James McLaughlin strips a monstrous 20sec. off the island five-mile time-trial record. (Picture by Mike Brehaut, 0589685)

JAMES MCLAUGHLIN is the 2010 winner of the Guernsey Press Sporting Achievement of the Year Trophy. The Commonwealth Games cyclist joins a list of winners which includes the likes of Andy Priaulx and Dale Garland.

In what was another momentous year for island sport and on the back of a stupendous new island five-mile record performance, McLaughlin gets the nod over snooker stars Martyn Desperques and Adam Shorto, runners Lee Merrien and Sarah Mercier, footballer Ross Allen, cricketer Jeremy Frith, Channel Islands table tennis champion Garry Dodd and CI golf champions Danny Blondel and Jan Chamberlain.

In France, where he is holidaying over New Year with family before heading off to Australia next week for a lengthy period of warm-weather training and competition, McLaughlin said it was ‘awesome’ to win the award.

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