IT was the icing on the cake as Amir Khan celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday 8th, marking the end of an unforgettable year.

The Bury Amateur Boxing Club's Olympic sensation celebrated the landmark birthday with family and friends on Sunday 5th at the Fairways Lodge and Leisure Club in Prestwich.

The youngster, who catapulted to fame after winning a silver medal in Athens, has made a huge number of personal appearances since returning to the UK and become a sporting hero.

He returned to the ring for the first time since the Olympics last week and earned a standing ovation after a points victory over the current US champion Michael Evans.

His accolades so far include two awards in the BBC's North West Sports Awards where he scooped the North West Tonight Award and the Judges' Award. His trainer, Mick Jelley was voted Coach of the Year.

Added to that is Amir's nomination for this year's BBC's Sports Personality of the Year, to be announced on Sunday 12th, and a meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace with the Great Britain squad.

The teenager will be back in the ring in February to compete in the senior ABA championships for the first time and he will then be appearing in a number of bouts organised by the English ABA ahead of the World Amateur Championships to be held in China next November.