WEIGHTLIFTER Rebekah Tiler, 18, from Denholme, and karate star Katelyn Entwistle, 17, from Baildon, could not be separated in the young female sportsperson of the year category at the Provident Bradford Sports Awards.

Rebekah said: "I am preparing for the European Senior Championships and hope to better the bronze I got previously.

"But it is a difficult time. I want to be an Olympic champion but our funding from UK Sport stops in June and I don't know what is going to happen after that."

Katelyn, who wants to be ranked in the top ten in the UK at K1, is buoyed by the news that karate is to be an Olympic sport.

The confident teenager said: "I am excited by that and am going to Holland to compete in an event this weekend, and will also be going to Dubai, Morocco, Spain, Istanbul and Japan in search of K1 Premier League points."

Welterweight boxer Mohammed Harris Akbar, from Great Horton, retained his young male sportsperson of the year award, and said: "Now I am in the GB Academy squad, joining Muhammad Ali, it will hopefully bring my boxing up to the next level.

"I had already had two training sessions that day before coming to the awards, and training hard is the path to winning."

The inspirational Paul Milnes Cycles-Bradford Olympic Road Club won the young club or team of the year, while 12-year-old young disability sportsperson winner Toby Hunter brought the house down when he was on the stage.

When told by compere Tanya Arnold that it might be a good idea to get a picture with Bradford City manager Stuart McCall, the Bradford Disability Football Club goalkeeper said: "I have got one already."

The most emotional moment of the evening, however, came when Carlton Bolling under-15 girls' cricket team were in the spotlight, stressing how many barriers they had had to break down merely to even play, having not been in existence two years ago, and then showing what a strong bond they had formed in becoming Yorkshire champions.

Year 13 Appleton Academy student Harleen Kaur, ranked two in the world at kickboxing, was student sportsperson of the year, while Baildon Church of England won the Active School category.

Ivor Morgan lost five stone in becoming the Active Lifestyle winner, while long-serving gymnastics coach Irene Payton won the Special Recognition award.