CAN JESS CHASE DOWN MURRAY?
Tomorrow’s contest is a two-horse race. Here’s who we pick
MATT LAWTON
JESSICA ENNIS-HILL
In the build-up to the World Athletics Championships, ennis-hill and Katarina Johnson-thompson were cast as the Coe and Ovett of modern British athletics, with many backing KJt to knock ennishill off her perch. But ennis-hill proved what a great champion she is by returning from the birth of her son to take a most unexpected world title while KJt discovered that it takes more than talent to win the biggest prizes.
Further cause for admiration was ennis-hill’s public opposition to Sheffield United’s plan to welcome back Ched evans on completion of his prison sentence for rape. the woman is a class act.
PAUL NEWMAN
ANDY MURRAY
It’S astonishing that neither Joe Root nor Stuart Broad are on the shortlist after their leading roles in an Ashes-winning summer but maybe cricket is paying for killing the goose that laid the golden egg by having three meetings of the oldest rivals in sport in just two years. In their absence I go for Andy Murray — his starring role in the Davis Cup final was sport at its best and he showed how passionately he cares for his country. I hope tyson Fury finishes bottom with no votes and that the BBC do not compromise their integrity by allowing him interview time on the night.
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
LEWIS HAMILTON
THERE are so many reasons why I wouldn’t vote for Lewis hamilton — his love for all things Lewis hamilton, his petulance, his halfconsidered views, that sense you get that he’d drive a supercar over a grandmother just to stop nico Rosberg getting to a supermarket first. that’s not to mention the adolescent habit he developed in the past month or so which compels him to tell the world every time he’s had an alcoholic drink. ‘Man, I’ve been doing some heavy partying.’ he is an incredibly unlikeable and odd person at times. But then, what a winner. he has a purpose in life and he fulfils it better than almost anyone playing any other sport anywhere today. And he wants to do it again, and again, and again. that takes immense personality.
LAURIE WHITWELL
JESSICA ENNIS-HILL
GIVE birth to son Reggie in July 2014. Return to training that October. Battle ankle injury in the early part of 2015. Be uncertain of even entering August’s World Championships until a month before. Go with the outside hope of a medal. Smash the field to win heptathlon gold.
Jessica ennis-hill is brilliant, both as a sporting figure and personality. When athletics is in crisis, she shows the heights that can be reached through absolute dedication. Robbed of a previous World Championship gold by a drugs cheat, she has remained dignified but forceful in her words, ultimately fighting back through an unrivalled performance in track and field.
her event requires physical versatility and immense concentration. One misjudgement over the course of two days and your competition is over. hers is the story of the year.
DEREK LAWRENSON
TYSON FURY
hOW can you take SPOtY seriously this year given the absence of Gareth Bale and Joe Root?
there’s a serious case for making them 1-2, never mind not even making the shortlist. What are we left with? Andy Murray beating nobodies in the Davis Cup (yawn), Lewis hamilton winning his usual two-car race (even bigger yawn) or Mo Farah, who seems to have lost his moral compass in the face of allegations regarding his coach. As for the rest of the list, even the sports fans in this country will not have heard of half of them, so how could you make them sports personality?
twist my arm and I’d give it to Jess in a low-grade year but let’s hope Fury wins, just for the fun factor of seeing the horrified reaction among the BBC’s PC hierarchy.
LAURA WILLIAMSON
JESSICA ENNIS-HILL
It’S hard enough getting dressed in the morning in those foggy early days after you have a baby, never mind thinking about training for one event — and certainly not seven. But then Jessica ennis-hill is not just anybody. She is the Olympic heptathlon champion and she wanted her world title back, so that is exactly what she did.
And while ennis-hill has sensibly opted to laugh off tyson Fury’s moronic comments ahead of tomorrow’s ceremony, she deserves recognition for taking a stand against her club Sheffield United’s move to re-sign Ched evans last year.
It took guts to speak out, but then we know ennis-hill has drive and determination — not to mention talent — in spades. In these dark days for track and field, she is a British sporting personality to treasure.
DOMINIC KING
ANDY MURRAY
I See this as a four-runner race between Murray, Jessica ennishill, Chris Froome and Lewis hamilton. this is not being disrespectful to what the others have achieved, I just feel this quartet will dominate the market.
So why Murray? Apart from his incredible consistency in Grand Slams, what he did in Belgium in helping Great Britain to win the Davis Cup was remarkable. this was a sportsman at the peak of his powers, dragging those around him to another level to create history.
When we look back in years to come, we will see he is one of the greatest sportsmen these islands have produced.
MATT BARLOW
ANDY MURRAY
FOR leading British tennis back to the top of the world, more or less on his own. And for making a virtue of anti-charisma. It was the first Davis Cup win for Great Britain since 1936 on a heady weekend in Belgium. Murray won all eight of his singles matches during the year, while climbing to no 2 in the world rankings.
Untouchable as one of our modern sporting greats, he is also able to speak with the confidence and authority to make a difference. From a personal perspective, it will not match his Wimbledon triumph but 2015 was the year he came to be truly cherished by the nation.
JOE BERNSTEIN
ANDY MURRAY
An easy choice. to single-handedly turn a nation of tennis losers into Davis Cup winners is one of the great achievements.
Great Britain had to do it the hard way, as well — beating USA, France, Australia and Belgium, with the final away on clay, Murray’s leastfavourite surface. At times, Murray looked exhausted by his efforts in singles and doubles, but still found a way. the atmosphere in the semifinal doubles win against Australia in Glasgow was incredible. It is no exaggeration to say Andy has transformed a country’s attitude to his sport, as 2012 winner Sir Bradley Wiggins did with cycling.
MARTHA KELNER
JESSICA ENNIS-HILL
heR heptathlon winning score at the World Championships was a way off her best but in terms of personal achievement surpassed even her gold at London 2012. her victory came 13 months after giving birth, 10 months after she struggled to lift a medicine ball
above her head and barely four weeks after she decided she was even fit enough to take part. The ‘personality’ in the award title has long been redundant but the way Ennis-Hill has responded to the Tyson Fury furore — by laughing it off — was typically classy, a quality the boxer could do with learning. FOR years Britain’s Davis Cup team has barely made an impression, but Andy Murray and his brother Jamie changed all that on this remarkable journey.
He has spent the majority of his professional life on the road as a singles player and yet devoted himself to a team to help Great Britain cross the line in some huge matches. That unselfish act is inspiring in itself. In the final he was imperious. To commit himself in the manner that he did, and to make even more sacrifices to give this team the best moment of their career, is worthy of further recognition. CONVENTIONAL wisdom in tennis has it that no nation can win the Davis Cup with just one player in the world’s top 50. In 2015 Andy Murray defied that logic.
He was a towering presence, responsible for 11 winning points out of 12 over four rounds.
The Davis Cup is a properly global competition with 126 countries taking part annually. Three Grand Slam nations at full strength — America, France and Australia —were taken down before the final against Belgium away, in the alien conditions of an indoor clay court. Murray also finished the year as world No 2. But it was his selfless commitment to a team of lesser players that truly marked him out. THE golden girl of British athletics was unlucky to lose to Bradley Wiggins after the Olympics three years ago, but she deserves it this time following a triumphant return at the World Championships in Beijing just 13 months after giving birth to son Reggie. You could almost rule out Tyson Fury on the basis of his remarks about EnnisHill, and other comments after his victory over Wladimir Klitschko.
Like Ennis-Hill, Greg Rutherford should be applauded after adding to his medal collection with gold in Beijing. But, no, give this to Jess: Olympic champion, world champion, mother, and a marvellous ambassador for her sport.