TIL Desk Sports/ English cricketer Ben Stokes was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019 at the P&J Live Arena in Aberdeen, Scotland, on Sunday. The 28-year-old, who became the first cricketer since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 to win the honour, finished ahead of the six-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, who came runner-up for a second consecutive year and fourth in total, and the world champion sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, who was third.
The other shortlisted athletes were the footballer Raheem Sterling, the Wales rugby captain, Alun Wyn Jones, and the world champion hept athlete, Katarina Johnson-Thompson. The England cricket team was crowned the Team of the Year whereas Jos Buttler’s Super Over run-out of Martin Guptill in the ICC World Cup 2019 final at the Lord’s was awarded the Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year.
Receiving the award, he thanked his family for ‘putting things into perspective. “My parents, they live on the other side of the world, they don’t get to share moments like this, the World Cup and be there with me but the time you dedicated to me growing up, the selflessness to get me to training camps and around the country, this is for you. I love you so much, thank you.
