Sports broadcaster Clare Balding has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours.
The popular broadcaster, 42, who fronts Channel 4’s debut at Royal Ascot this week, was the stand-out presenter at both last summer’s Olympic and the Paralympic Games.
It is the latest in a long line of major awards for Balding after she won an honorary BAFTA earlier in the year for her career achievements
Now she has been honoured with an OBE for her services to broadcasting and journalism.
Balding was one of the lead presenters for the BBC throughout the London 2012 Olympics, with interviews such as the one in the aquatics centre with proud father Bert Le Clos making her one of the faces of the Games on television.
Balding then crossed over to Channel 4 to front their successful Paralympics coverage.
With Channel 4 scooping racing’s crown jewel events from the BBC as well as Balding as their lead presenter, she has appeared more regularly at the races this year.
She recently fronted two major documentaries, one for the BBC on the Queen and her relationship with horses, and another for Channel 4 on ‘Suffragette’ Emily Davison.
Balding is from a family with a rich racing pedigree. Her father Ian Balding best known for his handling of the legendary 1971 Derby hero Mill Reef.
Her brother, Andrew, is also a successful Classic-winning trainer, while her uncle, Toby Balding, is one of the few men to have trained the winner of the Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle.
After enjoying some success as an amateur jockey herself, Balding started her career in broadcasting with BBC radio in 1994.
She moved into television initially as a reporter on the BBC’s racing coverage before taking over the main presenting role from Julian Wilson in 1997.
Balding has covered seven Summer and Winter Olympics for BBC TV since 2000 and has also fronted rugby league, tennis, equestrian, swimming, darts and bowls coverage for BBC Sport.
She was also a regular host of Grandstand, presenting the final edition of the famous sports programme in January 2007.
Also recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours is Dave Gordon, one of the main architects of the BBC’s lauded London Olympics coverage.
Gordon stepped down as the BBC’s head of major sporting events in January this year and after a distinguished career at the corporation, including coverage of three decades worth of Olympic Games.
He has been awarded with an OBE for services to Broadcasting and the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Harry Gration, best known as the main presenter of BBC’s Look North in Leeds, has been awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting.
The 62-year-old was a regular commentator and reporter on BBC Sport programmes for three decades.
He has worked on programmes such as Grandstand, Final Score, rugby league and Olympic Games, alongside his main role as host of regional news programme in Yorkshire.
