Jimmy joins the greats of UK sport
JAMES Anderson continues to defy the sands of time, claiming his 700th Test wicket aged 41 for England in their fifth Test against India in Dharamsala.
Here, Sunday Sport looks at five other sportspeople from the UK whose longevity is unparalleled in their chosen professions.
SIR STEVE REDGRAVE – ROWING
The only man to win gold at five successive Olympics in an endurance sport. Redgrave first stood atop the podium in Los Angeles 1984 and reigned supreme until Sydney 2000 – four years after his memorable utterance: “Anybody who sees me in a boat has my permission to shoot me” in 1996.
RYAN GIGGS – FOOTBALL
The most decorated player in English football with 34 trophies, the Welshman went 23 seasons in a row scoring at least one goal. The exMan United winger played over 1,000 games for club and country, penning his first deal as a 17- year- old in 1990 before bowing out in 2014.
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN – SNOOKER
Seven days before his 18th birthday, O’Sullivan toppled the great Stephen Hendry in the final of the 1993 UK Championship. While it took another eight years to win a first world title, the Chigwell- based potter has won another six since then and most would argue he remains the best player today.
SIR AP MCCOY – HORSE RACING
A champion jockey for a record 20 successive times in every year that he was a professional, the Northern Irishman rode 4,358 winners. McCoy won almost every notable horse race in Britain and Ireland and capped his career with a long-awaited Grand National in 2010, retiring five years later.
JAMES ROBY – RUGBY LEAGUE
The former St Helens captain broke the mould with a 20- season career and finished as the leading appearance- maker in Super League’s summer era with 495. Roby was a six- time Super League and two- time World Club Challenge winner.