Cavendish wins BBC sports personality award

Mark Cavendish tonight became only the third cyclist to win the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award when he pipped golfer Darren Clarke and athlete Mo Farah to the main prize in Salford.

The Isle of Man rider achieved the two huge goals he set for himself in 2011, becoming the first Briton to win the green jersey in the Tour de France and then clinching gold in the road race at the World Championships.

A tearful Cavendish, who joins Tommy Simpson and Sir Chris Hoy as cycling's winners of the award, said: "I'm absolutely speechless. A few of my team-mates here will say that's a rare thing. Without those guys this wouldn't even be close to possible.

"I had a group of guys in (the World Championships in) Copenhagen who rode incredible and that brought a rainbow jersey back to Britain after more than half a decade, and that's a massive thing."

Veteran Clarke was an emotional and surprise winner of the Open Championship this summer, five years after his wife Heather died of breast cancer.

Farah starred at the athletics World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, becoming the first British athlete to win the 5,000 metres title and also taking silver in the 10,000m.