Who is Your Favourite to Win Sports Personality of the Year?
Does Andy Murray’s US Open Win Eclipse the Achievements of Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and David Weir?
I think we can all safely agree that this summer has been solely about sport. From Bradley Wiggins' stunning achievement in winning the Tour de France, to Andy Murray claiming the US Open crown, we have celebrated success like never before.
Sandwiched in between these two momentous occasions we had the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. It was a summer-long party that brought people together and even made the commute in to work seem more pleasant.
We got behind our athletes like never before and celebrated as a nation as Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Sir Chris Hoy cemented their place in sporting history.
The only problem; just who deserves to win the title of Sports Personality of the Year? Let's face it, we're not used to this amount of success.
Fifteen years ago the prize went to Greg Rusedski solely for his gallant effort in losing in the US Open Final. In 2001 it went to David Beckham for his goal against Greece which meant England went to the 2002 World Cup and three years ago Ryan Giggs claimed the award for doing what he done 10 times previously - winning the Premier League title.
Here we take a look at the five favourites to win the award.
Bradley Wiggins: odds 5/4 [oddschecker]
The first ever Briton to win the Tour de France, Wiggins first gained the yellow jersey after stage seven and refused to let it go as he finished ahead of fellow Brit and Team Sky member Chris Froome. Not happy with simply writing his name in cycling folklore, Wiggins would compete in the time trial at a home Olympic Games and attempt to add to his haul of six medals won from 2000 to 2008. Gold was delivered and the real celebrations begun as Wiggins went on a bender that rivalled Freddie Flintoff after England's Ashes victory in 2005.
Andy Murray: odds 5/2
There is nothing the British public loves more than a heroic loser. Murray was exactly that man until last night when, at the fifth time of asking, he won his first Grand Slam. In doing so he became the first British male winner in 76 years and proved that he does have the mental toughness to win a Slam. This also came in a season were he made the final of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, before crushing Roger Federer to win gold at the Olympics. Not to mention his silver medal in the doubles with Laura Robson. That is some nine months.
Mo Farah: odds 3/1
Farah is not just one of the favourites because of his stunning achievement in winning double Olympic gold in the 5000m and 10,000m, but he is one of the most likeable and genuine athletes around. His 'Mobot' celebration was endorsed by the nation and his celebrations with wife and daughter will live long in the memory. His drive and raw power sent millions of viewers screaming at the TV screen as he held off all challengers to cross the line with a look of sheer disbelief.
Jess Ennis: odds 12/1
The golden girl of British athletics and now a gold medal winner at a home Olympics. This really was a special year for Ennis. The Sheffield resident was viewed as a potential champion and she delivered in some style. From her demolition of the 100m hurdle , to throwing a personal best in the javelin, Ennis refused to be stopped. With victory assured she simply needed to finish the 800m, instead she chose to power to gold as she smashed the field with a points total of 6995.
David Weir: odds 25/1
Imagine David Rudisha attempting to win the marathon. It would be unthinkable for an 800m runner to be able to compete over the 26.2mile distance, yet this is exactly what David Weir chose to do. Not only did he compete in these two events, but he threw in the 1500m and the 5000m for good measure. The wheelchair racer had a gruelling schedule which saw him race a total distance of 35.3 miles over the two weeks. Over every distance he was simply unstoppable as he claimed four gold medals to rival Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson as the greatest wheelchair racer this country has ever produced.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.