Alice Tai has made history as the first para-swimmer to win British Swimming's Athlete of the Year award.

The 20-year-old competes in the SB8, SM8 and S8 classifications which are for swimmers with impaired muscle power.

And Tai enjoyed glittering success at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, claiming seven gold medals and boosting Great Britain's tally to 47 medals (19 gold, 14 silver, 14 bronze).

After claiming the Para-Swimming Athlete of the Year award, Tai was up against the winners of the other categories which included some of the UK's biggest aquatics stars such as Adam Peaty, who claimed three world titles in the summer.

But Tai was presented with the honour and spoke passionately about the sport in her winners speech.

She said: "I think the Paralympic movement has just grown and grown and grown since 2012 and expanding that in the future is probably the goal of every single Paralympic athlete.

"I’m really keen to just help progress Paralympic sport more and working with other children and seeing how much I have inspired them is just crazy. 

“I remember being in that position when I was younger, looking up to athletes, so it’s just really trying to get more people into the sport."

With less than a year to go until Tokyo 2020, Tai is perfectly poised to make her mark on next year's Paralympic Games.

British Swimming Award 2019 Winners:

Alice Tai - Overall British Swimming Athlete of the Year 2019

Jack Laugher - Diving Athlete of the Year 2019 Sponsored by GLL

Alice Tai - Para-Swimming Athlete of the Year 2019  Sponsored by Everyone Active

Adam Peaty - Swimming Athlete of the Year 2019 Sponsored by Tenerife Top Training

Kate Shortman - Artistic Swimming Athlete of the Year 2019

Lily Turner - Water Polo Female Athlete of the Year 2019

Charlie Brogan - Water Polo Male Athlete of the Year 2019

Adam Smallwood - Diving Coach of the Year 2019  Sponsored by Traveleads

Jacquie Marshall - Para- Swimming Coach of the Year 2019

Melanie Marshall - Swimming Coach of the Year 2019 Sponsored by SOS

Paola Basso - Artistic Swimming Coach of the Year 2019

Phil Powell - Water Polo Coach of the Year 2019

Anthony Harding - Diving Emerging Athlete of the Year 2019

Louis Lawlor - Para-Swimming Emerging Athlete of the Year 2019 Sponsored by UP&GO

Kayla Van der Merwe - Swimming Emerging Athlete of the Year 2019 Sponsored by SOS