Geraint Thomas has been tipped to receive a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours to set the seal on a remarkable year for the Welshman.
Already a double Olympic champion in the team pursuit, the 32-year-old’s Tour de France victory in July has propelled him to superstardom.
The Team Sky rider’s elevated public profile was confirmed last week when he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, having already won the BBC Wales version of the award.
A source told the Sunday People that Thomas, awarded an MBE after winning his first Olympic gold medal in 2008, that his latest honour will be confirmed next week.
“Geraint has achieved what no Welshman has achieved before and a knighthood is the right way to honour him,” the source said.
Thomas’s former Team Sky and Team GB colleague Sir Bradley Wiggins was knighted after his Tour de France victory in 2012, the year in which he won the fourth of his five Olympic medals.
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, who this year became only the third man in the history of cycling to hold all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously, was appointed an OBE in 2016 but is yet to receive a knighthood.
Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford was knighted after the London 2012 Olympics, while Sir Chris Hoy was awarded his knighthood after winning three Olympic gold medals at Beijing four years earlier.
24 thoughts on “Arise, Sir G? Geraint Thomas tipped for knighthood”
Poor Froome. More worthy than
Poor Froome. More worthy than Wiggins is being of late and a more impressive resume that Thomas.
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
I really like Thomas and I know that he has won a couple of Olympic Golds on the track, but it is difficult to see why he is more deserving of a knighthood than Froome. Could be the “source” is talking rubbish, of course.
stephen ashforth wrote:
I really like Thomas and I know that he has won a couple of Olympic Golds on the track, but it is difficult to see why he is more deserving of a knighthood than Froome. Could be the “source” is talking rubbish, of course.— Yorkshire wallet
tbf the leaks on this stuff are usually pretty accurate by this time of the year, though lots of it still is just speculating to fill column inches. But Thomas didnt take the honour awarded from the 2012 olympics gold medal, which would have made him an OBE I guess, and an MBE is the lowest rank in the honours system, so I think even those that follow these things closely would struggle to name anyone prior to this who was an MBE, who turned down a OBE, but then gets knighted only a few years later.
I think the important
I think the important question is what Froome has done for the UK, excluding trade colour victories.
don simon fbpe wrote:
He did win the bronze in 2012, so we know he has been to London at least once. Have there been many other sighting of him on this island? Perhaps HMRC also have a veto.
That Welsh flag is very
That Welsh flag is very poorly Photoshopped.
Must try harder road.cc!
Gotta to be Froome
Gotta to be Froome
Maybe he turned it down.
Maybe he turned it down.
Maybe he turned it down.
Maybe he turned it down.
Not to detract from the
Not to detract from the deserved Thomas, as one of the few men who have held all three GT jerseys simultaneously, Froome must be sounded out for a knighthood: this is the greatest acheivement of any British cyclist….and yes, if he holds the passport, he is British.
Not to detract from the
Not to detract from the deserved Thomas, as one of the few men who have held all three GT jerseys simultaneously, Froome must be sounded out for a knighthood: this is the greatest acheivement of any British cyclist….and yes, if he holds the passport, he is British.
Perhaps you can tell a man’s
Perhaps you can tell a man’s country by the flag on his bike rather than a passport of convenience?
Froome has represented the UK
Froome has represented the UK at the pinnacle of his sport. He is hands down the greatest Grand Tour cyclist of the modern age and arguably one of the all time greats. I don’t care if he was born and raised in Timbuktu, Greenland or the International Space Station. He has represented this country and if any sportsman deserves a KBE, it’s him.
Kenyans are eligible for
Kenyans are eligible for knighthoods too and, as members of the Commonwealth, can use the title “Sir”, so it doesn’t matter what your opinion is on Froome’s nationality in relation to being honoured.
My view re such recognition
My view re such recognition is that, in the case of sports people, it should wait until they retire from top-level competition. They’ll still be young and those doling out the honours will have more perspective. For Andy Murray his knighthood almost seems a jinx and Wiggo’s gong hardly seems to have done him much good. I’d say for Thomas it’s 50/50 at the moment, but if he becomes a Sir then Froome should absolutely be too (and despite all the showbiz BS, if those two are knighted then David Beckham really, really ought to be).
If imports like Mo (my coach
If imports like Mo (my coach was dodgy) Farah can gets knighted then why not Froome?
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
Because Mo has been seen as a representative of GB, Froome’s success has generally come under the Australian owned Team SKY banner? I’m sure it’d be different had Froomedog won a couple of golds for
his home nationGreat Britain.I’m against the whole honours bullcrap, so not bothered whether Froome gets one or not, nor whether Geraint gets one or not. Quite happily see the Royal family go too.
Meh, sportspersons getting a
Meh, sportspersons getting a big gong for doing their job well, sorry but it’s bollocks. Maybe after they’ve done something for the country as a whole, helped set up a cycle organisation that gets kids/adults cycling, or like Chris Boardman, is actually doing something massively positive not just for cycling safety but health of the nation and is involved in community work post career, that deserves a gong.
it’s just getting fricking ridiculous now, they’re even talking about Alistair Cook getting a knighthood ffs!
As i wrote in the guardian comments, there’s an 88yr old gent from my home city who has world champion honours both as a player and a coach at International level, one team club player and captain for most of his15 year pro career, never sent from the field of play, set up a hugely successful amateur club in his home city, brought through and trained thousands of kids, coached his county side, always involved in charitable events.
He’s given massively over 40 years, not just to the city but beyond and has just being nominated for a hall of fame place within the sport he played at.
Johnny Whiteley, Hull RLFC & Gt Britain rugby league player and Gt. Britain, & Yorkshire coach, instigator of the West Hull amateur club and all round good egg, was awarded an MBE in 2005!
It’s all about what’s/who’s popular, it’s sod all to do with what you’ve given in the wider sense beyond your job, never mind what you actually achieved.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Much as I am a fan of G, I agree 100% with what you say. The honours system started out as recognition for people who had incurred if not risk, then at least some inconvenience in order to help others. Dishing out honours to pop stars whose greatest achievement is the accumulation of several hundred million quid of personal wealth, at the expense of the younger generation is a bit off.
Just an OBE, should’ve used
Just an OBE, should’ve used the photoshopped image on the application.
don simon fbpe wrote:
Yep, as predicted, the “source” was talking rubbish.
Made me laugh, all the talk
Made me laugh, all the talk in various sporting forums about the relative merits of sports folk…and Twiggy gets one of the highest gongs on offer for being a professional clothes horse and, err, not a lot else ☺
SNAFU!
Bobbinogs wrote:
Didn’t sir Bradders just ride a bike, and, err, not much else?
Twiggy would be a pariah as a
Twiggy would be a pariah as a modern day woman as all the Facebook fatties would mobilise against her.