BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year[1] award is presented at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony. It is awarded to the sportsperson aged 17 or under as of 1 January of that year, who has made the most outstanding contribution to sport in that year. Nominees have to be British citizens or are residents who "play a significant amount of their sport in the UK" with their solo "core achievements" being undertaken in the UK.[2] As of 2023, nominations are put forward by a judging panel which includes representatives from the BBC, Youth Sport Trust, a Blue Peter presenter, a young Blue Peter "guest" judge and sporting talent who then decide on a ten-person shortlist. The panel later reconvenes to choose the top three, and decides on the winner by secret ballot.[2]
| BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Award | |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | BBC Sports Personality of the Year |
| Formerly called | BBC Sports Personality of the Year Newcomer Award |
| First awarded | 1999 |
| Most recent winner | Mia Brookes (2023) |
The BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award was preceded by the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Newcomer Award, in which the recipients could be aged up to 25. Decathlete Dean Macey was the inaugural winner of the Newcomer Award in 1999, and racing driver Jenson Button was the second and last winner the following year. In 2001, the award was replaced by the Young Sports Personality of the Year,[3] and sprinter Amy Spencer was the first recipient of that award. The only person to win the award more than once is diver Tom Daley, who won the award three times, in 2007, 2009, and 2010.[4] The most recent award was presented in 2023 to snowboarder Mia Brookes.
Winners
Newcomer Award
| Year | Winner | Age when awarded | Sport | Rationale | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Dean Macey | 21 | Athletics | For "a string of stunning performances in the decathlon" and a "rise to prominence at [the 1999] World Championship"[5][6] | [7] |
| 2000 | Jenson Button | 20 | Formula One | For finishing "in eighth place in his debut Formula One World Championship season"[8] | [9] |
Young Personality Award
| Year | Winner | Age when awarded | Sport | Rationale | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Amy Spencer | 16 | Athletics | For being "world under-18 silver medallist in the 100m and 200m, despite still having two years left in the age group"[10] | [11] |
| 2002 | Wayne Rooney | 17 | Football | For being "touted by many as the most promising English football talent to have surfaced in recent years"[12] | [13] |
| 2003 | Kate Haywood | 17 | Swimming | For becoming the "youngest ever swimmer to represent England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games winning a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay" and for "clinching gold in the 50m breaststroke at the European Junior Championships"[14] | [15] |
| 2004 | Andy Murray | 17 | Tennis | For making "giant strides in the world of tennis in the past 12 months, during which time he won the US Open juniors title"[16] | [17] |
| 2005 | Harry Aikines-Aryeetey | 17 | Athletics | For becoming the "first sprinter in the six-year history of the IAAF World Youth Championships to win gold in both the 100m and 200m"[18] | [19] |
| 2006 | Theo Walcott | 17 | Football | For a "fantastic year in which he transferred to Arsenal and went to the World Cup with England"[20] | [21] |
| 2007 | Tom Daley | 13 | Diving | For "achievements in diving which include becoming the youngest-ever National Men's Platform Champion"[22] | [23] |
| 2008 | Eleanor Simmonds | 14 | Swimming | For becoming "Britain's youngest ever individual Paralympic gold medallist"[24] | [25] |
| 2009 | Tom Daley | 15 | Diving | For winning the men's 10 m platform event at the world championships, and becoming "Britain's youngest world champion in any sport".[26] | [27] |
| 2010 | Tom Daley | 16 | Diving | For winning two gold medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games | [28] |
| 2011 | Lauren Taylor | 17 | Golf | Youngest-ever winner of the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, breaking a 112-year record | [29] |
| 2012 | Josef Craig | 15 | Swimming | Winner of gold medal in the Paralympic 400 metre freestyle S7. Youngest British winner of a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics. | [30] |
| 2013 | Amber Hill | 16 | Shooting | Youngest winner of a senior World Cup in skeet shooting. Finished the season ranked number one senior in Great Britain and ranked fifth in the world. | [31] |
| 2014 | Claudia Fragapane | 17 | Artistic gymnastics | Won four gold medals to become the most successful English woman at the Commonwealth Games in 84 years, before reaching three individual finals at her first World Championships. | [32] |
| 2015 | Ellie Downie | 17 | Artistic gymnastics | Won a bronze medal to become the first woman to win an all-around senior international medal for Great Britain at the European Championships. Helped Great Britain to an unprecedented bronze medal in the Women's Team competition at the World Championships. | [32] |
| 2016 | Eleanor Robinson | 15 | Swimming | Won a gold medal S6 50m butterfly category with a Games record and a bronze medal in the S6 100m Freestyle category at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games | [33] |
| 2017 | Phil Foden | 17 | Football | Won the Golden Ball as the best player at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup as England won the tournament. | |
| 2018 | Kare Adenegan | 17 | Wheelchair racing | Broke T34 100m world record, and won European Championships | [35] |
| 2019 | Caroline Dubois | 18 | Boxing | Won 40 consecutive boxing matches | [36] |
| 2020 | Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix | 16 | Diving | Won her first senior international gold medal and the senior British title in the women's 10 m platform event | [37] |
| 2021 | Sky Brown | 13 | Skateboarding | Became the youngest ever British Summer Olympian at the age of 13 by winning the bronze medal at the Women's park Skateboarding competition in the 2020 Summer Olympics | [38] |
| 2022 | Jessica Gadirova | 18 | Artistic gymnastics | Became the fifth individual British world champion gymnast in history and the first British woman to win a world all-around medal. Also won her second European gold. | [39] |
| 2023 | Mia Brookes | 16 | Snowboarding | Became the youngest ever Snowboard World Champion at the Bakuriani World Championships, also becoming the first Brit to win a snowboard slopestyle world title. She also became the first woman to land a Cab 1440 in a competition. | [40] |
Winners by sport
| Sport | Number of wins |
|---|---|
| Athletics | 4* |
| Diving | 4 |
| Swimming | 4 |
| Artistic Gymnastics | 3 |
| Football | 3 |
| Boxing | 1 |
| Formula One | 1* |
| Golf | 1 |
| Shooting | 1 |
| Skateboarding | 1 |
| Snowboarding | 1 |
| Tennis | 1 |
* Including a Newcomer of the Year award
References
- General
- "Sports Personality of the Year: more winners". BBC. December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- Specific