NEWHAM wheelchair athlete Dan Lucker rubbed shoulders with Britain s finest track and field athletes in Birmingham recently and scooped the UKA Heroes 2009 top prize. The 16-year-old joined the great and the good of British athletics in a star-studded awa

NEWHAM wheelchair athlete Dan Lucker rubbed shoulders with Britain's finest track and field athletes in Birmingham recently and scooped the UKA Heroes 2009 top prize.

The 16-year-old joined the great and the good of British athletics in a star-studded awards ceremony at the UKA Awards Dinner and stole the show by winning the gong at the National Motorcycle Museum.

Aside from receiving his second �500 cheque from the Original Source-sponsored project, Lucker collected a bonus �500 for taking the top award and new kit for the 2010 season from World 800m bronze medallist Jenny Meadows.

And after meeting the likes of Meadows and World triple jump champion Phillips Idowu in Birmingham, former Calverton Primary School pupil Lucker has vowed to make next year his own.

"I've had a great 2009 and I can't wait for next year to come around," said Lucker, who is now training with double Beijing Paralympic gold medallist David Weir.

"I won four gold medals and two silver medals at the World Juniors in Switzerland and to do that at the biggest competition of the year was pleasing.

"Next year will be even bigger for me because I'll be racing at senior level rather than junior, but I'm sure there will be pressure on myself to perform just as well.

"I've just started training with David and already I can see a difference - to have someone like that to ask advice from is brilliant."

And Meadows - who announced herself on the big stage at the World Championships in Berlin this year - is backing Lucker to take 2010 by storm.

"It's absolutely unbelievable - all 15 who have been chosen on the project are phenomenal," said Meadows.

"And being part of it makes them all believe that they can actually achieve something.

"It definitely would have helped my career because at that age you rely so much on your parents and volunteers.

"Some of these guys are going to major championships and bringing home medals - that's fantastic."

UKA Heroes project sponsored by Original Source is a successful initiative which offers financial support to young athletes who are working towards the 2012 and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.