Rachel Atherton has topped off her Perfect Season with one of the most prestigious awards in the sporting world, the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year award.

Having won every round of the World Cup, scooped the win at World Champs, hosted the largest women’s mountain bike event, competed with a horse AND won the BT Sport Action Woman of the Year… She’s only gone and one of sports most elite awards.

The Laureus Awards were created in 2000 as part of Laureus Sport for Good, a movement that uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage.

The Actions Sports Award goes to “the sportsman or sportswoman who best demonstrates supreme athletic performance and achievement in action sports in the qualifying year” Rachel was up against some tough competition: Pedro Barros (Brazilian skate boarder), Surfers John John Florence and Tyler Wright, Chloe Kim (snowboarder, USA) and Kelly Sildaru (Freestyle skier).

With her fellow nominees all boasting amazing progression for their sports in 2016, it was Rachel’s Perfect Season that swung it for the Queen of Downhill. Unable to attend the show, Rachel is out in the US training hard with the rest of the Trek Factory Team for the upcoming season.

Rachel said: “I’m overwhelmed to be even mentioned in such a list! And it’s great that four out of the six Action Sports nominees are women – how awesome is that! Chloe and Kelly are still in their teens, looks like Action Sports has a lot to look forward to!”

We also have a lot to look forward to with the World Cup season creeping ever closer. Will Rachel hold on to her throne on the top spot, or will Tahnée Seagrave knock her off the spot?

The first round of the UCI World Cup will take place in Lourdes on April 29th/30th.