentator Dennis Taylor, who will be guest speaker.

The evening will be a celebration of all of the winners for all of the categories, and tickets are available priced at £15 per adult and £9 per child, to include a buffet.

Tickets can be purchased by calling Ian Parker on 01793 501731 or email wiltshiresportsawards@newsquest.co.uk.