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Wednesday 29 Oct 2014

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Ryan Giggs wins 91Èȱ¬ Sports Personality of the Year 2009

Ryan Giggs and the 91Èȱ¬ Sports Personality Of The Year trophy

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs has been voted 91Èȱ¬ Sports Personality Of The Year 2009 by viewers.

The public cast votes during the live programme on 91Èȱ¬ One, from 7.00 to 9.00pm, by telephone.

The Welsh winger, 36, is the most decorated player in English football with a record 11th Premier League winners' medal this year.

He was presented with the prestigious silver TV camera and tripod trophy by two iconic sporting figures – Andrew Flintoff and Sir Chris Hoy.

The live event was the biggest event in the history of Sports Personality with a sell-out audience of around 11,000 filling the Sheffield Arena.

In second place was Jenson Button and Jessica Ennis came third.

The three winners beat off competition from Mark Cavendish, Tom Daley, David Haye, Phillips Idowu, Andy Murray, Andrew Strauss and Beth Tweddle who were in the top ten shortlist of contenders going into the show.

Usain Bolt won Overseas Sports Personality Of The Year.

Bolt burst onto the scene last year at the Beijing Olympics, wowing the crowds in the Bird's Nest Stadium with his breathtaking display of sprinting in taking gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, all in world record times.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Bolt beat all-comers again this year on his way to World Championship gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, lowering his own world record marks in both individual races to a breathtaking 9.58 and 19.19 respectively.

The Team Of The Year award was won by the England Men's Cricket team, who were presented with the award by Joe Calzaghe and Dame Kelly Holmes.

They won it in recognition of their outstanding performances during the summer, when they beat the West Indies and regained the Ashes from Australia.

With the team touring in South Africa the award was collected by Andrew Flintoff who received it from Dame Kelly Holmes.

Seve Ballesteros won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to golf.

Seve has been involved in the game for more than 35 years and was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-Seventies to the mid-Nineties. Along the way he has collected almost 100 professional wins, including five majors. He claimed six European Tour Order of Merit titles, was named European Tour Player of the Year three times and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999.

More recently, Seve has faced a battle of another kind having been diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2008. Once again displaying his famous battling qualities, Seve came through major surgery and several courses of chemotherapy before making his first public appearance in almost a year, announcing in June that he was launching the Seve Ballesteros Foundation to help others in their fight against cancer.

Lord Sebastian Coe and Lee Westwood presented the Coach Of The Year award to England football coach Fabio Capello.

Capello took the award after leading England to the 2010 World Cup with a near-immaculate qualifying record. Since he's come on board England have emerged as real contenders for the trophy in South Africa next summer.

Tom Daley was named the 91Èȱ¬ Young Sports Personality Of The Year with the award presented by Amir Khan and Eleanor Simmonds.

The 15-year-old beat tennis player Heather Watson and athlete Jodie Williams to win the category, awarded to a youngster of great talent who is under 16 years of age on 1 January 2009.

Tom has had a breakthrough year. He took the world 10-metre platform title in Rome after a breathtaking display of diving against the world's best following top 10 finishes in both the individual 10-metre and synchronised diving events in Beijing last year.

Sir Steve Redgrave presented the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity to Major Phil Packer.

Having sustained a life-changing spinal injury in 2008, while serving in Iraq, Major Packer was told by doctors that he'd never walk again.

However, during his rehabilitation he became determined to regain control of his life and to give something back to those who had been inspirational to him during the early stages of his recovery.

He began a quest to raise £1m for Help for Heroes, which saw him row the 30 miles across the English Channel and take part in a sky dive before taking on his biggest challenge, the London Marathon. Undaunted, he walked the entire 26.2 mile course after an arduous 13 days, assisted only by crutches.

Since then he has also climbed El Capitan, a sheer 3,000 ft granite rock formation in Yosemite National Park, USA, one of the world's most challenging climbs.

In the process he has not only raised more than £1.2m but also inspired hundreds of people across the UK.

He has now left the Army and is dedicating himself to supporting young people with disabilities.

The Unsung Hero Award, presented by Rebecca Adlington and Jimmy White, honours an individual who has given their time and talents for free to enable others to participate in sport.

Doreen Adcock, aged 72, won this award by impressing the judges with her dedication to teaching people to swim over the last 35 years.

Doreen has taught three generations of people to swim in her local area, often with entire families benefiting from her instruction.

Doreen believes passionately that every person has the right to learn to swim, ensuring that swimming lessons are available to anyone, no matter what walk of life they come from.

This year's show was hosted by Gary Lineker, Sue Barker and Jake Humphrey.

SB4

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