3 Paralympians up for BBC’s SPOTY

London 2012 Paralympic gold medallists Sarah Storey, Ellie Simmonds and David Weir have all been nominated for BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award. 27 Nov 2012
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Ellie Simmonds
Ellie Simmonds won gold in the 200m individual medley SM6 at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
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The shortlist was extended from 10 to 12 athletes this year because of all the top performances at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Three Paralympians – Sarah Storey, Ellie Simmonds and David Weir – have all been nominated for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award, which is given at the end of every year to a British athlete whose actions have most captured the public’s imagination.

There are 12 finalists on the list, which were decided by an expert panel and the winner will be decided at London’s ExCeL Centre on 16 December. The shortlist was extended from 10 to 12 athletes this year because of all the top performances at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"If we ever needed reminding just how special a sporting year it has been, then the list of those sportspeople who did not make the final 12 is testament to that,” panel chair and BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater told the BBC.

At London 2012, Weir won gold in all four of his T54 wheelchair races, including the 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m and marathon distances, becoming one of the stars at the Olympic Stadium.

Simmonds was one of the poster girls of the Games for the host nation, winning golds in world-record times in the 400m freestyle S6 and 200m individual medley SM6. She also won silver in the 100m freestyle S6 and bronze in the 50m freestyle S6.

In her sixth Paralympic Games, cyclist Storey rode to gold in all four of her events. On the track, Storey won titles in the road race C4-5 and time trial C5, and on the road she took the crown in both thepursuit C5 and time trial C4-5.

Other major hopefuls for the BBC award include Olympic cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy, tennis star Andy Murray and athletes Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Radio 5 Live at 19:30 local time, and it will be anchored by Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding.

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