Talking Sport: Why Wiggins should get the SPOTY 2012 nod

The fact the not-s-shortlist has 12 names on it and all would be worthy winners of the main gong shows what a remarkable year it’s been for sport.

Everyone will have their opinions on who should win it and why, and this time everyone will have a name they feel should have been in the 12.

In any other year, for example, England cricket captain Alastair Cook would certainly be in the final three, if not a runaway winner, for the way he has continued to accumulate runs internationally like no other player while also slipping effortlessly into his role as skipper.

But there’s no Cook in the dashing dozen, while quite a few Olympic medalists have also unluckily missed out.

So who gets your vote for the BBC prize? Mine goes to Bradley Wiggins.

I think the fact he won Olympic gold just days after winning the Tour de France sets him apart from the rest of the field.

In fact, the Tour victory alone would have been enough to secure him my vote.

Did you see the excellent Channel 4 documentary A Year In Yellow about Wiggins’ feat? It showed the extreme physical and mental levels you need to reach to first get anywhere near the yellow jersey then make sure you have it at the end.

His London gold was almost an after-thought, but no less impressive for being so.

My second and third spots would go to Mo Farah and Andy Murray. Again, in any normal year, either’s achievements would have made it a non-contest.

Whoever wins, it will be great to relive the sporting year on Sunday night – and, despite the fact football is my No1 sport, I’m actually quite pleased that sport will hardly get a look-in when 2012 is reviewed.

It won’t do our over-paid and over-hyped footballers any harm at all to stay in the shadows for a change as others take the limelight.

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