Sports Personality of the Year 2008: The Contenders
Hamilton enters as favourite for second successive year
Lewis Hamilton
The last two non-Olympians to win the trophy in a year where the Games took place were Britain’s last two Formula One champions: Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Damon Hill in 1996. There does however appear to be some resentment about his decision to switch Stevenage to Switzerland to dodge taxes and that may have dented his popularity slightly.
Rebecca Adlington
The nineteen-year-old from Mansfield became the most successful British swimmer in a hundred years by winning two gold medals in Beijing. However, the last woman to win an Olympic swimming gold - Anita Lonsbrough in 1960 - only came third in that year’s Sports Personality of the Year. She did win the award two years later though and remains the only female swimmer ever to have done so.
Chris Hoy
There have numerous occasions where this award has been won by the Brit who came closest to winning something so it speaks volumes for Britain’s sporting success this year that Hoy, the first Brit since Henry Taylor in 1908 to win three gold medals at one Olympic Games, is only third-favourite. The only cyclist to have previously won the award was Tom Simpson in 1965.
Tags: Andy Murray, Anita Lonsbrough, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Hoy, Damon Hill, Formula 1, Joe Calzaghe, Lewis Hamilton, Masters Cup, Nigel Mansell, Olympics, Rebecca Adlington, Richard Gasquet, Ricky Hatton, Roy Jones Jnr, Swimming, Tennis, Tom Simpson, Wimbledon
Posted: November 7th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | 2 Comments 
