Sports Personalities Of The Year: Wilkinson wins BBC award

Johnny Wilkinson last night rounded off one of the most memorable weeks of his life when he picked up the BBC sports personality of the year award.

Wilkinson, who was England's hero in his country's surge to victory in the Rugby World Cup last month, became the 50th winner of the prestigious award. The fly-half who beat his captain, Martin Johnson, into second place kicked the winning drop goal in the final against Australia last month.

This award for the fly-half capped a week which started with last Monday's parade through London with his victorious team-mates on an open-top bus in front of 750,000 fans. That was followed by an audience with the Queen and with the Prime Minister at No 10 Downing Street. Wilkinson's dramatic week continued with a car crash on Tuesday and a return visit to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. At the end of last week it was then revealed he was carrying a shoulder injury.

Wilkinson joked last night: "The last two days have been quiet, but now I'm just getting over my injury. At least I got down to London safely. The injury could be two years old or it could be from the final.'' He continued: "Last week was not a normal working week. I had three experiences of a lifetime in one day last Monday.''

Third place in the annual award went to the long distance runner Paula Radcliffe while there was also an award commemorating 50 years of this event. That Golden Sports Personality prize went to Sir Steven Redgrave, Great Britain's greatest ever Olympian. The rower won five consecutive gold medals in the Olympics from 1984 to 2,000.