SWIMMING sensation Danielle Joyce is up for an award after a double gold performance at the Deaflympics.

The 21-year-old stole the show in Turkey this summer when she swam to glory in the 100m and 50m freestyle and also collected two bronzes un the 50m backstroke and the 4x100m mixed relay.

She has now been named as finalist in the Disability Sports Award category at the 2017 Sunday Mail sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards – set to take place next Thursday, December 7.

Danielle said: “This has without a doubt been my best year so far in the pool.

Winning two gold Deaflympic medals as well as two bronze is something I never thought I’d be able to do. All I wanted was to come away with one medal, I never in a million years thought I could win a gold never mind two.

“There were so many athletes there from so many different countries and to come out on top was the best moment in my life.”

Originally from Ayrshire, Danielle trains and studies at the University of Stirling and has had her share of obstacles to overcome.

She had severe hearing loss in her right ear from birth, but when she was 16 her hearing deteriorated badly, leaving her profoundly deaf in one ear and severely deaf in the other.

The young athlete gave up all sports after breaking her ankle playing basketball in the same year, but having found solace in the pool once again, she hasn’t looked back.

danielle said: “To be told at 16 that you’re going profoundly deaf isn’t something a teenage girl wants to hear.

“It was really hard but I ended up swimming at a small disability competition for my school having been out the pool for a year and I came away with gold medals.

“I realised I still had it in me and being in the pool, deaf or not, still felt like home, so I turned a negative into a positive and went down the path of deaf swimming.

“If you had told me when I was going deaf I would win four medals at the 2017 Deaflympics I would have laughed in your face.”