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Geraint Thomas wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018Geraint Thomas on Tour de France 2018 podium.JPG

Geraint Thomas wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018

Tou de France winner took title in a public vote beating Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Tottenham striker Harry Kane
by Tony Farrelly
Sun, Dec 16, 2018 21:23
38

Geraint Thomas has been named as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018, Thomas beat Lewis Hamilton and Harry Kane in a public vote to take the title. 

Speaking immediately after his win was announced Thomas said: 

"I feel really to have come into cycling at the age I am. I was just going down the local leisure centre going for a swim, then I end up riding a bike.

"I'd like to thank my wife, she deserves this just as much. I'm really lucky to have her and my family. 

"As a bike rider, I was always focused on myself, but hearing stories like Tyson and Billy, then seeing kids on their bikes back home, you take great pride in winning this. 

"It's been an amazing year for British sport and long may it continue."

Moments after the Tour de France champion was announced as Sports Personality of the Year Team Sky tweeted a video showing reaction to Thomas's win from the the Team's training camp in Mallorcca 

Earlier in the evening Thomas, a keen Arsenal supporter had jokingly appealed to fellow Gooners to vote for him in a bid to stop Harry Kane, who plays for arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur winning the title – Kane had been favourite with the bookies to take the award tonight. No surprise then that Arsenal Football Club wasted not time in tweeting their congratulations to Thomas either.

More to follow

Geraint Thomas
BBC SPOTY 2018
SPOTY 2018
Tony Farrelly

road.cc's founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony's journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he'd like to own a carbon bike one day.

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38 comments

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maviczap replied to maviczap | 5 years ago
0 likes
maviczap wrote:
Redvee wrote:

Given Lewis Hamilton was also in the frame, I was expecting Geraint to come second. When Lewis was announced as second place, straight away I knew it was Geraint.

No, Hamilton isn't that well liked, just look at previous years when he's not even in the top 3, there's an arrogance to him, real or just perceived. I'll cheer him along in F1 and will him to win, because he's a Brit. 

As soon as Kane was announced as 3rd, I knew G was 1st.

The BBC propaganda machine had failed to get Kane to No1, and Jimmy Anderson was there to represent core BBC sports, but both hadn't achieved anything memorable in the sporting year, especially compared to our cyclists.

There must be some sore heads in the BBC sports department, as they'll all have drowned their sorrows, as yet ANOTHER cyclist has won SPOTY. For all the money invested in our national football team, the best thing they did was win a penalty shoot out.

Kudos to Lizzie Yarnold, Dina Asher Smith and our women's netball team, who actually won stuff, but they don't have the public profile of G, which was boosted by all his extra TV apperances.

New rules next year, no public vote, just a secret BBC panel, just so the footballers can win something

Yep, as I predicted BBC are moving the goalposts for next year's spoty

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/02/bbc-sports-personality-of-year-shortlist-no-longer-revealed-advance-sport

Avatar
cactuscat replied to maviczap | 5 years ago
1 like
maviczap wrote:

Yep, as I predicted BBC are moving the goalposts for next year's spoty

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/02/bbc-sports-personality-of-year-shortlist-no-longer-revealed-advance-sport

That's a link to story about *this year's SPOTY* that doesn't mention any of the things you've said will happen. so well done for that.

Avatar
Sniffer replied to maviczap | 5 years ago
0 likes
maviczap wrote:
maviczap wrote:
Redvee wrote:

Given Lewis Hamilton was also in the frame, I was expecting Geraint to come second. When Lewis was announced as second place, straight away I knew it was Geraint.

No, Hamilton isn't that well liked, just look at previous years when he's not even in the top 3, there's an arrogance to him, real or just perceived. I'll cheer him along in F1 and will him to win, because he's a Brit. 

As soon as Kane was announced as 3rd, I knew G was 1st.

The BBC propaganda machine had failed to get Kane to No1, and Jimmy Anderson was there to represent core BBC sports, but both hadn't achieved anything memorable in the sporting year, especially compared to our cyclists.

There must be some sore heads in the BBC sports department, as they'll all have drowned their sorrows, as yet ANOTHER cyclist has won SPOTY. For all the money invested in our national football team, the best thing they did was win a penalty shoot out.

Kudos to Lizzie Yarnold, Dina Asher Smith and our women's netball team, who actually won stuff, but they don't have the public profile of G, which was boosted by all his extra TV apperances.

New rules next year, no public vote, just a secret BBC panel, just so the footballers can win something

Yep, as I predicted BBC are moving the goalposts for next year's spoty

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/02/bbc-sports-personality-of-year-shortlist-no-longer-revealed-advance-sport

You do realise that you are a year behind.  The article you reference was Oct 2018 ie changes for this year's award not next.

I am also very good at predicting things that have already happened.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
2 likes

How many UK sportspersons currently play for Ireland? i'll give you a clue, it's four, one from Surrey, one from Penrith, one from N.I. and one from Barking. There are more players from South Africa, Australia and NZ in the irish team that qualify by parents or grandparents similar to the three English players.

It till does not make the Irish team a UK team, nor does the ryder cup team which is a european team. If you were to say that the irish team is British/UK then a team like Catalans Dragons who actually won a British based trophy (unlike the other two) qualify more so given the number of British players exceed that than the Irish team. it's utterly bonkers that these foreign teams are included!

This is usual BBC crud, as well as their scophantic drooling over the failed soccer team (how many losses in the world cup again??) Kane has won nothing barring a dubious #I scored more goals in one competiton than others award', it;s a disgrace that he was in front of the excellent Dina Asher Smith who not only has won globally recognised titles but also has British records to her name this year .. unlike Kane.

It's nothing to do with the fact that soccer is a corrupt business that steals millions of untaxed monies out of the UK, it's the FACT that Kane has done nothing of note this year, nor has the England soccer team

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
3 likes

Well done Geraint, deserved accolade, but for the politics within the BBC Froome would have been up there too given what he has also achieved this year.

Kane getting third is an utter disgrace and also including non British/UK teams in the team award vote is a joke (Ireland Rugby Union and European Gold team ffs!)

Avatar
Sniffer replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
4 likes
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Well done Geraint, deserved accolade, but for the politics within the BBC Froome would have been up there too given what he has also achieved this year.

Kane getting third is an utter disgrace and also including non British/UK teams in the team award vote is a joke (Ireland Rugby Union and European Gold team ffs!)

For Rugby Union Ireland is an all Ireland team so can and do have players from the UK.  The European Ryder cup team have been included, and won the team prize in the past, in the past.

As for Kane, one mans disgrace is another man's gifted sportsman.

Despite Froome doing great things in his sport he has little success in previous years in the public vote.

Maybe it is just your prejudices coming through?

 

 

Avatar
FatTed replied to Sniffer | 5 years ago
0 likes

 

For Rugby Union Ireland is an all Ireland team so can and do have players from the UK.  The European Ryder cup team have been included, and won the team prize in the past, in the past.

Since when is Ireland in the UK?

 

[/quote]

Avatar
Sniffer replied to FatTed | 5 years ago
0 likes
FatTed wrote:

 

For Rugby Union Ireland is an all Ireland team so can and do have players from the UK.  The European Ryder cup team have been included, and won the team prize in the past, in the past.

Since when is Ireland in the UK?

 

[/quote]

The Republic isn’t. NI is.  Suggest you read the post again.

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