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
He did it!!! Here was the reaction from our training camp in Mallorca as @GeraintThomas86 was announced as the winner of #SPOTY pic.twitter.com/2XZtItUSvK
— Team Sky (@TeamSky) December 16, 2018
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.
Massive congratulations to Arsenal fan @GeraintThomas86: The 2018 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Well done, Geraint – we’re proud of you #SPOTY pic.twitter.com/eUFsAdvXAl
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) December 16, 2018
More to follow
38 thoughts on “Geraint Thomas wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018”
Well done Geraint, deserved
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!)
BehindTheBikesheds 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.
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?
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?
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FatTed wrote:
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The Republic isn’t. NI is. Suggest you read the post again.
How many UK sportspersons
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
Given Lewis Hamilton was also
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.
Redvee wrote:
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
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
maviczap wrote:
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.
maviczap wrote:
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.
Both Hamilton and Thomas are
Both Hamilton and Thomas are essentially the best of the best. Can’t say that for the footballer.
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
Statistically he’s the best English goalscorer of his generation, up there with greats like Shearer, Rooney, and Lineker (none of whom won SPOTY – for some reason only creative midfielders have won it in the modern era)
He’s probably at the level of Ronaldo if he was playing for a better team.
kil0ran wrote:
Statistically he’s the best English goalscorer of his generation, up there with greats like Shearer, Rooney, and Lineker (none of whom won SPOTY – for some reason only creative midfielders have won it in the modern era)
He’s probably at the level of Ronaldo if he was playing for a better team.— Yorkshire wallet
My footie mad mate says this is cobblers. Says he’s a world class player but not elite. I have no real clue because football isn’t on my radar unless utterly unavoidable, like the World Cup.
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
Ronaldo and Messi are IMO two of the top 5 players to ever play football. Of course Kane’s not at that level but he’s the next level down and probably in the top 10 of footballers playing right now.
Joe Totale wrote:
My footie mad mate says this is cobblers. Says he’s a world class player but not elite. I have no real clue because football isn’t on my radar unless utterly unavoidable, like the World Cup.
— kil0ran Ronaldo and Messi are IMO two of the top 5 players to ever play football. Of course Kane’s not at that level but he’s the next level down and probably in the top 10 of footballers playing right now.— Yorkshire wallet
As much as I like Kane (my wife is a Spurs fan), he’s nowhere even close to Ronaldo and Messi. They are truly in their own category – have a little look at this article for the statistical analysis: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/lionel-messi-is-impossible/
I’m wondering what Chris
I’m wondering what Chris Froome needs to do in order to win SPOTY.
daturaman wrote:
Become more gregarious, write some top selling books, spend more time in the UK
Then again I doubt Froome gives two hoots about SPOTY.
IMO Simon Yates’ achievements this year we’re greater than Thomas’ but he doesn’t have the same media profile.
daturaman wrote:
Sorry, double post
daturaman wrote:
Simple. Be actually British and not simply hold the passport. Seems like a genuine nice bloke though.
Well done Geraint. Acheivement and personality.
Sports personality is a bit of a misnomer; Sports performance of the year is a little more accurate.
Cue standard SPOTY bickering.
Plasterer’s Radio wrote:
Having lit the blue touch paper with Froome and his passport…. I can’t see anything to bicker about here.
daturaman wrote:
You need to remember that this is a vote of the masses, not a vote by devotees of road racing who can add up the points each has scored. The masses remember what they see on the news, and in most cases, think the tour de France is the only game in town. They have never heard of the The Giro or The Vuelta ( Yates has also achieved much this year) , and probably associate Froome with a near ban, and urine being thrown in his face. They find the “boy next door” or “Alp d’huez man!” attitude of Thomas appealing. Also, Thomas actually has a personality!
In fairness Hawkins, Kane was
In fairness Hawkins, Kane was only 17 when those stats begin, made a Europa league debut in August 2011. Messi and Ronaldo are playing for the best teams in European football, Kane has heled drag Tottenham upwards.
BTBS – you can call it BBC crud but it’s people that voted, not the BBC. Furthermore, if you want to discuss the boundaries, a big reason Geraint would have won it is a loyal Welsh base. As for Kane winning nothing, that’s like saying Geraint was a piss poor tour rider before July. Similarly your attack on football is a lot like other people’s view of cycling based on the behaviours of a few, you’re being as moronic as they are!
Much of what people like about Kane is what we hold dear with G; he’s a humble man, dedicated to his family and has a huge understanding that teamwork and effort are as important as talent.
Well done G, well deserved.
alansmurphy wrote:
Yep, I’d like to see some more up-to-date stats that includes Kane, but couldn’t find any (didn’t look for very long though). I’d be surprised if he’s anywhere close to Messi though.
Here’s a few:
http://www.perspecsnews.com/read/sport/messi-v-kane/Skl5v8J_Gf/rJgfWbWlmf
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2572963.html
They are bits of stats without a huge amount of context but show that Kane is certainly of a high level. I don’t think he’s as skilful a player as Messi and Messi has done it for a decade. On the other hand, he’s great for his age and has continued to improve year on year. I think the fact that he has played for a just above average England team and a good Tottenham team (certainly no City, Barca etc.) means his achievements are greater. Also, I like he’s a team player, does the dirty work etc. I’d have him at the Rovers!
alansmurphy wrote:
Yeah, we’re gonna need some more graphs with those stats.
(disclaimer: I’ve got Kane in my fantasy football team, but I’m also doing quite badly this season)
Here is a Tottenham Shirt c
Here is a Tottenham Shirt c.1995 with some successful grafing:
https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/german-player-steffi-graf-looks-up-to-the-sky-after-winning-news-photo/51603682
alansmurphy wrote:
Close enough
G was presented with a TdF
G was presented with a TdF trophy to replace the one that was nicked, on Sunday Brunch. I think he thought it was going to be a joke one, it is Sunday Brunch after all, but it was real, and quite a touching moment. It was a thing of beauty and then he left it on the corner of the table, so easy to knock off.
ktache wrote:
Or nick…
Some remarkable ignorance of
Some remarkable ignorance of geography and/or political terms here as usual. I hope some of you don’t need to take a citizenship test soon. I’d just like to point out that Harry Kane did actually win the Golden Boot, an actual prize at the World Cup, something an Englishman hasn’t done since 1986. Let’s not get parochial here.
Can’t we be happy that 4 different British cyclists have won the SPOTY in recent years and there may be more to come.
Organon wrote:
Having seen first hand his trophy cabinet in his front room I can confrim that it’s heaving with many, many awards & acolades.
Organon wrote:
Clearly you are ignorant because I stated he’d won a goal scoring trophy, dubious at best anyway given the claimed goal that got him the ‘golden boot’ would not be accorded if reversed for an own goal. It’s a minor side bar, an irrelevance, it’s not a title or a record unlike all the others. he’s an absolute nobody and he stole a podium off others with far greater achievements at national and global level.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
“he’s an absolute nobody”.
Not doing too badly, is he.
Rapha Nadal wrote:
I notice the Times yesterday – front page! – just had a tiny article saying something like “Cyclist beats Kane to Sports Personality of the Year”. Just some no-name cyclist, clearly…
brooksby wrote:
Quite expected to see that as the headline on the BBC sports webpage
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Charming as usual. Did you read that one back at all? Yes that is how goals work, they say who scored them and if you didn’t score one you didn’t score one. Lucky you are just another internet nonentity with a chip on his shoulder, and Harry Kane is famous, wealthy, successful, popular and humble; all qualities you lack.
Organon wrote:
I’m pretty sure that I’d fail that. I am somewhat proud of this too.
BTBS – just had a gold
BTBS – just had a gold Bentley come from Kane Towers with a note inside, he speaks very highly of all of your achievements!