MO’S WARRIOR SPIRIT MAKES HIM MY NO 1
My criteria: I’ve limited myself to sportsmen I’ve watched in person or admired from afar, and I’ve decided to ramp up the pressure by restricting myself to one name per sport.
MY TOP 10 MEN
MO FARAH BRITAIN’S greatest ever athlete. nothing tops his double-double at 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Incredible talent, consistency and warrior spirit. IAN BOTHAM PLAYED fantasy cricket — outrageous strokes, wickets and brilliant catches. Proud, never- say- die englishman who used to take on and beat the aussies! BOBBY MOORE NOT just the superbly stylish defender who won 108 caps but the great captain, leader and icon. Would england have won the 1966 World Cup without him? I very much doubt it. BRADLEY WIGGINS HIS 2012 tour de France win was a genuine ‘pinch me’ moment, plus factor in five Olympic golds. Ultimate all-rounder, huge personality. LEWIS HAMILTON BRITAIN remains second to none on the world scene in motorsport and you could nominate several names, but lewis is an extraordinary sportsman and a special competitor. NICK FALDO THOSE of a certain age can remember when Britons didn’t win majors, especially in the United states. nick changed all that with his steely attitude and competitive instinct. I admire hugely how he rebuilt his swing mid-career. ANDY MURRAY HIS first Wimbledon win was another huge breakthrough. add two Olympic titles, a second Wimbledon, a Us Open and a phenomenal davis Cup campaign and he was one of my first picks. and just approaching his prime! STEVE REDGRAVE VERY little compares with a performance-based athlete winning gold medals at five consecutive Olympics, in different boats with different colleagues and fighting a serious medical condition for the last gold. lionhearted, indomitable Brit. JONNY WILKINSON WE must have a rugby player! and it’s either Jonny or the great Gareth edwards. toss of a coin but I go for Jonny because he contributed so handsomely to the ultimate, namely a World Cup win. LESTER PIGGOTT A GENIUS jockey and winning sportsman at the top of the pile for well over 40 years. the dedication and sacrifices that would have been involved almost defy belief. With sincere apologies to Daley Thompson, Seb Coe, Gareth Edwards, Chris Hoy, Lennox Lewis, Chris Froome and Phil Taylor.
MY TOP 10 WOMEN
REBECCA ADLINGTON WONDERFUL world-beating brace of Olympic gold medals in Beijing and still ultra -competitive in london four years later. raised swimming out of the doldrums NICOLE COOKE YOU can’t argue with her incredible Olympic and world cycling double in 2008 and a host of brilliant displays on the road all over the world. CHRISSIE WELLINGTON NEVER got due credit for being the four-time Ironman triathlon world champion. she is a legendary figure in her sport. TANNI GREY-THOMPSON BRITAIN can be proud of its Paralympic history and tanni was the first name to capture the public’s imagination with her 11 gold medals. JESSICA ENNIS-HILL JESS (below) is an incredible all- round athlete who delivered under enormous pressure at london 2012. a superb role model for young women and mothers, returning from the birth of her first child to win silver in rio. KATHERINE GRAINGER A HUGE favourite of mine for incredible grit and determination over five Olympics which netted four silvers and that never-tobe-forgotten gold at london. CHARLOTTE EDWARDS CAPTAINED england on 220 occasions in tests, OdIs and t20 and led us to three ashes series wins. Only now do we appreciate her greatness. LAURA DAVIES IN BRITISH terms the nick Faldo of women’s golf. Crashed through all sorts of barriers to become the first european woman to head the lPGa money list and win four majors. CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN HAS transformed us into a nation of dressage experts. takes on and beats the best men in the world to win Olympic and world titles. SARAH STOREY SIXTEEN Paralympic medals as a swimmer, including five gold, then switched to cycling. Sincere apologies to Beryl Burton, Mary Rand, Mary Peters, Ann Jones, Laura Trott and Kelly Holmes.