SO, WHO WOULD WO0LERS CHOOSE?
AWARD
ESTABLISHED in honour of Sportsmail legend Ian Wooldridge, who died in 2007, his annual award is voted for by you. It celebrates the sporting genius and Corinthian spirit so beloved of ‘Woolers’. Last year you picked 10,000metres European champion Jo Pavey. Now we invite you to nominate a sportsperson from this year. Here, our writers offer some suggestions...
DEREK LAWRENSON ALISTAIR BROWNLEE
IT IS hard to imagine a story that would have appealed more to Woolers than Alistair Brownlee’s act of selflessness at the World Triathlon series in Mexico last month.
Here was a tale that so transcended its boundaries the Prime Minister Theresa May mentioned it in her speech to the Conservative Party conference as an example of how we could all do more.
Here was a man so competitive he had successfully defended his Olympic triathlon title a month earlier. Yet he did not hesitate, giving up his own chance of winning the race to help his brother, suffering in the heat, over the line (above). In a year packed with great sports stories, this was the most stirring.
MARCUS TOWNEND NICO DE BOINVILLE
FOR jump jockeys, careers are defined by the Cheltenham Festival. The pressure at the season’s biggest meeting is immense but Nico de Boinville excels.
Twelve months after partnering Coneygree to victory in the Gold Cup, De Boinville returned to the Festival in March to land the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Sprinter Sacre for boss Nicky Henderson. It was hugely emotional, with Sprinter Sacre having battled back from a major heart problem. The crowd roared but only those closest to the jockey knew that in the vital last weeks, the 26-year-old had prepared Sprinter Sacre as his mother Shaunagh lost her battle against cancer. De Boinville’s proud father Simon confessed: ‘I don’t know how he held it all together.’ But he did.
Woolers loved Cheltenham and hugely admired jump jockeys. I think I know how highly he would have thought of Nico.
MIKE DICKSON MADDIE HINCH
IAN was never more at the top of his game than when writing about the Olympics, and I am sure he would have been captivated by women’s hockey goalkeeper Maddie Hinch.
The Kent goalie was the difference between GB and favourites Holland in the gold-medal match that ended in a shootout and when it most mattered Hinch, who keeps copious notes on opposition players, justified her reputation for being the best at her often thankless job in the whole sport.
In a team that tended towards the cliches of ‘journeys’ and ‘processes’ when giving quotes she stood out with her insightful comments. Ian would also have approved of her self-confessed, 11-hour champagne celebration on the plane home.
JONATHAN McEVOY ALASTAIR COOK
IAN liked his cricketers to come with an extra dose of pizzazz: cavaliers like Keith Miller, Denis Compton, Garfield Sobers, Ted Dexter and Ian Botham. But I think he would appreciate Alastair Cook for his steely, rather than shiny, qualities. Having been on the right side of history in ditching Kevin Pietersen, his dignified captaincy of England is a rebuke to the gaudy and mouthy of sport. There is the small matter of Cook becoming the youngest to reach 10,000 Test runs, which he did this year. But just as impressively — and predictably — he did not use the birth of his second child as a reason to miss the terror-clouded tour of Bangladesh. Unlike Eoin Morgan, who deserted the oneday team, Cook returned from the maternity ward to lead from the front.
MATT BARLOW CLAUDIO RANIERI
THE leading man in the most remarkable Premier League story ever told. Always charming even when the heat was on, with his whimsical asides and an imaginary bell. And with a quiet dignity and an acute sense of style. Ranieri forged success from a collection of misfits discarded by others and driven by sport’s enduring ability to reward those who refuse to give in.
After a lifetime of trying he won his title and the aristocrats of English football were humbled. Many fine words were written in honour, but wouldn’t it have been nice to know what Wooldridge made of it all?
PAUL NEWMAN CHARLOTTE EDWARDS
CRICKET was arguably Ian’s greatest sporting love and he would have enjoyed the reaction of Charlotte Edwards to the biggest disappointment of her career. One of the greatest women players of all time was sacked as England captain while still at the peak of her powers because new coach Mark Robinson believed younger players were underperforming because of her presence. Edwards then articulated her disappointment in an interview with The Mail on Sunday in a dignified way, wished erstwhile team-mates well, then led her new team, Southern Vipers, to the inaugural Super League title. The fact that the opposition in the final, Western Storm, were captained by Edwards’ successor Heather Knight would have appealed to Woolers’ sense of theatre. He would have liked Charlotte and she would be a worthy winner of this award.
JOHN GREECHAN ANDY MURRAY
ANDY MURRAY knew that going deep into the Olympic singles and doubles events in Rio would have a serious impact on his season. He understood that the US Open, arguably still the Grand Slam event that suits him best, might even have to be written off.
But, when Team GB called, he answered. As he always does. On top of winning a second Wimbledon title, becoming the first man to defend the Olympic singles crown gave the ever-humble Murray – now on course for the World No. 1 slot – his best ever year. And he did the right thing by his country.
Ian would have admired a dedication that elevates Murray beyond the level of his peers, above even brilliant fellow Olympians such as Callum Hawkins, Eilidh Child and Laura Muir. All of whom will surely be in contention for this honour again, of course.
LAURA WILLIAMSON SOPHIE HITCHON
HITCHON’S mum Wendy hung out the washing back home in Burnley while her ‘chunky monkey’ became the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in the hammer. It was an uplifting example of an ordinary Lancashire lass doing something extraordinary. She won bronze in style, too, by setting a British record with her last throw. There were medals we expected to win in Rio but more memorable were the ones that came as a surprise. Hitchon (above), with her twinkling smile, power and competitive edge, produced one of the stand-out moments of a stunning Games.