Teenage fencer Rachael Hamson is making rapid strides towards the top of her sport.

The Loughborough 16-year-old has ambitions to be one of the four fencers selected to attend the Cadet European or World Championships in 2010 and to fence in the Olympics in 2016 or 2020.

She certainly seems to be on course and is a contender for the Young Sportswoman category of the Leicester Mercury Sports Awards.

The Leicester Fencing Club member has started the 2009-10 season well, winning a silver medal at the Manchester Cadet international tournament.

Rachael said: "I am really proud of my silver medal at the Manchester Cadet, especially as it will be the last time I can enter that competition because I will be too old next year."

She is fifth in the British cadet rankings and has been with the Great Britain cadet squad to Germany, Austria and France.

Rachael is building on a successful 2008-9 season in which she won the under-18 and senior titles at the county championships and the under-18 county schools title.

She also landed the East Midlands under-18 and senior crowns, and gained senior regional honours, being selected as the youngest member of the East Midlands team for a senior inter-regional event.

For the third year running, she was selected for the East Midlands cadet squad and for the Leicestershire senior team.

Rachael is 32nd in the senior British rankings, despite currently concentrating on her cadet ranking.

She is the top Leicestershire woman in this ranking list and the second East Midlands foil fencer.

In July, she won her first individual senior medal – a silver at the Manchester Senior Open.

Rachael helps younger fencers at her club and school – Dixie Grammar in Market Bosworth – and is working towards the Community Sports Leaders award at school.

She also helps with coach education, which trains coaches, and hopes to become a qualified coach when she is old enough.

Rachael represented the Go Gold programme at the Leicestershire Youth Games and won the 2009 Charnwood Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award.

Rachael said: "I train really hard, often five evenings a week, but to then do well makes it all worthwhile. I have had some really pleasing results this year.

"Travelling abroad with the GB Cadet squad was one of the highlights of the year for me, especially when I got points at Pisa."

There are 11 categories in the Mercury Sports Awards. Readers can make their nominations before the closing date of December 12.

The winners will be announced on January 20.

To make your nomination fill in the coupon on this page and return it to us.

The full list of awards categories is: Sportsman of the Year; Sportswoman of the Year; Coach of the Year; Team of the Year; Under-19 Team of the Year; Club of the Year; Young Sportsman (Under 18); Young Sportswoman (Under 18); Junior Sportsman (Under 14) ; Junior Sportswoman (Under 14); Active4life Award.