Simon trained with Alex Bliss, Strength and Conditioning Coach based at the university’s Welkin Laboratories in Eastbourne.
The university’s Director of Sport Sarah Hogg, pictured presenting Simon’s award, said: “We are so pleased this award went to someone with a connection to the university. It’s really great that his remarkable achievement of attending seven Paralympic games has been °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ – it really is an amazing feat to have had such a long and distinguished career.
“The university has a long and proud tradition of supporting high-performance athletes and indeed one of our graduates and former sports scholars Faye McClelland was also °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ on the night as she finished in an amazing fourth position in the Paralympic triathlon event in Rio.”
The awards night, at °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ’s Grand Hotel, celebrated the achievements of sports men and women based in Sussex and included an honour parade by the county’s Rio Olympic and Paralympic athletes. A highlight saw the oldest surviving Olympian, 99-year-old Bill Lucas, present an award and offering words of advice to the younger generation about working hard to fulfil your dreams.