2008 BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Chris Hoy, a 32 year old Scot from Edinburgh has just been voted the 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year for his epic achievement in winning 3 Gold Medals at the Beijing Olympics, the most successful British cyclist in Olympic history. The last time a cyclist won this sports award was Tommy Simpson in 1965.

Runner up was 23 year old Lewis Hamilton, the youngest person to become World Motor Racing Champion, who comes from Stevenage just down the road. Third place went to Rebecca Adlington, a bubbly 19 year old blonde from Middlesborough, who won 2 Gold Medals in swimming at the Beijing Olympics - and still gets up at 5am every day to practise! The most noticeable feature about these three sports personalities is their natural charm and modesty over their fantastic successes as British athletes, so different from the antics of some of our pampered and overpaid footballers.

Sadly the lovely Victoria Pendleton, Bedfordshire's own Olympic Gold Medal cyclist, pictured above, just missed the final shortlist but she gave a gracious acceptance speech when accepting the BBC Sport Team Award on behalf of the Olympic Cycling Team. The team cycled into the Liverpool studio in their sports gear, before changing back into their more glamorous evening clothes. David Brailsford the Olympic Cycling Coach won the BBC Sports Coach of the Year Award - a fantastic haul of well deserved BBC Sports awards for our brilliant British cyclists.

The other photograph is of tiny 13 year old Eleanor Simmonds, who won a gold medal in swimming at the Beijing Paralympics, the youngest ever British winner, and she was voted the BBC Young Personality of the Year tonight.

BRITISH TEENAGER WINS HISTORIC OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN BEIJING

Eleanor Simmonds aged 13 won a Paralympic Gold Medal today, becoming the youngest ever British Paralympic Gold Medallist. Eleanor was born with dwarfism and was not expected to win a medal until 2012. However tiny Eleanor, born in Walsall, showed her indomitable spirit by defeating the favourite Dutch swimmer in the 100 metre Women's S6 Freestyle Final in an astonishing time of 1 minute 18 seconds.

Eleanor's preferred distance is 400m freestyle, and she broke the World Record in March 2008 so she has another gold medal chance in the Women's 400 metre Freestyle and may well become the "Rebecca Adlington" of the 2008 Paralympics.

The Paralympics only started on Saturday with a spectacular Opening Ceremony. The British Team have already won 15 medals, including 7 gold, mostly in swimming and cycling. Welshman Dave Roberts, one of Eleanor's Swansea teammates has won his 8th swimming title and is bidding to equal Tanni Grey-Thompson's record haul of 11 gold medals. Dave has also won the Gold Medal in the Men's 100 metre Freestyle in 3
consecutive Paralympics. Great Britain is now 3rd in the medal table behind China and the USA and just ahead of Australia.

It was exciting but humbling to watch Eleanor's tearful and triumphant face on TV tonight, remembering that all the Paralympic GB Team have overcome physical handicaps to become Olympic athletes. Good luck to them all.