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BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year facts for kids

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BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Award
Presented by BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Country United Kingdom
First awarded 1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Currently held by Jessica Gadirova (2022)

The BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 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. As of 2022, 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.

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, 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. The most recent award was presented in 2022 to artistic gymnast Jessica Gadirova.

Winners

Jenson button usgp 2004 onstage
Jenson Button was the last recipient of the Newcomer Award in 2000.
Wayne Rooney 2
Wayne Rooney won the award in 2002.
Andy Murray US Open 08
Andy Murray won the award in 2004.
Phil Foden (36502388741)
2017 recipient Phil Foden.
2022-08-14 European Championships 2022 – Artistic Gymnastics Women's Apparatus Final Vault by Sandro Halank–058
Jessica Gadirova won the award in 2022.

Newcomer Award

Year Winner Age Sport Rationale Note
1999 Macey, DeanDean Macey 21 Athletics For "a string of stunning performances in the decathlon" and a "rise to prominence at [the 1999] World Championship"
2000 Button, JensonJenson Button 20 Formula One For finishing "in eighth place in his debut Formula One World Championship season"

Young Personality Award

Year Winner Age Sport Rationale Note
2001 Spencer, AmyAmy 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"
2002 Rooney, WayneWayne Rooney 17 Football For being "touted by many as the most promising English football talent to have surfaced in recent years"
2003 Haywood, KateKate 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"
2004 Murray, AndyAndy 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"
2005 Aikines-Aryeetey, HarryHarry 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"
2006 Walcott, TheoTheo Walcott 17 Football For a "fantastic year in which he transferred to Arsenal and went to the World Cup with England"
2007 Daley, TomTom Daley 13 Diving For "achievements in diving which include becoming the youngest-ever National Men's Platform Champion"
2008 Simmonds, EleanorEleanor Simmonds 14 Swimming For becoming "Britain's youngest ever individual Paralympic gold medallist"
2009 Daley, TomTom 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".
2010 Daley, TomTom Daley 16 Diving For winning two gold medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2011 Taylor, LaurenLauren Taylor 17 Golf Youngest-ever winner of the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, breaking a 112-year record
2012 Craig, JosefJosef 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.
2013 Hill, AmberAmber 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.
2014 Fragapane, ClaudiaClaudia 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.
2015 Downie, EllieEllie 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.
2016 Robinson, EleanorEleanor 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
2017 Foden, PhilPhil Foden 17 Football Won the Golden Ball as the best player at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup as England won the tournament.
2018 Adenegan, KareKare Adenegan 17 Wheelchair racing Broke T34 100m world record, and won European Championships
2019 Dubois, CarolineCaroline Dubois 18 Boxing Won 40 consecutive boxing matches
2020 Spendolini-Sirieix, AndreaAndrea Spendolini-Sirieix 16 Diving Won her first senior international gold medal and the senior British title in the women's 10 m platform event
2021 Brown, SkySky 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
2022 Gadirova, JessicaJessica 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.

Winners by sport

Sport Number of
wins
Diving 4
Swimming 4
Athletics 4*
Football 3
Artistic Gymnastics 3
Formula One 1*
Boxing 1
Golf 1
Shooting 1
Tennis 1
Skateboarding 1

* Including a Newcomer of the Year award

Note

  • – Age refers to the age at which the sportsperson won the award.
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