He may have missed out on SportsAid’s prestigious One-to-Watch award but champion Stafford swimmer Tom Derbyshire’s fire to succeed was only fuelled further by rubbing shoulders with the nation’s sporting elite at the SportsBall.

SportsAid’s 40th anniversary SportsBall was a celebration of Britain’s sporting success and saw 18-year-old Derbyshire shortlisted for the prestigious award, which was eventually presented on stage by four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah.

As a charity, SportsAid fund more than 1,100 talented young athletes in the country every year, with Derbyshire - a junior European champion in 2016 - making it down to the final three for the award.

The prize eventually went to 18-year-old triathlete Alex Yee, but with dozens of Olympic and Paralympic champions on show at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Thursday evening, Derbyshire said he was inspired to build on his achievements of 2016.

"Being surrounded by all of these athletes, Olympians and Paralympians, holding medals whilst I've been in the reception, it's great,” said the former Royal Wolverhampton School pupil.

“It’s really inspiring to know they've received the same support and that they have been in the same position as me, it motivates me moving forward.

“It fills me with confidence that I can do what I want in my sport."

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Derbyshire was presented to the 500-strong audience at the SportsAid gala event, with the crowd being shown a compilation video of his achievements to date - which include a gold and silver medal from this summer’s European Junior Championships in Hungary as well as titles at the Energy Standard Cup.

The Stafford Apex Swimming Club competitor is now training at the University of Bath, where he is getting accustomed to being surrounded by Olympic medallists, training as he does with Rio 2016 silver medallists Siobhan- Marie O’Connor and Jazz Carlin.

And he credited SportsAid, whose One-to-Watch Award was launched in 2006 with double Olympic medallist Tom Daley the inaugural winner and six of the ten recipients competing in Rio this summer, with a large chunk of the success he has experienced to date.

"To be recognised within the top three of the One-to-Watch award was a great pleasure,” he added. “I was quite surprised to get in the top ten but to make in the top three was even better.

"SportsAid has been great to me,” he said.

"It's not a cheap sport so to be able to go away on camps and train at different places, these are things that are helping me to prepare to perform.

"Without SportsAid, I would probably not be as high a level an athlete as I am. I would have probably not taken things as seriously.

“I've been able to go to specific training camps that have helped me to get where I want to be the past season, and in seasons going forward.”

Farah was on hand to present Yee with the award, and he took the time to congratulate all three nominees, with 16-year-old skeleton athlete Ashleigh Pittaway making up the trio.

“Alex, Ashleigh and Tom have all had impressive years and did incredibly well to make the top three,” said Farah.

“Watching the videos of all three young athletes, it is very inspiring and I am honoured to be able to be in the room and give my support to them. They’re very impressive.”

SportsAid’s 40th anniversary SportsBall celebrated the role played by the charity in supporting British sports stars over the last four decades. What will you do to support the next generation of sporting talent? Please visit www.sportsaid.org.uk to find out how you can help.