BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015

It is that time of year again for the nominees for this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year, following the low point of 2011 when not a single female British sports person made the short list there are four on this year's shortlist, only one less than the Olympic year (when there were 12 nominees) but the most in the now traditional 10 person shortlist.

So who are they:

Gareth Bale the Welsh international, had a successful first season for Real Madrid which saw him scoring the winning goal in the Copa del Rey, the second of his team's four goals in the Champions League final in the first city derby final, the first time a Welshman had scored in that match. At the start of this season he helped his team lift their third trophy in his time with his team when his assist led to to Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in their 2-0 win the UEFA Super Cup. The last footballer to win was Ryan Giggs in 2009 the sport has five wins.

Charlotte Dujardain of "dancing horses" fame, didn't get nominated in 2012 despite her double gold and Olympic record performances on Valegro. She followed this up with double gold in Individual and Spécial Dressage in last year's European Championships, but this year became the first British Equestrian to hold Olympic, European and World Titles simultaneously when she and Valegro again combined for the double of Individual and Special Dressage. The last equestrian (not racing) to win was Zara Philips in 2006 Olympic Equestrian events have three wins none in dressage.

Carl Froch in boxing since 2006 with exception of 2 periods that total about 12 months has held one of other of the world titles at Super-Middleweight. However, despite those years of success this is the first time that he has been nominated for SPoTY, other boxers of course have been nominated in a sport that we have a good history of. The last boxer to win was Joe Calzaghe in 2007 the sport has five wins.

Kelly Gallagher is the visually impaired Paralympian skier who took Great Britain's first ever Winter Paralympic gold medal along with her guide Charlotte Evans in the Women's Super-G. She comes from my home town of Bangor. No Paralympian has ever won SPoTY, the nearest any have come is Tanni Grey-Thompson who was third in 2000. No skier has ever won, the last Winter Sports win was in 1984 for Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean.

Lewis Hamilton has twice stood on the second step of the SPoTY podium on his debut season in F1 matching his position in the drivers' championship that year. The following year when he won the championship he again came 2nd in SPoTY. This year marks his second F1 title during which he took 11 wins making him the most successful British winner with 33 wins in total, which included two runs of five and four consecutive wins. The last Formula 1 driver to win was Damon Hill in 1996 the sport has six winners.

Rory McIllroy makes it two for residents of North Down in the top 10 this year. Rory secured back to back golfing majors when he picked up the Open and PGA Championship. By lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool he became only the second player in Open history to lift the silver medal for low amateur and then the main prize. In so doing he became the first European to win three of the four majors, and joins only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in doing so before the age of 25. In between the two majors he also picked up his first World Golf Championship event and return to world number one. The last golfer to win was Nick Faldo in 1989 the sport has two winners.

Jo Pavey proved that motherhood and age are no barrier to being a successful athlete. Ten months after giving birth to her second child and just over a month shy of her 41st birthday she became the oldest woman to win a European Athletics title in the 10,000m, going one place better in Zurich that 2 years earlier in Helsinki. She had earlier in the month taken bronze in the Commonwealth Games 5,000m. The last athlete to win was Kelly Holmes in 2004 the sport is the most successful in SPoTY history with 17 wins.

Adam Peaty is the new golden boy of British swimming. First he took gold in 100m breastroke and 4x100m medley, and silver in 50m breaststoke at the Commonwealth Games (both wins in Games Records). Within 10 days he was in Berlin at the European Championships taken four golds in the three disciplines from the commonwealth plus the 4x100 mixed medley. He also secured two world records in the 50m and the mixed relay with Jemma Lowe, Chris walker-Hebborn and Fran Halsall. The last swimmer to win was Anita Lonsborough in 1962 the sport has two winners.

Max Whitlock the gymnast kicked off a very successful year at the European Championship with Pommel Gold and Team Silver. Before taking five medals at the Commonwealth Games All Around, Team and Floor Gold, Pommel Silver and Parallel Bars Bronze. But in qualification at the world in Nanjing he seemed to have failed, not qualifying for any apparatus finals, nor the individual. But after the team competition Nile Wilson had to withdrawal from the all-around. Max who was third in the GB team qualifying stepped up putting his poor qualification behind him, performed well on all six pieces to take silver behind the five time world champion Kohei Uchimura. No Gymnast have ever won the closest was Beth Tweddle coming third in 2006.

Lizzy Yarnold is a women who throws herself literally head first into her sport. For she is the most successful female winter Olympian in what is fast becoming GBs most successful Winter Olympic Sport. For the fourth games in a row the female skeleton team have medalled and for the second time in a row it is gold. Lizzy entered Sochi as favourite having secured the Skeleton World Cup Title winning four of the eight races. No Skeleton racer has ever won and the last Winter Sports winners were Torville and Dean in 1984.

Royal Mail golden stamps 21 #London2012

It was down to the last day of competition, GB Paralympics weren't going to give the Royal Mail any break in producing stamps.

There were only two chances of GB athletes taking medals on this last day both of them over 26 miles and 385 yards. First away were the men's T54 marathon and GB's hope had already won gold in the 800m 1500m and 5000m. But David Weir was in the lead group all the way and once again was ready when the race came around the Victoria Monument for a final push up The Mall pulling away from Marcel Hug SWI and Kurt Fearnley AUS to make if the full four golds.

 Next up was Shelly Woods who finished in a group of four. But didn't manage to add to the golds but did come away with a silver.

So GB end the Games with 34 Golds 43 Silver and 43 Gold medals for 120 in total.

All that is left is the Rugby and seven-a-side football medal matches then the closing ceremony will bring to a close a marvelous summer of sport.

So sport by sport in the Paralympics GB won

Archery 1 gold, 1 silver
Athletics 11 gold 7 silver 11 bronze
Boccia 1 solver 1 bronze
Cycling 8 gold 9 silver 5 bronze
Equestrian 5 gold 5 silver 1 bronze
Football 5-a-side 5th
Football 7-a-side 7th
Goalball women made the quarter-final
Judo 1 silver 1 bronze
Powerlifting 1 bronze
Rowing 1 gold
Sailing 1 gold 1 bronze
Shooting 1 silver 2 bronze
Sitting volleyball neither team progressed on their debut
Swimming 7 gold  16 silver 16 bronze
Table Tennis 1 silver 3 bronze
Wheelchair basketball 4th
Wheelchair fencing best of 8th in the men's team foil
Wheelchair rugby 5th
Wheelchair tennis 1 silver 1 bronze

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 19 #London2012

Targets reached for the team, but there is no stopping them. There were yet more medals but only one of them gold today for Paralympics GB meaning more for the Royal Mail to do to keep producing those stamps but a light day.

Early on today was an gold in the morning session in the F51/52/53 women's discus. Josie Pearson threw a F51 world Record of 6.58m in the third round; her third of the competition. She didn't throw any further in the final three rounds but she didn't need to securing GB's 32nd gold. As it was a mixed classification event it was decided on points not distance, but none of the other categories broke their world record even once so gold was coming to team GB

It wasn't the only UK athlete to win gold today. Jason Smyth from Eglington, Derry won his second gold of the Games defending his T13 200m title for Ireland and smashing the world record in the process. His time of 21.05secs for someone who is partially sighted is impressive, he was 0.9 seconds clear of silver medalist Labzin from Russia.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 18 #London2012

Paralympics GB finished yesterday with more silver medals than Beijing and the same number of bronzes. With 25 golds, only 2 more yesterday, so far they are 17 down on what they achieved then, but within striking distance of the Olympians. Today was to be no exception in continuing the Gold Rush though meaning more Royal Mail stamps.

First up down at Weymouth there wasn't enough wind to be able to compete in the medal races, however it didn't prevent GB's first ever medals in Paralympic sailing and one of those was gold. Helena Lucas may have been the only woman in the 2.4mR class fleet but after yesterday's race she was guaranteed at least silver with her lead over Germany's Heiko Kroger. A gold post box will appear in Portland.

Then there was hiStorey being made over at Brands Hatch. Yeah that women Sarah Storey won her fourth gold of these Games in the C4-5 women's road race. She was in a lone breakaway and finished 7 mins 22 secs ahead of the rest of the field: she actually caught the men's C1-3 peleton that was 2 minutes up the road. As a result she has equaled Tanni Grey-Thompson as the female GB Paralympian with the most gold medals they both now have 11. Also level with fellow 'swimmer' David Roberts with his 11 golds. Will there be more at Rio to add to Storey's 20 year career in the pool and on the bike.

For the record Storey has 11 gold 7 silver and 3 bronze to Grey-Thompson's and Robert's both with 11 G, 4 S, 1 B. Only Mike Kenny has more golds 16 plus 2 silvers. She also is the British athlete on the most gold medal stamps....so far.

Next in the Aquatic Centre 15 year-old Josef Craig took three seconds off his own world record in the Men's S7 400m freestyle which he took off fellow Brit Jonathan Fox in qualifying this morning, who this time finished outside the medals. He took the lead at 150m and never looked like getting caught from there. He won in 4:42.81 and was the baby on the men's swimming team.

Then it was over to the Olympic Stadium where the 29th Gold matching the Olympians and 104th medal surpassing Beijing came in one 32 seconds of explosion. Hannah Cockcroft beat her own Paralympic Record set in the heats to win the sprint double in 31.90secs and 2.26 seconds ahead of the rest in the women's T34 200m. Her second gold medal winning push will see a second golden post box.

But things were not over in the stadium just yet. Within an hour Dave Weir was up for the third and final of his track finals in these Games; the T54 men's 800m. He sat in second from the break until coming off the last bend into the home straight as he pulled away to make it three in London 2012.

In the very next race the men's T44 100m Jonnie Peacock beat Oscar Pistorius, Alan Olivera and others to be the fastest man on one leg. The crowd were roaring 'Peacock, Peacock' before the start which caused Jonnie himself to ask them for silence. He ran away to the line in 10.90seconds. 

Three days to go but already surpassed the number of medals from Beijing and the target set by Paralympics GB. Also more Gold medal stamps for the Paralympians than the Olympians.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 16 #London2012

It is another day at the Paralympics and the golds just keep on coming to keep the Royal Mail stamp designers busy.

The first gold of the day took the total for the Paralympic Games to 20, or two bullseyes for the winner of number 20. It wasn't a tense matter of would Britain win gold in the compound archery final at the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich, but which one would win gold. Defending champion Dani Brown was up against Mel Clarke. It came down to the last arrow with Clarke needing a 10 to wrest the title from her British team mate, but she shot a seven her worst of the final to leave Brown as the champion once more. It is still an improvement for Clarke who took bronze in Beijing. She'll get her gold post box in Lothersdale, Yorkshire.

The Lancastrians didn't have to wait long for a bit of roses balance. The next gold was over to the pool in the women's 100m backstroke S8 where Heather Frederiksen (a bit of a Becky Adlington lookalike) took gold in 1:17.00, ahead of hotly tipped American Jessica Long. It was a defense of the title she won in Beijing, though in the other three events she medaled at in Beijing, Long had won gold. Frederiksen had been an able bodied swimmer before an accident in an open water event caused her a nervous disorder. She'll bring a gold post box to Leigh.

Where else would the next one come from but over at Greenwich Park in the Dressage and Sophie Christiansen in Grade 1A became a triple gold medalist with her freestyle dressage. Another gold post box for Sophie heading to Maidenhead.

Then in the Olympic Stadium David Weir stepped up for the second of his gold medals in the men's 1500m T54. He played in very well strategically, always sitting in the top three but ready to take it on from the bell and from that point he was never headed.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 14 #London2012

It may the Sunday in the middle of the Paralympics, but just like their Olympic counterparts the Paralympians were not giving the Royal Mail stamp designers a day of rest.

Over at Eton Dorney there was the first gold of the day. The Mixed Coxed Four LTAMix4+ of Pam Relph, Naomi Riches, David Smith and James Roe and cox Lily van den Broecke took the gold to add to their world championship. Gold post boxes will appear in Weston Turville (for Pam), Marlow (Naomi), Stratford upon Avon (James), Aviemore (David) and Oxford (Lily).

Over in the Olympic Stadium there was a young 21 year-old going for his second medal of these games in his preferred event. Aled Davies in the Discus F42 threw 46.16m in the final round after already a guaranteed gold to add to his bronze in the shot putt. So there will be a gold post box in Bridgend for the Welsh thrower. His medal was presented to him by the future Princess of Wales, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.

Then it was over to the velodrome where there chances in all three events on the final day. In an all British final in the men's tandem sprint saw Anthony Kappes and his pilot Craig MacLean take the first race. They then took the banking round and jumped with over a lap and half to go than Neil Fachie and pilot Barney Storey had to settle for only silver today and had sat up before the bell.

Next up the gold rush headed into the Aquatic Center in the women's 200m Freestyle S14 Jessica-Jane Applegate was only 4th at the half way stage and third at 150, but in the final 50 metres she came through to  touch out with a win by 0.55 secs.

At Greenwich Park Sophie Christiansen onboard Janeiro 6, surely a horse named for four years time scored 82.7% in Grade 1A Dressage.

 

Sophie's win along with Natasha Baker in her class yesterday and the three silver in the other classes also ensured that Team GB yet again took the team gold. So Lee Pearson wins his 10th with Sophie Wells and Debbie Criddle also forming part of the team. Gold has been the exclusive domain of the GB equestrian team since Dressage was introduced to the Paralympics in 1996.

Finally back on the track in the last race of the night it was time for another GB Paralympics poster boy to follow in the footsteps of Mo Farrah and take men's T54 5000m gold. Dave Weir did not disappoint coming into the back straight of the last lap he was starting to come up on the rear wheel of the leading Korean and then with 200m to go he went on the attack and surged away in the last 100m to win with a gap between his rear wheel and the chair behind. So a gold post box for Wallington, Surrey.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 13 #London2012

Day three and the GB Paralympic gold rush continues so too do the stamps, though not until Monday. It really was a Superhuman Saturday

First up in the velodrome there was success in the men's B 1km for Neil Fachie and his sighted pilot Barney Storey (yes keeping the gold rush in the family is Sarah Storey's husband). Neil gets a gold post box in Aberdeen and Barney as well as getting a gold medal (a first for the pilot riders) gets a gold post box in Disley, Chesire.

The track produced our next medal with our very own homegrown bladerunner Richard Whitehead in men's T42 200m. Richard is a marathon runner normally, but there is no event over that distance for his class. So not wanting to have the opportunity to compete before a home ground stolen for him he asked the IPC what he had to do, they said run the 200m, so he did and broke his own world record to win in 24.38. He certainly did have to steal away his medal as his gold post box will appear in Robin Hood country in Nottingham.

Greenwich Park saw a continuation of gold in the dressage ring from the Olympics. However, not in the form of Lee Pearson who only managed to add silver to his 9 golds so far. But Natasha Baker in Grade II took a first equestrian gold for GB Paralympics. Uxbridge, home of Brunel University (not Abraham Lincoln University my American friends cf Olympic Opening Ceremony) will be the location of her gold post box.

The gold kept on coming not just in the velodrome, but also in the Storey household. Yeah Sarah was back to her winning best in the women's 500m time trial C5. So if Disley can manage a third post box to be painted gold they will all be due to the Storeys. Sarah isn't finished yet as she will be looking for more on the road at Brands Hatch.

In the pool the whole debate about whether Victoria Arlen was in the wrong category as for the first 300m she was racing just ahead of Ellie Simmonds in the women's S6 400m freestyle. In the last hundred Ellie made her move and smashed the world record by 5 seconds 5:19.17, Arlen whose record it was also smashed it just 1.01 seconds down in silver. So Ellie not only just gets her face staring down from bill boards but her own gold post box in Aldridge, Walsall.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 12 #London2012

Sorry for not doing this yesterday on the second day of the Paralympics but I was seeing Games Makers, the Paralympic Agitos hanging from Tower Bridge and watched some of the coverage on the big screen at Potters Field next to City Hall after I had a job interview.

So day two saw two more golds.

First up was the first Paralympic stamp for Wales and a gold post box in for Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent because of Mark Colbourne's win in the men's C1 individual pursuit.

The athletics started in the Olympic Stadium and there was gold from the start with Hannah Cockcroft finishing 10m clear of the field in a new paralympic record of 18.06 secs. Halifax will get a gold post box to celebrate the winner of the women's T34 100m. (Is there still any gold paint left in Yorkshire?)

Don't go looking for their stamps yet though as they are not being released until 3 September, i.e. Monday.

USA making history for all the wrong reasons #London2012

So all three Jamaicans are into the final of the men's 200m.

Wallace Spearmon - but is he unique?

But there is something amiss. From the USA only Wallace Spearmon will line up alongside them.

So I decided to look up the record books to find out if this had ever happened before, I will of course ignore 1980 which the USA boycotted. Firstly before 1960 there were only six lanes on the bend of the tracks, but even then we go back many years still searching for such an event.

The music that plays before each medal ceremony is a clue as to who the last American to be the sole representative in the 200m final, but not it was not 1924. It was however, 4 years later and the man in question was Jackson Scholz . Although as Charlie Paddock and Henry Cumming both of the USA were fourth and the next fastest losers in the semi finals it isn't really as poor a show.

So I'm now wondering if in any of six games that the event has been run were there less and one American in the top 8?

Jackson Scholz (number 566) last time sole American in 200m final

Not in 1924 where a certain Eric Liddell's bronze, behind Scholz and Paddock prevented them taking the top four places and a certain Harold Abrahams was the sixth man in the final.

Nor in 1920 when Paddock was again stuck in silver behind team mate Allen Woodring with another in fourth with Great Britain again denying the clean sweep. So we have to look pre-Great War.

In 1912 the top three were again USA, USA, Great Britain with two more Americans in the final.

1908 there were only 4 lanes but the USA still managed half the finalists and two of the medals though Canada took gold in the first London Games. 1904 in St Louis they had all four finalists and in 1900 there were two of the four finalists again from the USA.

Therefore on a equal basis the USA have never failed to get at least two men into the top 8 of the 200m in history! Only once before in 1928 have they failed to get two men into the final.

So Maurice Mitchell posting the only the eighth fastest loser time (outside the top two in the three semis) and Isiah Young posting the slowest of the 23 men who finished have set a little bit of USA Olympic history that nobody was expecting.

Doctor, Doctor I'm too ill to run #London2012

Well here is a note for the IOC and rest....

Except Taoufik Makhoufi of Algeria did not rest for very long as his doctor's note to cover his failure to run more than 200m of the 800m heats yesterday.

Makhoufi well clear and heading for gold

Yet this evening he not only lined up in the 1500m final, but he zoomed down the last back straight was so far in the lead off the last bend that there was no way to catch him.

As I said yesterday he was being punished because of an impossible schedule double up and his national association had entered himn in both, maybe as a back up, but failed to withdraw him from one when it was clear he had done enough in the 1500m.

Of course he wasn't ill. He could not have run the last 400m of that race the way he ended up doing if he were ill. But justice was done and the winner of one of the semi finals was there in the final and came through to win.

Maybe the IAAF should look at the schedule for Rio and ensure that this historic double up is still possible. The semi finals for the 800m had taken place less than an hour before the 1500m was won by Makhoufi.

Athlete excluded from one final of amost impossible double #London2012

I have no idea why the first round of the men's 800m is taking place today between the men's 1500m semi finals and the final. Historically to allow doubling up one of these two events have been completed before the other began. But this rather bizarre scheduling has claimed a victim.

The easy winner of the first semi final yesterday Algeria's Taoufik Makhoufi lined up today in the heat five of the 800m. When the runners entered the back straight he was already far behind and by the end of that straight he had stepped off the track.

But he has been excluded from the Games and all future participation in these Games just like the badminton players in the women's doubles. His offense is the same of not trying hard enough. His federation had failed to withdraw him ahead of yesterday's deadline. His federation may be regretting the pride with which he showed of his nation's name on his running vest last night after qualifying for tomorrow's night final which is actually in the same session as the 800m semi finals.

My personal opinion is that the IAAF have made the middle distance races an impossible schedule for anyone who wishes to double it. Sadly rather than getting around the 800m one of the athletes that was entered for an almost impossible schedule decided to take matters into his own hands which has cost him that final he did try for.

Update he has been reinstated.

1500 and the Hero Within

Yesterday I realised I had published the 1500th entry on this blog (it didn't seem that long ago since the millennium). 1500 was quite a significant number in my formative years.

I was never a sprinter when I was growing up, even at the age of 11 I was far better suited to the race around the circumference of my Primary School appox. 400m to the 50m sprint up the track. Sadly with a 5 metre lead in the qualifying I looked over my shoulder at the wrong point and twisted my ankle in a hole.

However, I'm digressing slightly as it was 1500 which for most of my secondary school career was the longest event on the menu. Of course in the 80s there was a great deal of British interest in the event there was Ovett v Coe in 1980 at Moscow, Coe v Ovett with minor role for Cram in LA in 1984. Then just as I finished my A levels shock of shock, Coe was omitted from the event for Seoul.

Coe had gone to Loughborough to study Economics and Social History. I applied to Loughborough as my first choice to study Economics and Accountancy. Who as an aspiring sportsman doesn't apply to the best equipped sporting university in the country. A reputation enhanced by its fastest ever graduate over the metric and imperial mile. Coe of course later did a masters in sports science at the University.

Coe of course then got involved on retirement from running in the politics of the sport, and eventually the politics of the country, although for the 'wrong' party. So he inspired me run maybe in more ways than one. After all as in sport there was an Ovett to shadow Coe why not in politics to.

Of course my athletics career eventually doubled the distance and put barriers in the way. Maybe the same is true of my political career trying to break through the allusion of two party politics. But Seb Coe was a childhood hero and apart from the party affiliation and some policy judgements still is.

Chambers Knew the Law

In 1992 I still held some hope of getting fit again to possibly challenge for Olympic selection. That was also the year that the British Olympic Association passed their eligibility bye-law which renders any athlete found guilty of a doping offence, from that date on, ineligible for selection to the Team GB.

Dwain Chambers in 1992 was 14 and therefore was yet to consider just how close he may have been to senior, never mind Olympic selection for his country. Therefore throughout his entire senior career he knew that the bye-law he is challenging in court this week was in place. Even when he was taking performance enhancing drugs he was aware that if found out his eligibility would be taken away.

Over the weekend we held the 2008 Olympic trials and chambers won the 100m in 10 seconds flat. A less than 3 years after he was banned by the IAAF. Sue Barkers two sparring partners Colin Jackson and Jonathan Edwards had their own opinions on the ban and these weeks inevitable court case after Dwain's success. Colin was of the opinion that the bye-law was clearly known by all including Chambers. It wasn't protested before by anyone who might be affected and then only rarely by those who have been affect. David Millar accepted his fate and knew he would never be able to pull on an Olympic vest again. Millar, the cyclist, was far more voluntarily forthright about drugs than Chambers was who almost at the last minute helped with further enquiries when he saw it as a a way to possibly sway a judgement in his favour.

Edwards on the other hand argued the case for a redemptive second chance, but only with a condition that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the other international bodies came down harder themselves of offenders. He argued for a 4 or 5 year initial ban, which as he pointed out would act as far more of a deterrent than the current 2. It would show that the world of sport really wanted to get clean. Then after that period if the athlete still wanted to compete, and was still good enough to qualify there should be nothing in their way to prevent it.

Despite all the drugs-free toil I went through I would have to agree with Edwards. A longer initial ban would act as an initial deterrent. It would also make it harder for someone caught cheating to maintain their level of fitness for the period of the ban to get back. They really would have to be determined to come out fighting. However, it would give a chance for the truly repentant people like David Millar to have a chance to make amends, I can see him still racing in 2012 and possibly up for being part of the GB team in London. He is an example of user turned advocate against in the best sense, I'd rather see Millar given a second chance than the chancer Chambers.