Sports Personality of the year 2020

[JoshBRFC+]

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Stuart Broad, Hollie Doyle, Lewis Hamilton, Jordan Henderson, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Tyson Fury. 

Public to vote for winner during BBC One show on Sunday, 20 December.

More by clicking here..

 

*****Marcus Rashford to be given a special award on the same evening. ************
 

 

BBC’s Director of Sport Barbara Slater said of this year’s awards: “As we know, it has been a strange and unprecedented year, but we have still been fortunate enough to see plenty of sporting highlights which we look forward to honouring on the night.

“The 67th BBC Sports Personality of the Year award promises to be another exciting and tough choice for audiences.”

Votes can be cast by phone or online on the evening of Sunday 20 December.

The prestigious award has been running since 1954. Here are the former winners:

1954 Sir Chris Chataway

1955 Gordon Pirie

1956 Jim Laker

1957 Dai Rees

1958 Ian Black

1959 John Surtees

1960 David Broome

1961 Sir Stirling Moss

1962 Anita Lonsbrough

1963 Dorothy Hyman

1964 Mary Rand

1965 Tommy Simpson

1966 Bobby Moore

1967 Sir Henry Cooper

1968 David Hemery

1969 Ann Jones

1970 Sir Henry Cooper

1971 HRH Princess Anne

1972 Dame Mary Peters

1973 Sir Jackie Stewart

1974 Brendan Foster

1975 David Steele

1976 John Curry

1977 Virginia Wade

1978 Steve Ovett

1979 Lord Sebastian Coe

1980 Robin Cousins

1981 Sir Ian Botham

1982 Daley Thompson

1983 Steve Cram

1984 Torvill and Dean

1985 Barry McGuigan

1986 Nigel Mansell

1987 Fatima Whitbread

1988 Steve Davis

1989 Sir Nick Faldo

1990 Paul Gascoigne

1991 Liz McColgan

1992 Nigel Mansell

1993 Linford Christie

1994 Damon Hill

1995 Jonathan Edwards

1996 Damon Hill

1997 Greg Rusedski

1998 Michael Owen

1999 Lennox Lewis

2000 Sir Steve Redgrave

2001 David Beckham

2002 Paula Radcliffe

2003 Jonny Wilkinson

2004 Dame Kelly Holmes

2005 Andrew Flintoff

2006 Zara Phillips

2007 Joe Calzaghe

2008 Sir Chris Hoy

2009 Ryan Giggs

2010 AP McCoy

2011 Mark Cavendish

2012 Sir Bradley Wiggins

2013 Andy Murray

2014 Lewis Hamilton

2015 Andy Murray

2016 Andy Murray

2017 Mo Farah

2018 Geraint Thomas

2019 Ben Stokes

[JoshBRFC+]

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the man to win it for me, and he will be getting my vote. 

Really pleased he’s finally on there and has been nominated.

The man is without doubt one of the most naturally talented sportsmen this country has ever produced.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan is on the shortlist of nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award for the first time in his career.

The shortlist is announced today and O’Sullivan has been named as one of six nominees, alongside Lewis Hamilton, Stuart Broad, Jordan Henderson, Hollie Doyle and one more yet to be named.         

O’Sullivan’s brilliance on the table and charisma have made him a fans’ favourite across the globe

O’Sullivan won the World Championship for the sixth time earlier this year, beating Kyren Wilson 18-8 in the Crucible final. That reinforced his status as snooker’s greatest ever player, having won a record 37 ranking titles and 20 Triple Crown events. He also holds the records for the most century breaks, with 1,070, and most 147s with 15.

O’Sullivan won his first ranking title at the age of just 17 at the 1993 UK Championship, and 27 years later he is still a regular winner of tournaments and ranked second in the world. At 44, he is the oldest World Champion since Ray Reardon in 1978.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year will be televised on BBC One on the evening of Sunday December 20th and the winner will be named on the night after a public vote.

It’s the first time a snooker player has been in the mix for the main award since Stephen Hendry in 1990. The only snooker player to win it was Steve Davis in 1988.

 

WST Chairman Barry Hearn said: “This is fully deserved for snooker’s greatest ever player and one of the most talented British sportsmen of all time. His nomination is well overdue so I am delighted that he is finally on the shortlist. Ronnie’s popularity among fans has helped us to grow snooker around the world. I hope he wins the award and that anyone who loves sport will vote for him based on his incredible achievements over the years.”

 

[nudge+]

Surely has to be Lewis?

[JoshBRFC+]

11 minutes ago, nudge said:

Surely has to be Lewis?

Yeah he’s an odds on favourite. He won it in 2014 and will probably be in the running next year or the year after also.

I like Lewis and he would be deserving of the award for a second time, but I want Ronnie to win it over anyone.

[nudge+]

9 minutes ago, JoshBRFC said:

Yeah he’s an odds on favourite. He won it in 2014 and will probably be in the running next year or the year after also.

I like Lewis and he would be deserving of the award for a second time, but I want Ronnie to win it over anyone.

I didn't like his recent comments regarding Hamilton, thought that was in poor taste... So for that alone I hope it goes to Lewis  

[Stan]

It has to be Lewis Hamilton 100%.

 

I'm presuming Marcus Rashford is winning a separate award if he's not even been nominated for this!?

[CaaC (John)+]

27 minutes ago, nudge said:

Surely has to be Lewis?

Ditto  and be knighted to boot...oh, and a pound to a penny BBC Sports Personality of the year, "Rise Sir Hamilton..."

I don't like Ronnies attitude to snooker and the "I could not give two shits if I win or lose..." when you remember the likes of Hendry, Davis and Parrot to name a few bled for the sport and always went out there to win, I can remember Steve Davis face when he lost to Dennis Taylor on the last black, a face that could melt an iceberg, but he continued on as a winner for the love of the sport. 

 

[JoshBRFC+]

13 minutes ago, nudge said:

I didn't like his recent comments regarding Hamilton, thought that was in poor taste... So for that alone I hope it goes to Lewis  

Who'd have thought i'd be disagreeing with someone on this forum who wants Lewis to win an individual award. 

Yeah, i disagreed with Ronnie's comments about Lewis not being one of Sports greats. But untill i see a vide of him explaining himself, i'd like to think they were taken out of contect by our scummy media.

[JoshBRFC+]

1 minute ago, CaaC (John) said:

Ditto  and be knighted to boot...oh, and a pound to a penny BBC Sports Personality of the year, "Rise Sir Hamilton..."

I don't like Ronnies attitude to snooker and the "I could not give two shits if I win or lose..." when you remember the likes of Hendry, Davis and Parrot to name a few bled for the sport and always went out there to win,  

That's not true, he's a tormented genius and says some idiotic things at times. But if i had been in the public eye since before i had sex and my dad was in jail for murder... i think i'd make a mistake or 100 along the way. 

He does give plenty of shits if he wins or loses, the proof is in his relevance to the game over the last 30 years.

He's had longer at the top of the sport than anyone in history.  That does not happen if you do not "give a shit" about the game.

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I can remember Steve Davis face when he lost to Dennis Taylor on the last black, a face that could melt an iceberg, but he continued on as a winner for the love of the sport.

What do you mean? Ronnie has lost countless finals over the years and is still at the top of his game 27 years after he won his first ranking title at the age of 17.  

Stephen Hendry retired when he lost his touch and the going got tough. Ronnie has had years of mediocrity by his own high standards throughout his career. Yet at 45 he is still the number 2 ranked player in the world. 

You don't do that for decades if you don't love what you do.

[JoshBRFC+]

12 minutes ago, Stan said:

It has to be Lewis Hamilton 100%.

 

I'm presuming Marcus Rashford is winning a separate award if he's not even been nominated for this!?

Yes, it's been confirmed he's going to receive a special award.

And fully deserved. What a man. 

[CaaC (John)+]

My opinion only buddy and others may differ, once upon a time me and the wife could sit down and watch a good snooker match and even sit up until the early hours.

Watching the likes of Hendry, Davis, Hurrican Higgins, Whirlwind Jimmy White, Parrot etc, not nowadays I am afraid, snooker to me and the wife have gone right off the boil.

[JoshBRFC+]

Just now, CaaC (John) said:

My opinion only buddy and others may differ, once upon a time me and the wife could sit down and watch a good snooker match and even sit up until the early hours.

Watching the likes of Hendry, Davis, Hurrican Higgins, Whirlwind Jimmy White, Parrot etc, not nowadays I am afraid, snooker to me and the wife have gone right off the boil.

Crazy how big it was in that era! 

1990 was the last time a snooker player was nominated for this award when Gazza won it.

Steve Davis won the award in 1988.

[CaaC (John)+]

18 minutes ago, JoshBRFC said:

Crazy how big it was in that era! 

The same as Darts, all sitting at a table waiting for their turns at the Oke or the table (snooker) smoking, drinking lager or whatnot, laughing and joking, god, how times change.

  

[JoshBRFC+]

Anyway, it's not just about what i want.

Here's the info on all of the nominees. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/sports-personality/55043358

 

Hollie Doyle

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Hollie Doyle beat her own record for wins by a British female jockey

Jockey Hollie Doyle has been named the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

Doyle, 24, broke her own record for the number of winners ridden by a British woman in a year, with 120 victories despite a shortened season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

She also became the first woman to ride five winners on the same card at Windsor - at odds of 899-1 - and claimed her first Royal Ascot victory.

"To have won it is a massive privilege and it feels incredible," said Doyle.

"Seeing my name compared to the previous winners of the award - the likes of Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Dame Kelly Holmes - is pretty crazy and very humbling."

• Profile: Doyle - The 5ft powerhouse

Cyclist Lizzie Deignan, darts player Fallon Sherrock and triathletes Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown were also nominated on the award shortlist, which is now in its 33rd year.

Other award winners included Dame Sarah Storey, who picked up Disability Sportswoman of the Year while Sue Barker received a Lifetime Achievement award.

 

 

 

Jordan Henderson

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Henderson joined Sunderland's academy at the age of eight and spent 12 years with the club before joining Liverpool

Underrated and undervalued. Not any more.

The Football Writers' Footballer of the Year and a contender for the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year, Jordan Henderson has also been a European and Premier League champion over the past two seasons.

Not bad for a player once considered an expensive flop, told he couldn't run properly and someone the Reds wanted to use as a makeweight in a deal to sign Clint Dempsey from Fulham in 2012.

But, as he looks set to win his 57th England cap against Denmark in the Nations League on Wednesday, we look at how he became the heartbeat for club and country and evolved into the leader we see today.

'The last one through the door'

Henderson made 71 Premier League appearances for his hometown club Sunderland before his £20m move to Anfield in 2011.

However, he was almost rejected by the Black Cats, who had doubts over his best position and about his size.

"When we were making decisions on players at 16 there were big question marks about him," said Ged McNamee, the club's academy director at the time.

"The medical department did some tests and the consensus was that he was going to grow but he was the last one through the door. We spoke to the family and it was quite an emotional meeting because there was a lot of pressure taken off their shoulders, but he flourished once his body settled."

From being touch and go to earn a scholarship, Henderson made rapid strides at the Academy of Light, impressing with his work ethic, attitude and ability.

"He had the drive to be a player and the manager Roy Keane saw something in him that he liked," added McNamee.

"After a reserve game that had gone badly, Roy asked Jordan and a few other lads if they thought they could play in the first team and when Jordan said 'yes' it showed him he had a bit of bottle about him.

"When he was called over to train he would quite often play in matches alongside Roy in central midfield. So as a 16- and 17-year-old he would have someone of that stature and quality talking to him, coaching him and telling him what he needed to do.

"The manager was on at him all the time but I think it drove him on to improve and want more."

'The star of the team is the team'

Part of the ethos at the Academy of Light was that the 'star of the team is the team' and it is one that appears to have stayed with Henderson ever since.

A taste of the Championship - during a loan spell at Coventry in 2009 - also helped to toughen him up, three months after Keane had given him a top-flight debut in a 5-0 defeat at Chelsea.

Henderson made 13 appearances for Coventry in 2008-09 before a broken foot ended his loan spell at the club

"You could see he had something about him and how he could become a leader," said former Coventry goalkeeper Andy Marshall.

"At the time we would have really struggled without him. He held it together for us at such a young age.

"We were thinking 'who the hell is this kid?' but one of the first things that you noticed was his work-rate - too often players from big clubs go on loan lower down and the work-rate isn't there."

'His mentality is phenomenal'

Henderson's form on his return to Sunderland brought an England debut against France in November 2010 and gave him the springboard to join Liverpool for around £20m

However, life on Merseyside did not start well as he suffered from being deployed on the right and drawing unfavourable comparisons to Reds skipper Steven Gerrard.

"It was always going to be impossible for him to live up to that," said former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy.

"It is only since Gerrard left in 2015, and the team started evolving under Jurgen Klopp, that people have been able to see Henderson's own qualities."

Henderson was made Liverpool captain in 2015, just under three years after refusing a move to Fulham

Former boss Brendan Rodgers initially attempted to offload the midfielder in his pursuit of USA international Dempsey.

"To be on the brink of being sold or loaned to Fulham and saying 'no I am sticking here, I want to fight for my place' - that belief in himself shines through," said former Reds defender Stephen Warnock.

"He had a lot of knocks with people putting him down, but his mental strength is probably one of the best or strongest we've seen in the Premier League. I think his mentality is phenomenal."

Henderson's growing influence

Since the arrival of Klopp in 2015, the 30-year-old midfielder has arguably elevated his game year on year.

Liverpool in the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp
With Henderson	Statistic	Without Henderson
130	Games	55
90	Wins	31
28	Draws	13
12	Losses	11
289	Goals for	111
2.2	Average goals for	2
115	Goals against	64
0.9	Average goals against	1.2
69%	Win percentage	56%

Stories like wanting to share his Football Writers' award with his team-mates and his note and gift to the departing Dejan Lovren underline Henderson's status.

His work also went beyond football during the UK's lockdown when he was instrumental in contacting fellow Premier League captains to organise a coronavirus fund to raise money for the NHS.

"I actually went up against him when he made his first start for Sunderland in 2008. He was a right midfielder then and his dad came up to me after the game and said 'it's my lad's debut, is there any chance of getting your my shirt as a keepsake'," Warnock added.

"Little did I know what he would go on to in his career, and be the great captain of Liverpool that he has become.

"As a central midfielder, you see a completely different player. It suits his game. But it is more than just a change of position - he has grown into the captain's role and realised he carries a little bit of weight.

"When you see him turn around hammering the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah and Virgil van Dijk and they are listening to him, it shows they understand the role he plays as a captain and what he brings to the team.

"He has earned his place as one of the great Liverpool captains, for everything he has done and the way he has done it. He was the captain who lifted the Premier League trophy at the end of that wait, but he has given far more than that - if you look at everything he has done, he has been phenomenal."

 

Stuart Broad

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Stuart Broad is the premature baby who grew up to become a fearsome fast bowler.

In taking his 500th Test wicket for England against West Indies on Tuesday, Broad joined an exclusive club: only the fourth paceman, the seventh bowler of any kind.

These are the stories of those who know Broad best. Son of a Test batsman, Nottingham Forest fan, bad rapper and prolific wicket-taker.

'He weighed 2lbs 2oz'

Broad was born 12 weeks premature on 24 June, 1986 at the City Hospital in Nottingham. His mother, Carole, was a school teacher and his father Chris played 25 Tests as an opening batsman for England.

Stuart Broad with his dad Chris, who played in England's Ashes win in Australia in 1986-87

He weighed 2lbs 2oz. He was tiny, immediately put into an incubator and we were informed of the slight deficiencies he had. He stayed in hospital for a month and as he grew everything seemed to right itself.

We were a sporting family. There was an awful lot of sport played and talked about. It was always football in the winter, maybe a bit of hockey or rugby, then cricket in the summer.

When he was four or five, when I was playing at Nottinghamshire, he would come along to Trent Bridge.

There were always a number of kids who wanted to play. There was a sandpit near to the scoreboard, or they'd put some stumps down and play cricket.

When I moved on to Gloucestershire, Courtney Walsh was a favourite with Stuart and his sister Gemma. Courtney was happy to bowl at Stuart and Gemma would be fielding. He holds a very special place in both their hearts.

I've often tried to start up a conversation about cricket with him, but he tends to ignore those comments, which I can understand.

It is frustrating, certainly over the past couple of years when he's had batting issues. I've asked if he wanted to talk about it and he's said "I'm a bowler, dad".

He was such a frail child. For him to become this 6ft 5in fast bowler, breaking records... I'm absolutely amazed and extremely proud.

'The pads were past his waist'

The young Broad was taken to watch cricket at Egerton Park CC, where John Bailey is a former chairman.

Broad was first taken to watch cricket at Egerton Park by his father

He was a small lad to start with and he wore a cricket jumper that must have been his dad's. The sleeves were long and it hung past his backside. When he put his pads on, they must have been over his waist and the bat was too big for him.

Stuart was a batsman, a really good batsman. Our ground is on an island, surrounded by rivers, and he liked to hit the ball into the water.

It was incredible how he changed into a bowler as he grew. You would see him at the end of one season, then you wouldn't recognise him at the start of the next season because of how quickly he was growing.

The one thing about his bowling was that when he started his run-up, he shuffled a lot. His feet were doing 10 to the dozen on the spot, and we tried to get him to stop that by just walking up and bowling.

He always complained about having to collect the boundary flags, or having to put the heavy board back in front of the scorebox at the end of the game. I know that he liked to be in the clubhouse where the players were having a drink. He probably sneaked a swift half.

You could see there was something. We never expected him to play for England, but you could tell he was going to play county cricket.

'He is a professor of the game'

Broad's first taste of county cricket was at Leicestershire. Two years after his professional bow, he was playing for England at the 2007 T20 World Cup, where he was smashed for six sixes by India's Yuvraj Singh. A team-mate at county and international level was Jeremy Snape, now the director of Sporting Edge.

It was pre-season. He came in fresh from Oakham School as a tall, gangly, keen youngster. It was blowing a gale at the time but Stuart bowled for two hours solid, with good pace. As senior players, we were looking across and thinking he had something. He then ran off to put his pads on and we extended practice to bowl at him.

He came through and played in Twenty20 finals day in 2006 and in the semi-final had a duel with Ronnie Irani. Broady was haring in, sharing a few words, going chest to chest and wanting to show he was a top young player. He looked so comfortable at that level.

A year after that was the six sixes. How does anyone possibly deal with being put through that in a global tournament? That would be the end for 50% of players, another 45% would fade away and 5% would come out even stronger. That is what Stuart did.

Even in the early days, he was technically aware. People will not know that he is incredibly analytical.

He also wants to know the data, the science, the footage or the pitch map. I interviewed him for my own research and he told me he was presented with statistics that showed his average against left-handers was not particularly good when compared to right-handers.

After that, he went away and worked on bowling to left-handers for six months solid.

That data-driven approach wasn't something I had seen in his early years, but he has become a professor of the game.

'I'll see his name on my phone and I'll know what it's about'

Broad became the 638th man to play Test cricket for England in December 2007

Broad made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in December 2007. The England captain that day was Michael Vaughan, who has since gone into a career in the media.

All the research that I had was that we had a wonderful bowler in the making, a decent batsman and a mentally tough character. He ticked every box.

He was very assured. Not in an arrogant way, but he was very confident. He liked talking about the game. He had been brought up around international cricket, so he knew what the game was about.

With some players you know by the way they come into the dressing room they are going to be around for many years. That first Test in Sri Lanka, we were out in the field for days, but he never shirked and did not stop running in.

He was one of the first young bowlers I had that set his own fields. He asked for my advice, and pretty much all the time everything he asked for he got because I could see what he was trying to achieve.

We got away together during the last Ashes series in Australia. He likes the things I like - wine, gin, golf. He's good company and he's got a bit of banter. You can debate most things with him - football, cricket, most aspects of life.

He'll be great as a pundit. Sometimes, when I have written or said something about him, I'll see his name come up on my phone and I'll know what it's about. I'll answer straight away.

He will have a bit of a dip at me and I'll hold the phone away from my ear while he has his rant.

I'll say "have you finished?" then I'll explain why I've said what I've said and we'll have a nice debate about it. At the end he'll say "OK", and we move on.

'He wanted to bat before the 60 all out at Trent Bridge'

54 of Broad's 140 Tests were under the captaincy of Alastair Cook

Of Broad's 140 Tests for England, he has played most matches under the leadership of former captain Alastair Cook.

He's always had the stubborn streak in him. If you are going to have a discussion with him, you have to be very clear on your argument because if he knows it's coming he will be very well prepared.

When I was captain, there were times when he could be grumpy, but we're talking about the single-mindedness that makes him as good as he is. Yes, there were moments that were frustrating, but it was never malicious. As a captain, you would rather have someone who has his own ideas for what is best, rather than a 'yes' man.

His golf is good. He's a brilliant tee-to-green player, as good as they come, but he can't chip. It's quite funny watching him try.

I bought him a Phil Mickelson chipping book because I thought he needed to learn from a left-handed maestro. I don't know how far he's got into it, because I saw him playing not long ago and he duffed his chip into the water.

He cares about others more than people might give him credit for. He would regularly be checking in on his team-mates. Maybe people don't see that. They see the headstrong bowler who might get angry at a fielder, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

I don't think anyone could predict when his spells were coming. When it absolutely clicks 100% for him, when he finds the perfect length, he is a handful because he is so skilful.

On the day of the 8-15, he wanted to bat first. James Anderson was injured, but who stepped up to deliver the performance? He owes me one for deciding to bowl when he wanted to bat.

Broady can lie in bed at night and think "when there was a big moment in a high-pressure game, I delivered on more than my fair share of occasions", and that must be a great feeling.

'He thinks he can rap'

On the day Broad took his career-defining 8-15 against Australia at Trent Bridge, he shared the new ball with Mark Wood.

Stuart Broad has been part of four Ashes-winning England teams

I met him before I played for England, at a fast bowlers' training camp in South Africa. He sat me down to talk about cricket, pass on advice and his thoughts on my bowling. It was really kind of him to go out of his way to do that.

He loves his football. You can never say "Notts Forest" in front on him. It always has to be "Nottingham Forest".

Unbelievably, he also likes to rap, but he's got the poshest accent you've ever heard. It's not quite the same as the American hip-hop artists who can put all the rhymes together. It could be in training, or when we have music on in the dressing room, all of a sudden you hear this posh rap, and you have to say to him "that's not how it goes".

One of the best times I had with him was during the 2015 Ashes. We'd had a tough first day at Lord's, Australia had piled on the runs, and on the way to the ground the next day, Broad and Anderson were in front of the car, me and Joe Root were in the back.

We were all singing James Bay's Hold Back the River at the top of our voices. We even did an extra lap around Regent's Park so we could play the song again. We must have only arrived five minutes before the team talk, but we were in much better spirits.

He's brilliant on the field. At mid-on or mid-off, he'll help me out with plans, or pump my tyres up when I need it. I've also really enjoy batting with him - he's so good to have a laugh and joke with in the middle.

The word 'legend' gets used a lot, but in this case it rings true. He is a legend.

 

 

Lewis Hamilton

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Lewis Hamilton clinched a seventh World Championship and became the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Mercedes driver equalled Michael Schumacher's achievement in terms of titles, after already surpassing the German's number of race wins last month.

Victory at a treacherously wet and slippery Istanbul Park track in a topsy-turvy race was the 94th of the 35-year-old Briton's career.

As he received the congratulations of his team, Hamilton was almost overcome with emotion in the car after the race, saying: "To all the kids out there, dream the impossible."

Once out of the car, he added: "Seven is just unimaginable but when you work with such a great group of people and you really trust each other, there is just no end to what you can do together.

"I feel like I'm only just getting started, it's really weird."

Hamilton, who does not yet have a contract for next year, added he would "love to stay" in F1 and wanted to continue to campaign for change when it comes to human rights, diversity and environmentalism.

The Englishman won his first world title with McLaren in 2008 with further successes in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

How Hamilton won it in style

 

It was a drive befitting the monumental nature of Hamilton's achievement.

He trod carefully in the opening stages of the race and even made a couple of small mistakes as the drivers fought for grip in the wet conditions.

By five laps in he was in sixth place, well over 20 seconds off the lead held by Racing Point's Lance Stroll, ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.

After all the leaders made an early stop for fresh intermediate tyres, Hamilton was stuck behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, faster but unable to pass because of the lack of grip off line.

But the race opened up for Hamilton at around half-distance as he once again made decisive strategy calls on tyres from the cockpit and drove with the skill and class that has enabled him to put himself in this position.

Stroll and Perez began to be caught by those behind.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was the first to pressure them, but fell out of contention when he lost control and spun behind Perez on lap 18, destroying his tyres and needing to stop again.

"I know I often say it is beyond my wildest dreams, but my whole life secretly I have dreamt as high as this," Hamilton said after his title win

Then, Red Bull's Alex Albon was running third, ahead of Vettel's Ferrari and Hamilton.

Ferrari pitted Vettel for fresh tyres on lap 33, having seen how quickly team-mate Charles Leclerc was going on his fresh intermediates, and then Albon spun at Turn Four.

That gave Hamilton a clean run to attack the Racing Points and he told his team: "Don't box [pit] me, man."

Despite Stroll saying he did not want to change tyres, Racing Point did pit the Canadian on lap 36, removing him from the lead and, shortly afterwards, Hamilton took the lead from Perez and never looked back.

Hamilton and Perez stayed out on worn tyres, as the Mercedes driver pulled away in the lead, his only concern being whether his worn intermediate tyres would last.

And Hamilton's excellence was put into stark perspective by his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

The Finn went into the race knowing he had to out-score Hamilton by at least eight points to keep the championship alive. But he had a dreadful day, spinning at least five times and finishing 14th, lapped by Hamilton.

When told there were four laps left late in the race, a downcast Bottas said: "I wish it was less."

Report

What happened to Stroll?

It was a heartbreaking day for Stroll, who confidently led for the first 36 laps after the first pole position of his career, only to see his race unravel after he made his stop for fresh tyres.

But while the Canadian could not make the new tyres work on his car, and slumped to ninth at the end, a second pit stop mid-race worked well for both Ferrari drivers.

Perez hung on to second, after briefly losing the place to Leclerc on the final lap, only for the Monegasque to slide wide at the final chicane, allowing team-mate Vettel through into the final podium position, his first of the season.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen pushed Perez hard early on, but a spin at the kink on the back straight ended his hopes.

Driver of the day

Who else? Hamilton was in a class of his own, cautious when necessary, reading the race and pouncing when it mattered - before taking control. Driver of his generation

What happens next?

Hamilton has clinched the title with three races still to go, two in Bahrain starting in two weeks' time and then a finale in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.

Report

What they said

Hamilton: "It felt so far fetched. I remember watching Michael win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard. Seven is unimaginable. There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team. We dreamed of this when I was young. It is so important for kids to see this and don't listen to anyone who says you can't achieve something. Dream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up."

Perez: "I told my team on the radio: 'One more lap on those tyres, I think they will have exploded.' The vibrations were really bad towards the end. But I think it also made our race. Looking after them towards the beginning and towards the end, with drying conditions, I think the team did a fantastic job with the strategy in the race."

Vettel: "It was quite intense but good fun. I had a really good opening lap, I found myself already in P4. It is a bit of a surprise to snatch the podium but I am certainly very happy."

 

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Quote

Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed his sixth World Championship title with a dominant 18-8 victory over Kyren Wilson at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

O'Sullivan draws level with Ray Reardon and boyhood hero Steve Davis on world crowns, and surpasses Stephen Hendry on the all-time list of ranking event wins with a record 37 titles.

Although Wilson battled back to 10-7, O'Sullivan wrested total control with a run of eight frames on Sunday.

O'Sullivan, 44, is the oldest champion since Reardon, who was 45 in 1978.

The Englishman collects £500,000 in prize money, moving back up to second in the world behind last year's champion Judd Trump.

It was the biggest winning margin in a final since 2008, when O'Sullivan defeated Ali Carter by the same scoreline.

O'Sullivan told BBC Two: "I never really think about titles. When I was a kid I never really dreamed I would be here. To be here and have had all those victories is a dream that has become a reality.

"There was part of me that decided I didn't play enough to justify winning a tournament of this stature which is an endurance test.

"I am not really an endurance type player because I don't compete enough. I had half a chance but didn't expect to win it."

O'Sullivan rules once more

 

There has long been a debate about who the greatest snooker player of all time is - Davis dominated the 1980s, Hendry reigned in the 1990s but O'Sullivan now stands alone in terms of ranking events won.

His latest accomplishment ascends him to the top of the pile, having won his first back in 1993 at the UK Championship aged just 17, and he also collected a record-extending 20th Triple Crown title.

An enigmatic character, O'Sullivan often has to battle his own demons and did so in the final with his cue action, though he displayed both his supreme and slapdash manner during the 17 days of this tournament.

He hammered Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 10-1 in his opening match in a record 108 minutes, defeated the dangerous Ding Junhui and responded from large deficits to oust three-time winners Mark Williams and Mark Selby.

But there have been issues too, stating snooker players were being treated like "lab rats" for allowing fans to attend the first day - with spectators returning for the final, while Selby described him as "disrespectful" for some of his rash shot selections during their semi-final.

Despite operating far from his best on the first day of the final, O'Sullivan showcased why he is regarded a sporting genius by still managing to open up a three-frame lead heading into Sunday, as the match turned into a procession.

Having criticised the standard of play lower down the rankings, it is testament to O'Sullivan's longevity that his latest world title comes in a third decade - 19 years after his maiden victory - leaving him one adrift of the legendary Hendry's haul.

Wilson wilts in summer heat

Kettering potter Wilson progressed into his maiden world final having received a bye from the first round as opponent Anthony Hamilton withdrew citing health concerns and beating defending champion Judd Trump in the quarter-finals.

A three-time ranking event winner, the 28-year-old was struck by nerves and failed to settle in the opening exchanges, failing 8-2 behind and he never truly managed to get within touching distance of O'Sullivan.

Having the opportunity of closing to 9-8 in his hands, he will look back on missing the last red on Saturday with major regret and missing chance after chance on Sunday proved fatal.

Wilson said: "I am not going to beat myself up too much, I am playing the greatest of all time. It was a dream come true knowing I was playing Ronnie in the final.

"You can't respect him too much or he'll walk right over me, which is what happened today.

"I am a fighter, I always will be. I really struggled in the first session and I just relaxed and let the shackles off."

With the event moved to July-August from its usual April-May slot because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wilson now has less than a year to wait in order to try to make amends.

The story of the match

Last year's final between Trump and John Higgins was a masterclass in break building, the pair producing 11 centuries between them, but this showpiece was sub-standard in comparison.

Clearly looking concerned by how he was striking the cue ball on the opening day, O'Sullivan ground out a century and four breaks of 50 or more to open up a sizeable six-frame advantage.

'The Warrior' Wilson was overawed early on but fought back by taking four in a row to trail 8-6 but he missed a crucial last red in the final frame of the day, allowing O'Sullivan to clear for a three-frame overnight buffer.

Wilson started the second day with a confidence-boosting 73 to trail 10-8 but poor potting and loose positional play thereafter gifted opportunities to his opponent.

O'Sullivan got into his rhythm by compiling seven frame-winning contributions without needing to do too much hard work, going one from victory heading into the final session.

And he completed his triumph on snooker's biggest stage in style, needing just 11 minutes in the final session to make a 96 break.

Analysis

Six-time world champion Steve Davis on BBC Two:

Ronnie is still there at the top and I'm sure he's capable of going even further. Certainly into his fifties, should he so wish.

He came in with a game plan to play a fast attacking game, it was a risky one but paid off in the end.

Wouldn't it be nice to see him win Sports Personality of the Year?

1991 world champion John Parrott on BBC Two:

It's a treat to come to the Crucible and watch him play live.

It's a scary amount of talent that he's got. To win it six times is one hell of an achievement.

He's the most watchable player that we have in our sport.

 

[JoshBRFC+]

12 minutes ago, CaaC (John) said:

The same as Darts, all sitting at a table waiting for their turns at the Oke or the table (snooker) smoking, drinking lager or whatnot, laughing and joking, god, how times change.

  

I do think now though they have made Darts bigger and better and a living nowadays, so that's good for the players compared to what it used to be. I've been to a darts event at least once a year for the last decade at least. Love the darts!

I more so meant with Snooker like I've been told stories off my old man and his brothers.. record viewing figures for that 85 final, for example.

In that era Higgins and Davis paved the way for the greats to follow them in Hendry and Ronnie. 

[tlr]

I love O'Sullivan, probably the most talented person ever to hold a snooker cue - before someone points out everyone else who has won more, remember his combination of mental health struggles, stretches in relative wilderness as a result, and also the fact he could achieve exactly the same with his weaker hand, which is unheard of in snooker, the 5m20s 147, hindered only by the speed the referee respotted the balls, the fact that at an age when most players call it a day he is still a mainstay in the Top 16 and genuinely as sharp as ever... As a snooker fan I feel a genuine privilege to have grown up watching him play. Whilst the 80s were all romantic and everyone's gran loved it, Ronnie, Hendry, Ding and nowadays Hearn are the reason that, instead of the game falling off a cliff in the 90s, it is now a genuinely worldwide game with more coverage and value than ever. It is genuinely wonderful to see all the modern characters competing in all corners of the globe. Mark Allen, Ding, Mark Williams, Judd, the Rocket? Yeah, you can keep your Ebdons and Selbys...

[JoshBRFC+]

21 minutes ago, tlr said:

I love O'Sullivan, probably the most talented person ever to hold a snooker cue - before someone points out everyone else who has won more, remember his combination of mental health struggles, stretches in relative wilderness as a result, 

That's not even true anymore mate. So they can't point that out  

The only note worthy record is the 7 World titles.  He has the most UK's, the most Masters and the most Triple Crowns overall.

Player	Total	World Championship[33]	UK Championship[34]	Masters[35]	Winning span
Ronnie O'Sullivan	20	6	7	7	1993–2020
Stephen Hendry	18	7	5	6	1989–1999
Steve Davis	15	6	6	3	1980–1997
John Higgins	9	4	3	2	1998–2011
Mark Selby	8	3	2	3	2008–2017
Mark Williams	7	3	2	2	1998–2018
Alex Higgins	5	2	1	2	1972–1983
Neil Robertson	4	1	2	1	2010–2015
Shaun Murphy	3	1	1	1	2005–2015
Judd Trump	3	1	1	1	2011–2019
Terry Griffiths	3	1	1	1	1979–1982

 

Players with multiple maximum breaks

No.	Player	Number	Most recent
1	Ronnie O'Sullivan	15	2018
2	Stephen Hendry	11	2012
	John Higgins	11	2020
4	Stuart Bingham	7	2020
5	Ding Junhui	6	2016
	Shaun Murphy	6	2020
7	Tom Ford	5	2019
	Judd Trump	5	2020
9	Marco Fu	4	2015
	Neil Robertson	4	2019

Also if you check out like the top 5 or 10 fastest maximums of all time, he will have the vast majority of them! As you mentioned... that 5 minute one will never ever ever be beaten.

 

 

 

Ranking event winners

Name	Titles	First	Latest

Ronnie O'Sullivan	37	1993	2020

Stephen Hendry	36	1987	2005

John Higgins	30	1994	2018

Steve Davis	28	1981	1995

Mark Williams	22	1994	2018

Judd Trump	19	2011	2020

Neil Robertson	18	2006	2020

Mark Selby	18	2008	2020

Ding Junhui	14	2005	2019

Jimmy White	10	1986	2004

John Parrott	9	1989	1996

Peter Ebdon	9	1993	2012

 

 

[N U F C]

I'm a big snooker fan so I'd like to see Ronnie win it but realistically it's quite difficult to see past Hamilton. Never really taken a great deal of interest in this award but like Stan said, you'd have thought Rashford would have been nominated. 

[Danny]

Would be wrong and simply incorrect if Hamilton doesn’t win this

[JoshBRFC+]

48 minutes ago, Danny said:

Would be wrong and simply incorrect if Hamilton doesn’t win this

Yeah, nobody can argue if he does win it, it’s fully deserved. I think though that if any of the sportsmen and woman who have been nominated win the award then they deserve to win it. 
 

Lewis is the favourite and will probably win it, he’s the greatest in my eyes and my liking of him is no secret on this forum. My only thing is that Ronnie winning this would get him and Snooker the attention and exposure it deserves. 
 

Lewis has come 2nd in the previous 2 years and also won the award before. And will probably win it next year when he gets title number 8 .

 

[JoshBRFC+]

Tyson Fury has been confirmed as the last nominee. 
 

Here are the early odds.

[JoshBRFC+]

11 hours ago, N U F C said:

but like Stan said, you'd have thought Rashford would have been nominated. 

And as I said to Stan, he’s being given a special award. 

[Mel81x+]

Echo the statements about Rashford. While he may not have achieved much sporting wise he has done a lot for the country as a whole and this is a "sports personality" award at the end of the day. Also, Hamilton will win this by a country mile imo. 

[JoshBRFC+]

12 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

Echo the statements about Rashford. While he may not have achieved much sporting wise he has done a lot for the country as a whole and this is a "sports personality" award at the end of the day. Also, Hamilton will win this by a country mile imo. 

I really do understand and I have been vocal on just how much I respect and admire what Rashford has done, however that is not a sporting on the field achievement.
 

The correct decision has been made in my opinion for him to be honoured in an even better way.
 

I’m sure it will be a special moment on the evening of the ceremony.

 

[Mel81x+]

1 minute ago, JoshBRFC said:

I really do understand and I have been vocal on just how much I respect and admire what Rashford has done, however that is not a sporting on the field achievement.
 

The correct decision has been made in my opinion for him to be honoured in an even better way.
 

I’m sure it will be a special moment on the evening of the ceremony.

 

Yeah I suppose its also how you interpret that word personality. I think its fair if Hamilton takes it because hes been immense this year but then I think with all the shit that has happened this year and the fallout to the fans and the communities that drive these sports it would be a nice touch to nominate Marcus even if he wins nothing in the end.