December 20, (THEWILL) – The sensational Emma Raducanu has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2021, capping her meteoric rise to fame with the coveted annual honour.
A year ago, the British teenager was virtually unknown, and she had to pay entry fees for low-level tournaments. Only for her to end the year with brand collaborations with Dior and Tiffany, as well as the Sports Personality of the Year award.
All of her awards and sponsorship deals are results of her unexpected victory at the US Open.
Since Virginia Wade in 1977, Raducanu is the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. Her victory in New York came just weeks after she made her major-league debut with a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she was forced to quit due to illness.
In that US Open final, she defeated another teen, Leylah Fernandez, in straight sets, proving that her efforts at Wimbledon were not a fluke. Raducanu won the prize for best sport, ahead of Tom Daley in second and Adam Peaty in third.
Sky Brown, another teen who gained a lot of attention for her efforts and effervescence in winning bronze in skateboarding at the Olympics, was voted Young Sports Personality of the Year.
For their march to the European Championship final, England’s senior men’s football players were voted Team of the Year, while Gareth Southgate was named Coach of the Year.
Rachael Blackmore was crowned World Sport Star of the Year for becoming the first woman to win the Grand National.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
