1st December 2015

Ennis-hill, Farah & Rutherford Shortlisted For BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

01 December 2015 

Jess Ennis-Hill (coach: Toni Minichiello), Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar) and Greg Rutherford (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo) have all been shortlisted in the top 12 for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

The event, which will be held in Belfast on Sunday 20 December, has seen the British trio nominated courtesy of their unprecedented achievements over the last 12 months.

13 months after giving birth to her son Reggie, Ennis-Hill did the remarkable winning the heptathlon title at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. The 29 year old, who was making her first appearance in a British vest since her gold medal triumph at the London 2012 Olympic Games blew away the competition in the soaring heat of the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

Ennis-Hill produced three season’s bests on her way to victory to post a final score of 6,669 points, 115 clear of her nearest rival Brianne Theisen-Eaton, who claimed her second successive silver medal at the World Championships. The Sheffield-based athlete will now head into the Olympic year fresh in the knowledge that she holds both the Olympic and world titles.

Farah meanwhile added another two world titles in the Far East to add to his reputation as being one of the greatest British sportsman of all time. In winning the 5,000m and 10,000m crowns, Farah achieved something that no other distance athlete had ever achieved – the ‘triple double.’

While the medals speak for themselves, the way in which Farah claimed victory was nothing short of remarkable. The 32 year old used all his experience and composure in the 10,000m final to clinch his first gold in Beijing despite a trip in the last lap which threatened to derail his chances of topping the podium again. Farah faced similar tribulations in the heats of the 5,000m narrowly avoiding a fall twice before eventually coming away with his second gold and fifth career world title.

Also in breath-taking form was Rutherford, who completed the Grand Slam of major titles in Beijing adding world gold to his Olympic, Commonwealth and European titles. After successfully navigating his way through qualifying with a second round jump of 8.25m, it got better in the final for the 29 year old as he went out to 8.41m – the second furthest jump of his career. Despite going into the championships ranked fifth, there was no doubting that Rutherford would produce the goods when it mattered to claim the one medal missing from his collection.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year takes place on Sunday 20 December, and you will be able to vote for your winner on the evening itself.


BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist:

Lizzie Armitstead (Cycling)

Lucy Bronze (Football)

Jessica Ennis-Hill (Athletics)

Mo Farah (Athletics)

Chris Froome (Cycling)

Tyson Fury (Boxing)

Lewis Hamilton (Motor Racing)

Andy Murray (Tennis)

Adam Peaty (Swimming)

Greg Rutherford (Athletics)

Kevin Sinfield (Rugby League)

Max Whitlock (Gymnastics)  

 

For more information visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/