Lewis Hamiliton has been branded as a British sporting great after his sixth World Title win. Here are our picks of the greatest British sports stars of the 21st Century:
Andy Murray
In a golden era for tennis Murray rose to the top. He won Wimbledon twice and reached world number one, uniting the nation in doing so.
Did you know? Murray was born with a bipartite patella, split kneecap, which wasn’t diagnosed until he was 16.
Sarah Storey
Britain’s most successful female Paralympian has won 14 gold medals in swimming and cycling. Storey was born without a functioning left hand.
Did you know? Starting at Barcelona in 1992, Storey has competed at seven Paralympic Games.
Lewis Hamilton
The six-times Formula One world champion is now the second most successful driver in the history of the sport. He raced past Michael Schumacher’s record of 68 pole positions in 2017 and now has 87.
Did you know? Nick Hamilton, brother to Lewis, races in the British touring car championship despite suffering from Cerebral Palsy.
Jonny Wilkinson
The England fly-half produced one of British sports defining moments when he kicked a drop-goal in extra time to win the World Cup in 2003. He is second on the list of all-time points scorers in rugby union.
Did you know? The first game he started England lost 76-0 to Australia.
Alastair Cook
Cook is England’s highest Test run-scorer and most capped player ever. He scored a hundred in both his first and last innings in Test cricket.
Did you know? He turns his back on a celebrity lifestyle, preferring to work on his farm in Bedfordshire.
Bradley Wiggins
First British winner of the Tour de France in 2012. Won five Olympic gold medals including the Time Trial in 2012, just 10 days after being crowned in Paris.
Did you know? Wiggins holds the world record for the most distance covered in an hour with 55 kilometres.
Jessica Ennis-Hill
The golden girl of the London Olympics had a career high on ‘Super Saturday’ when she won gold in the Heptathlon. In Rio 2016, having returned from time away to have her first child she won silver, falling just short of a historic double.
Did you know? She once held the British record for both 100 metres hurdles and high jump.
Mo Farah
One of the other stars of ‘Super Saturday’ at London 2012. He won gold in both the 5,000m and the 10,000m before repeating the feat at Rio.
Did you know? Farah moved to Britain at the age of eight from Somalia.
Wayne Rooney
Rooney is a five-time Premier League winner and was PFA player of the year in 2010. He is also England’s and Manchester United’s highest goal scorer.
Did you know? Rooney will be returning to English football in the new year to play and coach at Derby County.
Paula Radcliffe
Set the world alight when she smashed the women’s marathon world record in London in 2005. Her record stood until 2017.
Did you know – She broke the world record three times between 2002 and 2005.
By Alex Brinton
Featured image credit: Jen_ross83 via Flickr