In just a few days, the BBC will announce the Sports Personality of 2019 from a list of six shortlisted contenders.
2019 has been another outstanding year for British sport, closing out the ‘golden decade’ that brought the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the country for the first time in 64 years, as well as the World Athletics Championships in 2017. Not only has Britain been the host of major sporting events over the past ten years, our athletes have also dominated the world stage – as evidenced by the record achievements of the six contenders who made the shortlist.
In fact, December is shaping up to be another highlight month in the sporting industry’s calendar, with Aberdeen hosting the inaugural Festival of Sport from the 13th to the 14th of December, which will encourage community participation in a number of sports and athletic events.
Along with naming its sports personality of the year, the BBC will also hand out awards for the World Sport Star of the Year, the Greatest Sporting Moment, 2019’s Unsung Hero and Coach of the Year, and the Team of the Year at the P&J Live Arena in Aberdeen on Sunday 15th December.
The Contenders
So, who are the six exceptional British sportsmen and women who will be vying for the big one on Sunday?
• Dina Asher-Smith – 2019 was a record-breaking year for Asher-Smith. She became the first British woman to scoop a major global title, claiming the gold in the 200m event at the World Athletics Championships in October. Not content with her considerable medal haul at the Championships, which also included silver in both the 100m and 4x 100m events, the Orpington native set a brand new national record of 21.88 seconds with her gold medal winning performance.
• Ben Stokes – England’s cricket team has been a key part of the Cricket World Cup since its inception in 1975, holding both the first ever tournament and more tournaments than any other country. Despite making the finals three times over the years, we’ve never been able to win the title. Until Stokes made history in 2019. His unbelievable super-over victory against New Zealand cinched the win for the nation. After scooping the Mirror Pride of Sport Award earlier this month, the superstar cricketer is one of the top contenders to win the BBC honours this year.
• Katarina Johnson-Thompson – After suffering more than her fair share of championship heartbreak and injuries, the nation cheered with joy when the 26-year-old heptathlete finally won gold at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Johnson-Thompson set four personal bests in the process, with her incredible points tally of 6,981 setting a new national record – even bettering that of Olympian Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. Consequently, Johnson-Thompson now ranks sixth on the all-time heptathlon list.
• Lewis Hamilton – 2019 saw Formula 1 star, Lewis Hamilton, inch ever closer to Michael Schumacher’s record 7 career wins, by becoming World Champion in the sport for the sixth time. The Mercedes driver has now won a total of 83 Grand Prix victories, taking half of this season’s races alone. With just eight more races to win to equal Schumacher’s all-time GP record of 91, 2020 is set to be another highlight year for Hamilton.
• Raheem Sterling – the England star has been making serious waves both on and off the football pitch in 2019. Thanks to his exceptional play, Manchester City won the prestigious national treble of the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Premier League. Since named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, Sterling has also received acclaim for his public stance on current social issues in the country.
• Alun Wyn Jones – This year, Wyn Jones captained Wales all the way to victory at the Grand Slam. In doing so, he was named the Six Nations Player of the 2019 championship and is now Wales’ most-capped international player at Rugby World Cup.
The Live Broadcast
Voting to decide which of the sport stars above are named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019 will be open to the public during the live broadcast of the Awards, which will be available on BBC 1 on 15th December. The now sold-out show will be presented by Clare Balding, Gary Lineker and Gabby Logan. Visit the BBC’s official website to find out more key info about the awards.
