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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Will Freeman

BBC Sports Personality of the Year previous winners ahead of 2022 ceremony

Sports Personality of the Year takes place on Wednesday night, with Lionesses star Beth Mead the favourite to win the award and become the first female footballer to do so.

Should the Arsenal Women forward win, she would join a long list of former footballers to have won the award, with former Manchester United players David Beckham (2001) and Ryan Giggs (2010) both having won the award previously. England Test cricket captain and T20 World Cup winner Ben Stokes is believed to be the closest competitor to Mead in the running for the award as he hopes to pick up the prize he also won in 2019.

An early frontrunner for the prize was snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan, with the legendary 'Rocket' having won a remarkable seventh world championship back in May. Remarkably, he has never made the top three for the award and would become only the second ever winner from the world of snooker after Steve Davis won in 1988.

ALSO READ: BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2022: Start time, nominees and odds

Emma Raducanu won the award last year for her remarkable win as a qualifier at the 2021 US Open, but a disappointing year has seen slip to 80th in the world rankings and out of contention for this year's award.

The ceremony has been pushed back from its traditional Sunday evening slot to allow for the World Cup final. There was no British representation in that match but Lionel Messi has been announced as the World Sport Star of the Year following his and Argentina's World Cup triumph.

It is a prestigious honour to be bestowed with the famous trophy which has been held by some of the biggest stars in British sport, here is a list of all the winners since 1954.

BBC SPOTY winners (1954-2021)

2021: Emma Raducanu - Tennis

2020: Lewis Hamilton - Formula One

2019: Ben Stokes - Cricket

2018: Geraint Thomas - Cycling

2017: Mo Farah - Long Distance Running

2016: Andy Murray - Tennis

2015: Andy Murray - Tennis

2014: Lewis Hamilton - Formula One

2013: Andy Murray - Tennis

2012: Bradley Wiggins - Cycling

2011: Mark Cavendish - Cycling

2010: Tony McCoy - Horse Racing

2009: Ryan Giggs - Football

2008: Chris Hoy - Cycling

2007: Joe Calzaghe - Boxing

2006: Zara Tindall - Equestrian

2005: Andrew Flintoff - Cricket

2004: Kelly Holmes - Middle Distance Running

2003: Jonny Wilkinson - Rugby

2002: Paula Radcliffe - Long Distance Running

2001: David Beckham - Football

2000: Steve Redgrave - Rowing

1999: Lennox Lewis - Boxing

1998: Michael Owen - Football

1997: Greg Rusedski - Tennis

1996: Damon Hill - Formula One

1995: Jonathan Edwards - Triple Jump

1994: Damon Hill - Formula One

1993: Linford Christie - Sprinting

1992: Nigel Mansell - Formula One

1991: Liz McColgan - Long Distance Running

1990: Paul Gascoigne - Football

1989: Nick Faldo - Golf

1988: Steve Davis - Snooker

1987: Fatima Whitbread - Javelin

1986: Nigel Mansell - Formula One

1985: Barry McGuigan - Boxing

1984: Christopher Dean & Jane Torvill - Figure Skating

1983: Steve Cram - Middle Distance Running

1982: Daley Thompson - Decathlon

1981: Ian Botham - Cricket

1980: Robin Cousins - Figure Skating

1979: Sebastian Coe - Middle Distance Running

1978: Steve Ovett - Middle Distance Running

1977: Virginia Wade - Tennis

1976: John Curry - Figure Skating

1975: David Steele - Cricket

1974: Brendan Foster - Long Distance Running

1973: Jackie Stewart - Formula One

1972: Mary Peters - Pentathlon

1971: Anne, Princess Royal - Equestrian

1970: Henry Cooper - Boxing

1969: Ann Jones - Tennis

1968: David Hemery - 400m Hurdles

1967: Henry Cooper - Boxing

1966: Bobby Moore - Football

1965: Tom Simpson - Cycling

1964: Mary Rand - Long Jump

1963: Dorothy Hyman - Sprinting

1962: Anita Lonsbrough - Swimming

1961: Stirling Moss - Formula One

1960: David Broome - Show Jumping

1959: John Surtees - Motorcycle Racing

1958: Ian Black - Swimming

1957: Dai Rees - Golf

1956: Jim Laker - cricket

1955: Gordon Pirie - Long Distance Running

1954: Christopher Chataway - Long Distance Running

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