Well done Chris Hoy

[Aal]

Great news that Chris Hoy won the BBC award tonight.

A true sportsman who we can all be proud of and such a gentleman as well.

It scares me when I go faster than 20mph on my bike but this fella goes at around 50mph in a sprint. Not many folk can honestly be described as awesome.

Well done as well to Ellie Simmonds as Young Personality

[small]

well do to chris but i thought thomas daley should of won the young award

[RedRedWine1]

Well done the BBC, it was a fantastic programme for a change.

Can't really complain about any of the winners.

[Sammy h]

Hamilton should have won.

[Bare Ben]

Lewis Hamilton should be raging, his achievement was by far the best and he must be wondering what he has to do to win it. My theory is that he should have bumped off all the Loose Women-watching Jason Donovan-loving housewives that voted for Chris Hoy, because they are the only type of people I can think that would have voted for him. Also, Rebecca Adlington looks like somebody looking at themselves in the back of a spoon.

[RedRedWine1]

I think you can argue the case for each of the three finalists to win, and It would be interesting to see the margins between the voting. I think it would have been close. Adlington first british swimmer in 100 years to win two golds at an olymipcs, Hoy three golds at he olymics, and Hamilton youngest ever world F1 champion (by the narrowest of margins in the best car). Bookmakers stood to lose £1million had Adlington won, who was favourite.

It has been a pretty good year for the 'smaller' sports, which is reflected options for the top gong. Generally a bad year for the english cricket, both rugby codes and football sides (still gutted we missed out at possible the best ever european championships).

Great tributes also for Bobby Charlton and Alastair Hignell.

[Christies Child]

:?

Lewis Hamilton should be raging, his achievement was by far the best and he must be wondering what he has to do to win it. My theory is that he should have bumped off all the Loose Women-watching Jason Donovan-loving housewives that voted for Chris Hoy, because they are the only type of people I can think that would have voted for him. Also, Rebecca Adlington looks like somebody looking at themselves in the back of a spoon.

.....guess what...I voted for Chris Hoy.

Absolutely delighted for him and all the 'chain gangs'.

[CASS]

Great news that Chris Hoy won the BBC award tonight.

A true sportsman who we can all be proud of and such a gentleman as well.

It scares me when I go faster than 20mph on my bike but this fella goes at around 50mph in a sprint. Not many folk can honestly be described as awesome.

Well done as well to Ellie Simmonds as Young Personality

I don't know if any "Loose Women" voted for him but...The cycling press urged all readers to get behind Chris rather than dilute the "cycling vote" amongst Cooke,Wiggins and the very lovely Victoria. Given that there are 100's of Road clubs in Britain and if all members voted it will have been a very large chunk of votes. I think it was well deserved in Olympic year.
I have reservations about Hamilton and F1 in general,He is a good driver but if everyone set off in a MercMc would he still have been crowned ? seem's to me that the best car wins most races. As for Young Addlington what a smashing girl and a credit to the dedication her sport requires. Ten people on the short list and not a footballer in sight . Here is What Bobby Robson has to say on that...

But if there is one regret about this year’s event it’s that no footballer is deemed worthy of being shortlisted alongside Rebecca, Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, Chris Hoy and the others.
I understand part of it is due to England failing to qualify for Euro 2008 but another part is how the public view footballers, which, I am afraid, is not very highly.

Whereas Rebecca, Lewis, the cyclists and the boxers have to drag themselves up by their bootlaces, the modern footballer is mollycoddled from such a young age, they seem to lose perspective on life.

Which is why they can appear aloof, badly behaved and spoilt; then they wonder why they are unpopular with the nation as a whole!

I’m not sure if it will ever change now but footballers are put in their own little cocoon from the age of 16.

There is always an arm around you if something goes wrong, someone to make an excuse for you if you behave badly.

I know footballers are under the spotlight more than anyone else but if you’re under that sort of scrutiny, why not behave properly — that would avoid all the problems.

When I see the 10 non-football nominees for Sports Personality of the Year tonight, I’ll see character and talent.

I see people who appreciate that sport is a marvellous adventure and that if you’re lucky enough to have a talent, you have to make sacrifices to make the best of it.

I love cricket, rugby and other sports, but it is football that has given me a fantastic life, and I love the game - our national game - above all others.

So when I sit there tonight paying my silent respects to Lewis, Rebecca and the others, I hope Premier League players and England superstars are also watching and working out how they are going to follow suit and earn similar respect from the public

[marky]

Lewis Hamilton should be raging, his achievement was by far the best and he must be wondering what he has to do to win it. My theory is that he should have bumped off all the Loose Women-watching Jason Donovan-loving housewives that voted for Chris Hoy, because they are the only type of people I can think that would have voted for him. Also, Rebecca Adlington looks like somebody looking at themselves in the back of a spoon.

Rubbish. This year Chris Hoy has won 3 gold medals at the Olympics, 2 golds and a silver at the world championships and 1 gold and a silver at the Copenhagen leg of the World Cup. Last December he also got a gold and a bronze at the Beijing leg and a gold and a bronze at the Sydney leg. Therefore, in the last 12 months he has won 8 major titles alone. Hamilton won only 5 of 18 races in by far the best car.

[North Stand Shrimp]

If Hamilton is as good as all the hype suggests, which I believe he is then he will be victorious again next year and be a shoe in for the award.

The olympics come but once every 4 years and it would have been a travesty not to have honoured our athletes for the best performance at a games for over 80 years or whatever it was.

The only award that annoyed me was team of the year award. I don't understand why they split the GB cycling from Team GB. I think Victoria Pendleton was a bit confused too because she said at one point that the award was for all of those who competed in Beijing and not just the gold, silver and bronze medelists but the whole of Team GB! I think the whole Olympic team should have been given the award and not just the cyclists, who to be honest are a success largely due to the rest of the world being so far behind and because of the Lottery investment thats gone into their sport over the last 4-5 years.

Chris Hoy did deserve to be the winner and I hope Hamilton wins next year.

[marky No.1]

Well done Chris Hoy. with thighs like that he could be a centre back

chris hoy.jpg

[seasonsinthesun]

My only criticism of the BBC's presentation of the programme last night is that it would have been better to have shown again the original commentaries at the moment of triumph for these great champions. That's the part that sends the tingles down the spine(well, mine anyway) and it is something that they used to do in previous years. Now it feels it has been "doctored" somehow, but maybe as it is only a two hour programme there isn't enough time.

[Richard Head]

It wasnt even close

Chris Hoy 283,630 votes
Lewis Hamilton 163,864
Rebecca Adlington 145,924
Ben Ainslie 35,472
Joe Calzaghe 34,077
Andy Murray 19,415
Nicole Cooke 18,256
Christine Ohuruogu 7,677
Bradley Wiggins 5,633
Rebecca Romero 4,526

Good to see that 7,677 people thought it a good idea to vote for a convicted drug cheat

[Posh]

Hamilton should have won.

As a Swiss citizen, surely Hamilton should come second in Overseas Sports Personality of the Year? In my view anyone who leaves Britain to become a tax exile shouldn't be eligible for awards such as this. As taxpayers we helped bring him into the world, give him an education and much more, his repayment is to abandon this country.

[marky]

Good to see that 7,677 people thought it a good idea to vote for a convicted drug cheat

How many times? She hasn't once failed a drugs test.

[RedRedWine1]

Nope.....she just managed to miss three drugs test. No smoke without fire.....Rio Ferdinand eat your heart out.

[Richard Head]

Good to see that 7,677 people thought it a good idea to vote for a convicted drug cheat

How many times? She hasn't once failed a drugs test.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/5328420.stm

[marky]

That ban wasn't for failing a drugs test, Richard. If you're going to post a link to an old news item, at least make sure it supports your assertions.

[Richard Head]

That ban wasn't for failing a drugs test, Richard. If you're going to post a link to an old news item, at least make sure it supports your assertions.

If you read my original post i never said she failed a drug test, i said she was a drug cheat

[Aal]

What a cruel treatment of Christine, a lovely girl who is one of our few athletes at the moment who is fit to lace the shoes of Coe and Ovett. Please don't cast aspertions, naive maybe but NEVER a cheat.

It was interesting to see the voting. Where was the source of this info?

[North Stand Shrimp]

What a cruel treatment of Christine, a lovely girl who is one of our few athletes at the moment who is fit to lace the shoes of Coe and Ovett. Please don't cast aspertions, naive maybe but NEVER a cheat.

It was interesting to see the voting. Where was the source of this info?

And potentially liablous!

Richard, you never said she failed a drugs test but you did imply by the context of your use of the words 'drug cheat' that she was in some way guilty of a wrong doing and therefore did not deserve to be shortlisted/voted for!

She has never tested positive for drugs, innocent until proven guilty!

would you like to be judged to be guilty until being proven innocent? - No, so don'tdo it to others!

[Richard Head]

What a cruel treatment of Christine, a lovely girl who is one of our few athletes at the moment who is fit to lace the shoes of Coe and Ovett. Please don't cast aspertions, naive maybe but NEVER a cheat.

It was interesting to see the voting. Where was the source of this info?

And potentially liablous!

Richard, you never said she failed a drugs test but you did imply by the context of your use of the words 'drug cheat' that she was in some way guilty of a wrong doing and therefore did not deserve to be shortlisted/voted for!

She has never tested positive for drugs, innocent until proven guilty!

would you like to be judged to be guilty until being proven innocent? - No, so don'tdo it to others!

I got the voting info from the BBC website.

She was guilty of some wrong doing. Nowadays our elite athletes are given lottery funding to allow them to train full time but with this funding also comes responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to make themselves available for on the spot, out of competition drug tests. Ohuruogu failed to do this on 3 occasions and so received a 12 month ban,

The BOA rules at the time were that anyone who had served a drugs ban would be banned for life from competing for the UK at the Olympics. She appealed against the Olympic ban and that was overturned, but the fact is she had still been found guitly of a drugs offence for missing 3 drug tests.

In August 2007 only a couple of weeks after completing her 12 month ban she won the World Championship 400 metres title beating fellow Brit Nicola Sanders into 2nd place. At the time the British media glossed over the fact that she had only just completed her ban, typified by Steve Cram's comment on the BBC 'It's good to see Christine back after her problems over the last 12 months'

What do you think our medias reaction would have been if it had been an athlete from one of the former eastern bloc countries who served a 12 month drug ban then returned 2 weeks later to beat a British athlete into 2nd place

[Aal]

I agree that our media are always harsh on 'drugs cheats' especially from Eastern Europe, but hey every case needs to be treated individually and Christine is no cheat, in the same way that Rio was not and Alain Baxter the skier was not.

[pompeyred]

Hamilton should have won.

As a Swiss citizen, surely Hamilton should come second in Overseas Sports Personality of the Year? In my view anyone who leaves Britain to become a tax exile shouldn't be eligible for awards such as this. As taxpayers we helped bring him into the world, give him an education and much more, his repayment is to abandon this country.

While were at it why not stop all people who dont live in their own country from playing for their national team. It wouldn't be that bad, the football team alone would only have lost Beckham (at his prime), Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves to name but three. No real loss there though eh?

and Hamilton youngest ever world F1 champion (by the narrowest of margins in the best car)

If Hamilton was in the best car then explain this:

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren Mercedes 98
2. Felipe Massa Ferrari 97
3. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 75
4. Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 75
5. Fernando Alonso Renault 61
6. Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 60
7. Heikki Kovalainen McLaren Mercedes 53

So the other McLaren Mercedes finished 6 places and 45 points behind Hamilton. Also:

1. Ferrari 172
2. McLaren Mercedes 151
3. BMW Sauber 135
4. Renault 80
5. Toyota 56

The McLaren Team finished 21 points behind Ferrari. If McLaren had averaged Kovalainen's points then they would have finished on 75.5 which would have put them 4th in the table. Whatever way you look at it Hamilton drove out of his skin while the Ferrari team pulled away with a faster developing car. But for some dubious marshalling decision the title would have been wrapped up sooner granted, however looking at the final league tables you will be hard pushed to make an argument for Hamilton winning because he was in the best car. Unless you explain it all by saying just that Kovalainen is a really bad driver...which would be a deliciously British argument to make.

[Plain Peter]

Can't be arsed with reading all that's been said.
Can't be arsed with who's the best either, coz all sports are different.
BUT, that Adlington lass did it without any artificial help.
It was human v human and nowt else.

Peter