Siya Kolisi among six nominees for SPOTY’S World Sport Star of the Year
SOUTH Africa’s Rugby World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi, marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Tiger Woods are among six nominees for the SPOTY’S World Sport Star of the Year.
Completing the list are American gymnast Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe and Australian star batsman Steve Smith.
The winner will be announced from a vote on the BBC Sport website, which opened Friday and runs to December 6, which will also include a poll for the Greatest Sporting Moments of the Year.
Gymnast Biles enjoyed another record-breaking year, improving her World Championships medal haul to 25 - of which 19 are golds - and also had two new skills named after her in the gymnastics code of points.
Rapinoe scored six goals to help the USA win the Women’s World Cup in France, where they defeated England in the semi-finals.
As well as claiming Golden Boot for top goalscorer, Rapinoe was also named best player at the tournament and later picked up the women’s accolade at the Best FIFA Football Awards.
Kolisi, meanwhile, led the Springboks to victory over England in the Rugby World Cup final in Japan. The 28-year-old, South Africa’s first black captain, lifted the Webb Ellis trophy after his side upset the odds to beat England 32-12.
Smith’s stunning summer proved the mainstay of Australia retaining the Ashes, with the batsman finishing the series with an astonishing 774 runs - at an average of 110 - and having also recovered from a neck injury suffered during the second Test at Lord’s.
In April, golf superstar Woods rolled back the years with a memorable triumph in the Masters at Augusta. It was his 15th major - some 11 years after the last - and the American later equalled the PGA Tour record of 82 tournament wins with victory at the Zozo Championship in Tokyo.
The BBC are also running a vote on 2019’s six Greatest Sporting Moments.
The shortlist includes Divock Origi sealing Liverpool’s remarkable Champions League comeback with a fourth goal against Barcelona, as well as the superb strike from Vincent Kompany against Leicester which put Manchester City on the verge of another Premier League title.
Lucy Bronze’s sweeping effort for England in their World Cup quarter-final against Norway completes football’s hat-trick of entries.
The moment England won the Cricket World Cup when wicketkeeper Jos Buttler broke the stumps at the end of the ‘Super Over’ against New Zealand is also included, along with the boundary from Ben Stokes which sealed a famous Ashes Test win at Headingley.
The final putt from Suzann Pettersen which secured Solheim Cup victory for Europe makes up the six nominees.