Beth Mead Crowned BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

Beth Mead has been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2022 this evening in front of a star-studded audience and viewers on BBC One.

Ben Stokes came second and Eve Muirhead took third place for the prestigious award.

Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott presented the live show from Salford, where they looked back on a truly spectacular year of sport.

An emotionally charged moment in the show saw the Helen Rollason award presented to Rugby League legend Rob Burrow for his work in raising awareness for his condition, Motor Neurone Disease. The award, which recognises outstanding achievement in the face of adversity, was presented in recognition of Rob’s tireless campaigning for awareness of MND since his own diagnosis in 2019. The moment was all the more poignant, as it closely follows the passing of Rob’s friend and fellow rugby player Doddie Weir last month due to the condition.

During Rob’s time on stage as he accepted his award, former Leeds Rhinos captain and MND campaigner Kevin Sinfield was also provided with a Special Award to acknowledge the funds he has raised for more research into MND in honour of his close friend Rob. Since Rob’s diagnosis, Kevin has raised more than £7 million by running seven marathons in seven days in 2020 and running a staggering 300 miles from Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh to Old Trafford, Manchester in a week this November.

Lionel Messi won the World Sport Star of the Year award after playing an integral part in Argentina’s breath-taking World Cup win in Qatar. The 35-year-old scored twice in a pulsating final against France and also in the penalty shoot-out as Argentina emerged victorious to lift the coveted trophy for the third time. Messi picked up the Golden Ball for player of the tournament and became the first player to win it twice after also collecting the honour in 2014. He’s now been involved in 21 World Cup goals for Argentina and has scored a staggering 793 goals in his career to date. He adds a World Cup title to his one Copa America, Olympic gold medal, four Champions Leagues, 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Reys, a Ligue 1 crown in France with Paris St-Germain and seven Ballons d'Ors.

The Lionesses took home the Team of the Year award after a historic Euros win this summer. Their 2-1 victory over Germany in front of a record crowd of 87,192 fans at Wembley, and watched by a record peak audience of 17.4m, was England’s first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup and the sensational win has left a lasting legacy for aspiring young footballers far and wide.

Sarina Wiegman was awarded Coach of the Year for her pivotal role in the Lionesses’ roaring success in July. Sarina is the first coach to win consecutive European Championship titles with two different countries; her 2017 victory with the Netherlands marked the first and her recent Euros win with England was the second. She also has a perfect record of 12 wins from 12 European Championship games and she topped off a stellar year by being named the women's UEFA Coach of the Year 2021-22.

Gymnast Jessica Gadirova was named as the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. The award follows a ground-breaking year for Jessica, who became just the fifth British individual artistic gymnastics world champion when she won the floor title in Liverpool in November. The teenager also became the first British woman to win an all-around medal at the World Championships – taking bronze, having already won silver in the women’s team event. Prior to her world floor gold, Jessica retained the European equivalent in Munich. She also claimed the 2022 British national titles in the all-around, vault and floor events.

Usain Bolt was the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement award. The 19-time global champion set the world record in the men’s 100m with an incredible time of 9.58 seconds at the Berlin World Championships in 2009, making him the fastest sprinter in history. He is also the only athlete to win both the 100m and 200m titles at three consecutive Olympics (Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016). A Jamaican team featuring Usain, Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter and Michael Frater also hold the current world record for the 4x100m men’s relay, set at London 2012. After a glittering career spanning more than 13 years, Bolt officially retired from athletics in 2017.

The Unsung Hero award was won by Mike Alden from Bristol. Diagnosed with brittle bone disease at the age of four, Mike has broken nearly every bone in his body. This didn’t stop him playing football as a child and he has since encouraged others to play the beautiful game by setting up The Park Knowle FC. Based in one of Bristol’s most deprived areas, the club is open to anyone of any age and ability, with teams for boys, girls, veterans and disabled players. It’s a family affair with his wife, sons and daughter also a part of making the club such an asset to the community.

www.bbc.co.uk