Still more gongs after a golden year of fun and Games

During 2012 the nation celebrated the incredible gold medal rush of the Olympics and Paralympics, the first ever Briton to win the Tour de France and one of the greatest ever comebacks in sport at the Ryder Cup.

Last night BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Awards attempted to cover it all in one evening.

The Olympics dominated much of the proceedings with golfer Rory McIlroy the only sports star in the final not to have featured in the Games.

The team of the year award went to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic heroes. Team GB won 65 medals, including 29 golds, while the Paralympians added 34 titles from a total of 120 medals. Both squads finished third in the medal tables at their home Games.

It was presented by the first sub four minute miler, Sir Roger Bannister, to cyclist Victoria Pendleton, who said: “It is a once in a lifetime experience; it was an incredible atmosphere.”

Cycling played a major role in the Olympic success and British cycling chief Dave Brailsford won the coach of the year award. He helped guide Team GB riders to eight golds for the second successive Olympics and is also team principal at Team Sky, which delivered an historic Tour de France one-two.

He said: “It’s a huge privilege to get this award, this year of all years, with such a fantastic summer of sport.

“I’m the lucky one who gets to come up and collect the award, but behind me, I’ve got a fantastic team – and we are only ever as good as our riders.”

Usain Bolt won the overseas award for the third time in five years after successfully defending all three of his Olympic sprint titles at London 2012.

After an incredible year of sport the list of nominees for last night’s event was extended from 10 to 12. The finalists were Nicola Adams (Olympic boxing), Ben Ainslie (Olympic sailing), Jessica Ennis (Olympic heptathlon), Mo Farah (Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m), Katherine Grainger (Olympic rowing), Sir Chris Hoy (Olympic cycling), Rory McIlroy (world number one golfer and USPGA champion), (Andy Murray, Olympic tennis and US Open champion), Ellie Simmonds (Paralympic swimming), Sarah Storey (Paralympic cycling), David Weir (Paralympic wheelchair athlete) and eventual winner Bradley Wiggins (Olympic cycling and Tour de France champion).

The strength of the competition was also summed up by those who missed out on the shortlist.

In most years two gold medals would win the competition. This year it did not even guarantee a place in the final

The only two British women to win double gold medals at the Olympics – cyclist Laura Trott and dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin – did not make the shortlist while double gold medal winning cyclist Jason Kenny and Halfax’s double gold winning wheelchair sprint star Hannah Cockroft also missed out.

The first award of the night went to swimmer Josef Craig, 15, who was crowned Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Josef, who has cerebral palsy, was the youngest Paralympic 
gold medallist at London 2012, after smashing his own world record in the 400m freestyle S7 final.

One of the most emotional moments of the evening came when London 7/7 survivor Martine Wright was presented with the Helen Rollason award.

The prize is named after the former BBC Sport presenter who died in 1999 after a long battle against cancer and is awarded for battling in the face of adversity.

Martine Wright nearly died the day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She lost both her legs in the 7/7 bombings in 2005, but fought back to play sitting volleyball for Team GB in the Paralympics. Since the terror attack, the 40-year-old has also had a baby, got married and learned to fly.

She received the award from Denise Lewis and Elizabeth Kenworthy, the off-duty policewoman who helped save her life in the aftermath of the terror attack.

Wright said: “I am absolutely honoured to be here. I count myself lucky to have survived that awful day, and that I’ve made an incredible journey, the last seven years.”