BBC Sports Personality of the Year award winners
Sports Personality of the Year: Geraint Thomas
World Sport Star: Francesco Molinari
Team of the Year: England netball
Greatest Moment of the Year: England netball gold
Coach of the Year: Gareth Southgate
Unsung Hero: Kirsty Ewen
Lifetime achievement: Billie Jean King
Helen Rollason: Billy Monger
Young Sports Personality: Kare Adenega
Updated
And now George Ezra will wrap up the evening, singing the aptly-named Paradise! Thomas still looks totally stunned on stage, as other winners engage in small talk around him. Thomas doesn’t seem a big Ezra fan on the face of it. Some words from Thomas: “As a bike rider, I was always focused on myself, but hearing stories like Tyson [Fury] and Billy [Jean King], then seeing kids on their bikes back home, you take great pride in winning this. It’s been an amazing year for British sport and long may it continue.”
Updated
Geraint Thomas wins Sports Personality of the Year!
A big puff of the cheeks by the Welshman, as he runs up to collect the award. “I really should have thought about what I was going to say,” Thomas says, totally lost for words, before thanking his family. “I was going down the local leisure centre to ride my bike and now I’m stood here. To see so many kids, and not just kids, out riding a bike and enjoying a healthy lifestyle, that brings so much pride.” The runner-up was Lewis Hamilton. In third place was Harry Kane, much to the amazement of Dina Asher-Smith down in the front row. Thomas goes on to thank “Dave B”. He’s the first Welshman to win since Ryan Giggs in 2009.
Updated
Billy Monger is back – after his speech was cut off abruptly earlier on! He has a quick, big thank you for his mother and father. Monger was presented with the Helen Rollason award, after making an extraordinary comeback to motor racing, less than 12 months after having both legs amputated. Even Lineker is tearing-up.
Updated
England netball win Moment of the Year!
Their last-gasp win Down Under clinches it. Tracey Neville, the coach, says: “We’re just so happy, thank you so much everyone.”
England netball win Team of the Year!
Gold medal winners at the Commonwealth Games, Tracey Neville’s side did remarkably, ousting tournament favourites Australia in their own back yard to record victory in their first ever major final. It was a mightily tight affair, with England eventually prospering 52-51 in the dying seconds. There is an argument Neville, sister of the footballers Gary and Phil Neville, could have taken home the coach of the year too. Victory on the Gold Coast was a catalyst for the whole sport, with 130,000 women and counting taking up netball following their big win. And now they have another.
Updated
Team of the Year time, and here come – hang on a minute – Marc Albrighton and Wes Morgan, part of the title-winning Leicester team, to present the award. The contenders? England football, Ireland rugby union, Celtic, England netball, European Ryder Cup, Manchester City, Mercedes F1, Team Sky.
Tyson Fury is next up on stage, though he is not among those shortlisted for the main award. Re-living that moment when it looked as though he was finished against Deontay Wilder, and bounced back. “Many men would have stayed down after getting knocked down by Deontay Wilder but I wanted to show that you always must continue to keep getting up, fight back, no matter what you are going through, because we need to spread the word on mental health,” Fury says. “If I can do it, a 6ft9in, 18st man, you know, I’m supposed to be a big tough guy. Anyone can do it.”
Updated
A montage of those we have lost in 2018 is played out on the big screen. Among them, Sir Roger Bannister, Maria Bueno, Enzo Calzaghe, Brendan Ingle, Roy Bentley, Carol Mann, Ray Wilson, Eric Bristow, Ray Wilkins, Jimmy Armfield, Cyrille Regis.
Updated
Francesco Molinari wins World Sports Star!
The Italian had a 2018 to remember; it was a year that surpassed his wildest dreams as he won his first major and was instrumental in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory, leading the charge as they thrashed the USA, winning all five of his matches. After soaring up the world rankings thanks to winning the PGA Championship at Wentworth – the European Tour’s flagship event – and his maiden PGA Tour victory, he went on to win the Open at Carnoustie. A rather humbled Molinari beats off competition from Ester Ledecka, Oleksandr Usyk and Simone Biles to win the World Sports Star of the Year award; it has been some 12 months for Mr Molinari.
Updated
Now we have David Ginola, stood in front of a green screen of the Eiffel Tower, bigging up the Ryder Cup in France, while Bruce Springsteen classic Born in the USA belts out behind him. “Merci,” says Lineker, as Molinari, Harrington, Fleetwood and co rock up on stage. Ça plane pour moi time now too. “It’s been an incredible season,” Molinari says. “When you share it with your friends, it makes it extra special.”
Updated
The Unsung Hero of the year goes to ... Kirsty Ewen! A swimming volunteer, Ewen overcame mental health issues to inspire others to do the same and get active. “A teenage me didn’t think I’d make it past my 18th birthday,” she says. “I just want to make it known that there is always hope to hold on to. I just want to thank everybody who has supported and inspired me. I hope I can inspire others.”
The voting is open, but you already know that. A gentle reminder that the Big Six, as such, for the main award this evening are:
• Harry Kane
• Dina Asher-Smith
• Lewis Hamilton
• James Anderson
• Lizzy Yarnold
• Geraint Thomas
Updated
Dina Asher-Smith, another nominee for the big one, is on stage. The 22-year-old is the fastest British woman in the country and enjoyed a sublime year. She became the first British women to win three golds at the same European Championships, winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m events. “I quite like the world rankings the way they are now,” she says. “The reception when I got home from Berlin was what really resonated with me. Go for your dreams, work hard and go for it. Not everything comes at once.”
Updated
Frank Skinner has a quick thank you for Gareth Southgate, who is wearing what looks like an Aston Villa tie. “Thank you so much for the royalties,” he says, earning a big cheesy laugh from the crowd. Southgate is busy giving his acceptance speech but, right on cue, a few Birmingham lads in the crowd are belting out a rendition of “Southgate, you’re the one!” to the tune of that almighty Atomic Kitten number. Southgate, once the lads quieten down, says England won’t rest on their laurels until they’ve gone all the way.
Updated
Gareth Southgate wins Coach of the Year!
Who else, really? The M&S waistcoat was a winner from the off and, even though his team did not crusade to victory in Russia, they won the hearts of millions of once apathetic supporters. A soar in the demand of his services as an after-dinner speaker, a tube stationed was named after him post-World Cup and now the reports of an OBE winging its way to him tell you all you need to know about how Southgate successfully restored the bond between staff, players and fans. And, rather excitingly, he says this is only just the start.
Updated
“If it ever does come home, Lord knows what it will be like,” Lineker admits on stage, introducing the guv’nor, the gaffer Gareth Southgate and the England skipper, Harry Kane. “It was such a whirlwind,” the captain says. “We wanted to do the nation proud, we had that reconnection with the fans and I’m not sure we truly appreciate how mad it was going back here. We heard it was a bit mental.” Southgate adds: “There was a disconnection with the fans for a long period and that was understandable, but great credit to the players. I think people are proud of the way the players represented their country.” Asked if it’s ever going to come home, Kane, naturally says: “Hopefully, there’s a lot to look forward to.”
Updated
It’s coming home! Time for a good-ol-fashioned Fifa World Cup montage. And a rather unique rendition of the Lightning Seeds at the NEC. We have steel drums, a band of dancers, a flurry of trumpets, choirs and oh so much more. And now we have Baddiel and Skinner up on stage. Lovely stuff. “Three Lions on the shirt!” Baddiel is crooning, Birmingham bouncing. No expense spared. For anyone dazed, or puzzled, England didn’t actually win the thing.
Updated
On her fight for equality, Billie Jean King adds: “Everyone who played [tennis] was white. And I asked myself, where is everybody else? At 12, I commited myself to fight for equality and inclusion for all, for the rest of my life. Each of us is an influencer, every single one of us. If you can see it, you can be it.”
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough belts out of the speakers, as Billie Jean King steps up on stage to collect her Lifetime Achievement award. King says: “It means so much to have Sue [Barker] present this to me, a friend, fellow player and a broadcasting legend. Thank you for including me in this historic, historic evening. This part of the world has played a major role in my life and my career. I won my first national championship at the Irish Open in 1963, and I won my final WTA tour title right here in Birmingham in 1983. Next year, I’ll be going to Wimbledon again. It will be my 59th year going; it’s like a second home to me.”
Billie Jean King wins Lifetime Achievement award!
The 75-year-old former world No 1 wins the lifetime award, celebrating a career packed with Grand Slam titles, no fewer than 39 of them. King, undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, won the inaugural singles title of the Open era 50 years ago and jetted into London on Friday. One of her most famous contributions was the “battle of the sexes” match, a game televised in 1973 against Bobby Riggs, which King won in three sets. The match attracted massive attention and was viewed by an estimated 90 million people. Away from the court, she has valiantly fought for equality while, earlier this year, King and her partner Ilana Kloss became minority owners of the LA Dodgers.
Updated
It’s time for the Lifetime Achievement award. Sue Barker will do the honours. “As a youngster, I dreamt of playing professional tennis but that at the time didn’t look possible,” she says. “Then, all of sudden, it changed. And it changed because of one person.”
Updated
The focus turns to Geraint Thomas, the winner of this year’s Tour de France. The Welshman trudges on to the stage – not wearing the yellow jersey, sadly. “I knew you were going to play me crying [in the montage],” he says, smiling. “It’s a bit like at my wedding, without trying to sound all macho I didn’t really think about it then I got to the church and was like, ooh, ‘It’s quite a big deal, this’. Suddenly all of that emotion hit me. It had been my dream since the age of about 10.” What does it mean to be a contender for the big one? “It’s something I have always watched as a kid. It’s like the start of Christmas, isn’t it? It’s an honour.”
Updated
Ooooooh Jimmy, Jimmy! Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Anderson! The England bowler, up for the top award, is up on stage having a chinwag with Gary Lineker. A few of his team-mates are there too; Alastair Cook, Joe Root and co. “When you get to 30 people say you need to start thinking about retiring, but I just want to keep going as long as I can,” Anderson says. “I loved playing sport as a kid, and I’ve been fortunate enough to play it for 15-20 years, and am grateful I’m still playing it.” Asked how many balls he’s bowled in test-match cricket, he estimates over 10,000. The answer? 31,746. “That’s a lot,” says Lineker. “We want to get the Ashes back,” Anderson adds. “Hopefully we can do it next summer.
Updated
It’s dusty in here, isn’t it? Sigur Rós rings round the NEC as the extraordinary Billy Monger is up on stage, collecting the Helen Rollason award. The 19-year-old had both legs amputated following a crash during a Formula 4 race at Donington Park and returned to racing less than a year, in Formula 3, after the accident. Lewis Hamilton presents Monger with the award. Doctors and nurses who helped Monger are also on stage. In his acceptance speech, he pays to tribute to the late Bradley Lowery, whose parents took the award last year. “Quite simply, without these guys I might not be here today,” he says of those on stage. “It’s a real honour to be able to share the stage with them. They saved my life, it’s really quite as simple as that.”
Updated
Harry Kane is the bookies’ favourite to win the top award. Read into that what you will. Geraint Thomas and Lewis Hamilton are next on the list. Kane took home the Golden Boot from the World Cup last summer, though as much as he was captain there is argument to be made that the likes of Jordan Pickford and Harry Maguire exuded more personality, a little more je ne sais quoi. Anyway, Hamilton’s up on stage. The five-time champion says: “The eight-year-old me today would be telling me, hopefully, that he’s proud. As for equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles, he says: “It is honestly not my target. My target is just to grow as a man, and as a competitor.”
Updated
“Why isn’t Jonathan Rea on the Spoty shortlist?” muses Stephen Manlow on email. “He’s won World Superbikes for four years running!” Indeed, Rea came a surprise second to Farah last year. Is there a dash of because he was in the mix last year he cannot be this time? Who knows. There are bound to be an army of Tyson Fury fans who feel he should have been among the six names too.
Time for Lizzy Yarnold, in her own words. “I had intense dizziness, I felt drunk, like I was about to black out,” she says of that run at the Winter Olympics. “My team pushed me to go again. We all dared to dream it was possible. It was the perfect way to say goodbye.” On the stage this evening, she adds: “Even though it looks like a physical game, it’s in many ways a mental game. Luckily, I had people who believed in me even when I didn’t.”
Updated
We have a football montage, ladies and gentleman, glimpses of Manchester City and Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s mammoth Stone Island coat and clips of Sadio Mané finding the net (sound familiar?), Loris Karius’s error against Real Madrid and Gabriel Jesus dinking home to take City to the 100-point mark last season. But why the montage? Lineker explains how the Wild Boars, the Thai youth team that were trapped in a cave in the Chiang Rai province last summer. A few of them are in the building, and the NEC rises to its feet to applaud their bravery.
Mo Farah, last year’s winner, trudges out on to the stage with the trophy. How was it being Sports Personality of the Year, he’s asked. “As an athlete you train your hardest, do what you can and it’s nice to have that big bit of history,” Farah says. He says it’s great to be stood alongside other athletes, peering round at Harry Kane and co, adding: “I’ll be getting a selfie later”. Ah, lovely stuff.
Gary Lineker introduces himself, Clare Balding tells us “sport has that special power to bring us those euphoric highs and lows” and Gabby Logan informs us there will be “laughter and tears”. Are we ready for that? Anyway, here come the six official contenders for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award:
• Harry Kane
• Dina Asher-Smith
• Lewis Hamilton
• James Anderson
• Lizzy Yarnold
• Geraint Thomas
So, how else to kick-off a memorable 12 months of sporting action than Paloma Faith doing a rendition of Aretha Franklin’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T? Birmingham is, er, rocking. Just a little bit, just a little bit ...
It is five minutes until the off in Birmingham, with Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Gary Lineker, of course, helming the BBC’s coverage. We’re expecting plenty of love for England’s road to the World Cup – and a memorable few weeks in Russia. Remember leafy Repino, and Harry Maguire on the unicorn?
Updated
With Lizzy Yarnold in the mix for the top award, how about a trip down memory lane? For our very own Barry Glendenning, that is:
Updated
Last year’s winner, Mo Farah, is among those on the red carpet, posing for photos and stopping for a chat. But while we wait for the nominees for the big one, we already have a shortlist for the World Sport Star of the Year award: Ester Ledecka, Francesco Molinari, Oleksandr Usyk and Simone Biles. Tony Bellew described Usyk, the 31-year-old Ukrainian, as “the greatest fighter I have ever shared a ring with, you are a great champion, you beat me fair and square” after a bout, in which the boxer retained his belts and reaffirmed his status as one of the best on the planet.
Updated
The runners and riders for the main award have not been formally announced, but the bookies’ favourites for the top gong are:
• Harry Kane
• Geraint Thomas
• Lewis Hamilton
• Tyson Fury
• Dina Asher-Smith
• Lizzy Yarnold
• Ronnie O’Sullivan
• Alastair Cook
Updated
Some essential, and fun, pre-awards reading:
Preamble
As the year draws to a close, the red carpet is out as we get ready to indulge in a brilliant 12 months of sport. England made great strides at the World Cup in Russia last summer, while there were British triumphs at the Tour de France and F1, courtesy of Geraint Thomas and Lewis Hamilton respectively. On top of that, there was the return of Tyson Fury and Ronnie O’Sullivan doesn’t need a major comeback, he just keeps on winning things. Unlike other years, the BBC have kept us all on tenterhooks for this 65th sports review, not revealing the nominations until this evening at the NEC, so there could be a few left-field contenders. Jimmy Anderson, Dina Asher-Smith and Lizzy Yarnold could also be in with a shout. Best of all, we’re in for a real treat: The Lightning Seeds are doing a rendition of Three Lions, a nod to a special summer for England’s football team. Meanwhile, one award we do already know the British racing driver Billy Monger has in the bag is the Helen Rollason award. The 19-year-old had both legs amputated following a crash during a Formula 4 race at Donington Park and returned to racing less than a year after the accident. The top five gongs at the up for grabs are:
• Sports Personality of the Year
• Greatest Sporting Moment
• World Sports Star
• Team of the Year
• Coach of the Year
Updated
