Payne up for DSPOTY

Cold Ash hammer thrower Charlotte Payne has been nominated for the UK Deaf Sports Personality of the Year 2022 award.

The 20-year-old has been shortlisted for the prestigious award alongside six other athletes including cricketers George Greenway and Josh Price, golfer Matthew Bradshaw, MMA champion Thomas Paull and futsal star Zara Musker.

Payne, who is profoundly deaf, was diagnosed with hearing loss when she was just three-years-old and her parents were told she'd never be able to balance properly, but has since represented Team GB at mainstream international athletics competitions.

In July, she became just the third female British hammer thrower to throw more than 70 metres, winning the UK Athletics Championship and smashing her own deaf world record in the process.

She's since surpassed the 70 metre mark on another two occasions and holds all three British titles, having also represented England at the European Championships in Munich.

When she first started out in athletics as the self confessed "annoying little sister", Payne admits that she felt self conscious about her deafness and often tried to mask it from fellow competitors and officials.

“I am profoundly deaf but that’s never been the thing that’s defined me, it’s athletics first, deafness second," Payne told the Newbury Weekly News in September.

“I used to hide my hearing because I thought it was a weakness, I think a lot of it was due to a lack of role models that were like me.

"Over the past few years, particularly through lockdown and the Covid pandemic, I've been forced to own it.

"I'm totally reliant on lip reading but with face masks I had to tell everyone about my deafness.

"Now I love it because it’s what makes me different to everyone else and all my competitors.

"I've had to overcome a lot of obstacles but I'm so proud to hold the deaf world record and be working to inspire others, it's my USP, it's my brand."

The thrower recently appeared on the BBC to discuss her deafness, and is determined to champion deaf athletes to follow in her footsteps.

You can vote for Payne on the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year website using the following link https://dspy.co.uk/voting-online-2022/