NATALIE Powell has been shortlisted as a contender for the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 27 year old from Builth Wells has enjoyed the best year of her career, culminating in her being crowned British Judo female senior player of the year earlier this month.

Powell is currently ranked No1 in the world having tasted tournament success at the World Championships, European Championships and Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.

The under 78kg class player won a bronze medal at the European Championships in Poland, the second continental championship bronze medal of her career, and a silver medal in the European Open in Rome.

Powell claimed silver medals in the Russian Grand Slam and Mexican Grand Slam to climb into the top eight seeds for the World Championship in Hungary.

Powell made history in Budapest with her bronze medal representing a first for a Welsh competitor at World Championship level.

Powell crowned her season with a gold medal at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam last month to secure her British Judo female senior player of the year award.

The Irfon Judo Club member now hopes to represent Britain at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 having whetted her appetite with a seventh place finish in Rio 2016.

Powell is the defending Commonwealth Games champion having won gold in Glasgow in 2014 but the sport has not been included for the 2018 event on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Voting for BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2017 will open from 8am on Monday, November 27 and close at 6pm on Saturday, December 2 ahead of the awards night at Newport’s Celtic Manor on Monday, December 4.