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Fatima Whitbread 1987

Admin June 29, 2025

In 1987, javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) , beating snooker player Steve Davis and golfer Ian Woosnam in the public poll. Accepting the coveted trophy from Colin Cowdrey, she said simply, “I feel very proud amd honoured….”

After a series of near misses in major championships – at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1983, the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh – Whitbread finally shed the ‘bridesmaid’ tag at the European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, less than a month after the Commonwealth Games. In qualification, she threw a world record 77.44 metres and, in the final, threw 76.32 metres, the second-longest throw in history, to win the gold medal, ahead of Petre Felke and Beate Peters.

Felke regained the world record with a throw of 78.90 metres in Leipzig in late July 1987 and it was she and Whitbread who would emerge as the leading contenders for the gold medal at the World Athetics Championships in Rome in early September. Heading into the final day of the Championships, Whitbread appeared to the last hope of a gold medal for Team GB, but the Stoke Newington-born thrower answered every question asked of her. A fourth-round throw of 73.16 metres took her into the lead and she confirmed her position with a fifth-round throw of 76.64 metres, the second-longest of her career. Felke again won the silver medal and Peters the bronze.

Immediately afterwards, Whitbread said, “I can’t tell you how happy I am. At the moment it’s difficult to take it all in.” She also revealed the amount of effort required, saying, “My shoulder was sore and hurting and this was without doubt the toughest competition of my life. I had to work very hard for it. I was putting oil and freeze spray on all through the competition. Now I stink, but I believe I’ve proved I’m the greatest javelin thrower in the world.” Whitbread was also appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to athletics, in the 1987 Birthday Honours.

Daley Thompson 1982

Admin June 29, 2025

In 1982, decathlete Francis Morgan Ayodélé Thompson, universally known as Daley Thompson, was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, ahead of snooker player Alex Higgins and athlete Steve Cram. Never one to shy away from controversy, Thompson turned up at the awards ceremony dressed more casually than might have been expected and, having received the trophy from a suitably tuxedoed Sir Garfield Sobers, began his acceptance speech with the immortal words, “The first thing I’d like to say is that I feel like shit,” feigning shock as he did so.

Controversy or not, few could argue that Thompson fully deserved the accolade. Having won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow with a total of 8,495 points, he raised the world record to 8,730 in Götzis, Austria in May 1982 and in September, at the European Athletics Championships in Athens, Greece, did so again, this time to 8,774 points. In October, he also won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, thereby ending 1982 as the Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion and the world record holder.

Widely hailed as the greatest all-round athlete of his era, if not of all time, Thompson went on to win gold at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1983 and to defend his title at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. On the latter occasion, he was retrospectively awarded a joint world record, 8,798 points, alongside previous holder Jurgen Hingsen, under the original scoring tables employed by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and the world record outright based on the revised tables which took effect in April 1985.

Thompson was finally forced into retirement by a recurring hamstring injury in 1992, having finished ninth at the World Athletics Championships in Rome in 1987 and fourth at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. However, it should not be forgotten that in his heyday he remained unbeaten in the decathlon for nine years, from 1978 to 1987. Reflecting on past glories, Thompson said recently, “Me and the bloke in the moustache are forty years apart. I think I’m a completely different person.”

Paul Gascoigne 1990

Admin June 29, 2025

In 1990, footballer Paul Gascoigne was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, ahead of snooker player Stephen Hendry and cricketer Graham Gooch. He thus became the first footballer to win the coveted prize since World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore in 1966. Accepting the trophy from another World Cup winner, Sir Bobby Charlton, Gascoigne said, “I am really pleased. I’d just like to say thanks to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who’ve helped me, and a certain man called Terry Venables, who’s been fantastic to me.”

Gascoigne had joined Tottenham Hotspur, under Venables, in 1988 for £2.2 million, which was, at the time, a British record, but it was his stellar performances for the England national team, under Bobby Robson, at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy that would make him a national treasure. Gascoigne was outstanding in a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in the Group F game at the Stadio Comunale Sant’Elia in Cagliari, a 1-0 victory, after extra time, over Belgium in the round of 16 at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in Bologna and the semi-final against West Germany at the Stadio delle Alpi in Turin, which England eventually lost 4-3 on penalties.

After a goalless first half in Turin, West German full-back Andreas Brehme opened the scoring on the hour mark, but his goal was cancelled out by a left-footed strike by Gary Lineker with 10 minutes remaining. With the scores level, at 1-1, the match headed into extra time and, after 99 minutes, Gascoigne was booked for a wild, lunging challenge on centre-back Thomas Berthold. As soon as the yellow card was produced, Gascoigne knew that he would miss the World Cup final; his bottom lip wobbled and tears well in his eyes, creating one of the iconic moments in the history of English football.

More importantly, Gascoigne, who had been earmarked to take a penalty in the decisive shoot-out, withdrew and was replaced by Chris Waddle, who famously ballooned his spot-kick over the bar to bring England’s World Cup campaign to an ignominious end. Nevertheless, England had achieved what is still, jointly, their second best finish at the World Cup and ‘Gazzmania’ was born.

Barry McGuigan 1985

Admin June 29, 2025

In 1985, boxer Barry McGuigan was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY), beating cricketer Ian Botham and Steve Cram into second and third place, respectively, in the public vote. Born Finbar McGuigan in Clones, County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland – hence his nickname ‘The Clones Cyclone’ – the 24-year-old had taken out British citizenship to fight for British titles and hence became the first person born outside the United Kingdom to win the SPOTY Award.

In 1985 as a whole, McGuigan fought four times. In February, he beat Juan Laporte on points at the King’s Hall in Belfast and, in March, successfully defended his European Boxing Union (EBU) European featherweight title with a second-round technical knockout of Farid Gallouze at Wembley Arena. His career-defining fight, though, came on June 8, 1985, when he fought Panamanian Eusebio Pedroza World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title at Loftus Road Stadium, Shepherd’s Bush.

Pedroza, 29, had held the WBA title for seven years and successfully defended it 18 times. Indeed, he completely outboxed McGuigan in the early rounds, but the complexion of the fight changed when, in the seventh round, McGuigan landed a textbook overhand right, dropping Pedroza to the canvas. Pedroza received a mandatory eight count, but the flat-out affair went the distance, with McGuigan winning by unanimous decision, 148-138, 149-139, 147-140. Reflecting on his ultimate career performance, McGuigan said later, “I was on such a high, I could have fought 20 rounds. I was just so up for the fight. I was so emotionally fired up for it.”

Prior to collecting the SPOTY Award at BBC Television Centre, McGuigan had also made a successful first defence of his WBA featherweight title against Bernard Taylor at the King’s Hall in Belfast in September. Taylor was retired by his corner after the eighth round and collapsed shortly afterwards, reportedly suffering from heat exhaustion. McGuigan, himself, fought on until 1989, when he retired for the second and final time, with a professional career record of 32 wins, including 28 by knockout, and three losses. At the time of his retirement, he was still only 28.