Ten sportsmen and women from across the United Kingdom and from seven very different sports, make up the shortlist for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sports Personality Of The Year 2008 – ´óÏó´«Ã½ One, Sunday 14 December, 7.00-9.00pm.
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The live event will be held at Liverpool's Echo Arena for the first time and is a sell-out with around 9,000 people attending, making it the biggest Sports Personality ever.
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The shortlist (in alphabetical order) is:
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Rebecca Adlington
Ben Ainslie
Joe Calzaghe
Nicole Cooke
Lewis Hamilton
Chris Hoy
Andy Murray
Christine Ohuruogu
Rebecca Romero
Bradley Wiggins
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These 10 sporting celebrities (2008 highlights below) will now compete for the public vote on the night of the live show.
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The public will be able to vote for their ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sports Personality of the Year by telephone; details of the numbers to vote on will be given out during the programme.
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The shortlist of 10 contenders was put together by a panel of 28 sports editors from (national and regional) newspapers and magazines.
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Details of the sports editors' votes can be seen on the website at bbc.co.uk/sportspersonality at 7.30pm.
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The live show will be presented by Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and Jake Humphrey.
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In addition to the main award of Sports Personality of the Year there will also be awards for:
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Team of the Year
Coach of the Year
Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
Lifetime Achievement
Helen Rollason Award
Young Sports Personality of the Year
Sports Unsung Hero
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For voting criteria on all the Awards, further information and updates please visit the website.
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Contenders' Highlights:
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Rebecca Adlington
The 19-year-old from Mansfield secured her place in the nation's affections with a brilliant display in Beijing, winning two gold medals in the pool. First, Rebecca showed tremendous spirit to rescue a seemingly lost cause in the 400m freestyle, overhauling the USA's pre-race favourite Katie Hoff in the closing stages. Rebecca then claimed a second gold with victory in the 800m freestyle, smashing a world record that had stood for 19 years. Officially Britain's most successful swimmer in 100 years, Rebecca will only be 23 years old when the Olympics roll into London in 2012. Could there be more to come?
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Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie has dominated the Olympic sailing scene for the best part of a decade and once again proved his mastery of the conditions, and his challengers, by claiming a third straight Olympic gold in Qingdao this summer. Ben's victory in the Finn class makes him the most successful British Olympic sailor in history, and such is the scale of his achievement IOC chief Jacques Rogge was compelled to liken it to those of multi-medallists Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. A true giant of the waves, Ainslie is set to challenge for a fourth gold in 2012.
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Joe Calzaghe
This year has proven to be another knockout one for Joe. The reigning ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sports Personality of the Year cemented his place in boxing history with comprehensive victories over American legends Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. The Pride of Wales not only stepped up to light heavyweight to fight Hopkins and Jones Jr, he also beat both of them in their own backyard, proving once and for all that he can beat the best away from his Welsh heartland. With his unbeaten record now standing at 46-0, Joe's legacy as one of the best British fighters in history is assured.
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Nicole Cooke
Britain's cyclists at the Beijing Olympics were simply sensational and it was Nicole who started the gold rush. The 25-year-old got her tactics spot on in the Olympic road race, producing a perfectly-timed finish to power away from her nearest challengers and claim a first Olympic gold. And to cap off an unbelievable year, Nicole was crowned world champion in Varese, Italy in September. In winning both Olympic and world titles Nicole created history by becoming the first cyclist, male or female, to win road racing's top two prizes in the same year.
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Lewis Hamilton
Following the drama of the 2007 Formula One season, in which Lewis just missed out on the world championship, the 2008 season had a lot to live up to. But we needn't have worried as once again, the championship went down to the final race in Brazil – but this time there was to be a different ending. In one of the most exciting finales to a championship in motor racing history, Lewis left it to the final lap before securing the fifth place he needed to become the youngest-ever driver to win the world title.
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Chris Hoy
The Olympic Games in Beijing saw the transformation of Scotland's Chris Hoy into the "Real McHoy". The man they also call "The Flying Scotsman" defeated all-comers to claim an amazing three cycling golds in the Laoshan Velodrome; his awesome power there for all to see as he claimed gold in the Team Sprint, Sprint and Keirin. Chris's outstanding performances made him the first Briton to win three golds at a single Olympic Games since swimmer Henry Taylor in 1908, and he also became the most successful male Olympic cyclist of all time.
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Andy Murray
Many a good judge has heralded 2008 as the year in which Andy Murray really emerged as a potential Grand Slam winner of the future. A fantastic season saw the 21-year-old Scot beat world number one Rafael Nadal on his way to the final of the US Open. And Andy took his number of career singles titles to eight with five tournament wins in 2008, including victories at the prestigious Masters Series events in Cincinnati and Madrid. Andy ends the year ranked a career-high number four in the world and will look to continue his rapid rise in 2009.
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Christine Ohuruogu
Christine Ohuruogu proved once again she is an athlete who delivers when it really matters with a stunning victory in the Olympic 400m final. In front of 91,000 people in the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, the reigning world champion timed her run to perfection to overhaul America's pre-race favourite Sanya Richards and Jamaica's Shericka Williams on the home straight to claim Great Britain's only athletics gold of the Games. At just 24, Londoner Christine will be looking to successfully defend her Olympic title on home soil in four years' time.
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Rebecca Romero
Rebecca Romero continued Britain's cycling domination in Beijing when she beat compatriot Wendy Houvenaghel to win individual pursuit gold. The 28-year-old's victory was made all the more remarkable because in Athens four years ago she won a silver medal – not in cycling, but in rowing. Rebecca only took up cycling in 2006, and after crossing over from Olympic rower to cycling champion in just two years she became only the second woman ever to win a medal in two different sports at a Summer Games.
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Bradley Wiggins
Pursuit king Bradley Wiggins was again the man for the big occasion. The 28-year-old took his overall Olympic medal tally to six with two golds in the Laoshan Velodrome, in the individual and team pursuit. In winning the individual pursuit, Bradley created history as he became the first rider to successfully defend an Olympic pursuit title. His second gold came in the team pursuit in a new world-record time for the British team, to cap off another fantastic performance by one of cycling's greats.
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SB4
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