Ronnie O'Sullivan 'honoured' by SPOTY award and reveals which nominee he would vote for
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 01/12/2020 at 20:12 GMT
Six-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award for the first time. He says he is 'honoured' by the nomination and has revealed which 'superstar' he would vote for. The only snooker player to previously win the award is Steve Davis.
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Image credit: Getty Images
Ronnie O’Sullivan says it is a “great honour” to be nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year award, and has revealed which nominee he would vote for.
He won the World Championship for the sixth time in 2020 and also reached the final of the Northern Ireland Open.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2020/12/01/2947406-60504088-2560-1440.png)
Ronnie O'Sullivan on what his nomination means for snooker
“It was exciting to get the nomination,” he told Eurosport. “I grew up watching it on the TV so it’s a great honour to be part of the final six this year.
“Anything like this is great for snooker so I’m happy to be in a position to be nominated and if it helps snooker and grows the popularity and elevates it then I’m very happy and honoured.”
O’Sullivan also revealed that he didn’t believe he was going to make the final six until it was officially announced, having been cut from the list before.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2020/12/01/2947324-60502448-2560-1440.jpg)
It's about time! - Eurosport studio on Ronnie O'Sullivan SPOTY nomination
“I didn’t tell anyone because I still wasn’t sure if I was going to get nominated or not.
“They asked me about 25 years ago and said you are in the final 10 and they came down and did a couple of hours with me and I wasn’t in the final 10! So it was only tonight, when they put it out on social media and everything, that I fully accepted I was in the running.”
England cricketer Stuart Broad, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, jockey Hollie Doyle and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson are the other nominees for the award, with one more still to be revealed.
Asked who his pick would be, O’Sullivan said: “I lived in Liverpool so I have a great love for Liverpool and I know how much the football team means to the fans and everyone in Liverpool. For them to win the Premier League last year and the Champions League the year before, [Jurgen] Klopp has done an unbelievable job, and it would be great for Henderson.
“But for me Tyson Fury is the standout. It’s the gladiator sport and he is the real Rocky. He’s a proper fighter’s fighter and he’s the superstar for me.”
Reflecting on his own nomination, O’Sullivan added: “It’s been a funny year with Covid. Obviously the Olympics is massive, if any of the Olympians do well they tend to get votes, snooker has lost its place in the pecking order in the sporting world over the years.
“You have tennis, golf, Formula 1, football, some massive sports. So it wasn’t so much a reflection on me or that they didn’t want to give it to me [in the past], I think snooker just lost its way a little bit.”
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement