Hi guys, I read this article today and thought it was really interesting and very well written. Hope you like it. _________________________________________________________________________________ Article by Donald McRae of The Guardian at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/dec/16/icon-2011-sarah-stevenson-taekwondo?newsfeed=true When I met Sarah Stevenson, on a cold but clear November morning in Manchester, the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year had yet to be announced. So I did not think once of that award during the three hours I spent in the echoing arena where Stevenson marked her first day back at training after, a week earlier, she had buried her mother. Diana Stevenson had died of cancer. Her husband, Roy, Sarah's father, had died less than four months previously, in July, just 10 weeks after he had first been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. At the start of 2011, both Stevenson's parents had seemed in good health. Their end had been as shocking as it was devastating. And so, after a year like no other for the new taekwondo world welterweight champion, who won her title in Korea in April, while still reeling but caring for her stricken mum and dad, her possible inclusion on the BBC list really didn't matter. This week I dug out the tatty and coffee-stained sheet of paper I had taken to my interview with Stevenson. I had scrawled 57 questions, which looked like they had been written by a caffeine-crazed spider on a clattering train. There was not even a hastily asterisked arrow pointing to the words BBC or the dreaded Spoty. It was more important to find a way into a raw desolation that stands apart from everyday fripperies of sport and controversy, celebrities and prizes. I folded away my crumpled piece of paper soon after the first question. A routine query, relating to her return to training, was met with a composed insight into the nature of grief and the awkwardness many people feel when confronted by the suffering of others. There was no need for my next 56 questions. Stevenson just needed to be listened to as she recounted everything that had happened to her family. There was no bitterness or self-pity as her words rang out with unflinching clarity. It feels right, beneath the corporate sheen and greed of modern sport, to be wary of anyone who trades as a "personality". Stevenson offers a compelling antidote to the kind of celebrity culture, and ritual outrage, which surrounds the BBC award. She is a very real person, rather than a personality. A seemingly ordinary 28-year-old woman from Doncaster, Stevenson is also a remarkable athlete who displayed moving human qualities amidst ravaging loss this year. She showed courage and resilience, compassion and love, and those attributes do not need to be acknowledged by a shiny camera on a plinth in front of an audience dabbing their eyes. The tribute that matters most to Stevenson came from her parents â firstly when they trusted her enough to reveal their own fear and incomprehension in the face of death. But the real honour they gave her, beyond the steel in her character and her winning way as a person, came on that miserable day when they persuaded her to leave them and fight for the world championship. "I don't know how I did it," Stevenson said when reflecting on her decision to fly to Korea. "I didn't want to go but they said I must. This was two weeks before the Worlds. I couldn't train for it with everything going on. But mum and dad said, 'You've got to go.' I said, 'How can I go? I can't leave you. Who's going to look after you?' But my cousin said, 'I want you to go. I'm going to take over your job. I said, 'All right then, I'll go.' " In Korea, Stevenson was consumed by a fervour that went beyond sport and personal ambition. "I was on fire," she said with a lovely smile at her ferocious mentality. "A couple of times, against the girls who weren't as good as me, I took it out a bit on them. But against the ones I really needed to focus on it was proper taekwondo. It wasn't about letting the anger out. But I had that extra fire." In a normal year, Stevenson winning her unfortunately-named "sudden-death" decider against Guo Yunfei of China would merit celebration. Britain does not have many world champions and, in terms of longevity, dedication and title-winning success, Stevenson's career is a model of excellence. This year, however, she is simply the most impressive character in British sport. There is no point comparing all Stevenson endured to the number of sprint finishes Mark Cavendish won in 2011. Her life, and those of her parents, should not be judged on a showreel of 10 "stars". I can't share the indignation of those who decry her absence from the BBC's prize-giving. But if you were to ask me to name the most extraordinary person I met this year, I know the answer. Sarah Stevenson happens to be a woman and a world-champion fighter. But, as she spoke to me in a deserted lobby in Manchester, neither crying nor raging, she just sounded like a daughter remembering her parents. In a way, I think she was thanking them for allowing her to fight on this year and next, at London 2012. And that's why, despite her distress, she smiled as we said goodbye. "They were very good to me," she said of her parents. She knew that, rather than a public prize, they had given her a lasting personal gift that will always sustain her. ________________________________________________________________________________ Contrast this young woman's quiet dignity, in the face of terrible personal loss, with the appalling behaviour of many footballers and other 'celebrities' who just don't know how lucky they are. Courage takes many forms and Sarah Stevenson has shown she has it in spades. She is a credit to her sport, to her country and, most importantly, to her family. The BBC may have ignored her for their award but she is certainly my Sports Personality of the Year.
To be honest mate never heard of her therein lies the problem. If you don't shout about what you have done you don't get recognised especially by the BBC, having said that she'd get my vote after reading that maybe some of our players should read it as well.
If you ever watch any of the Olympics perhaps you might remember her from Beijing in 2008. Sarah lost her second round bout against the Chinese (home!) champion but protested becasue some of her 'hits' had mysteriously failed to be registered properly by the judges. Her challenge was upheld, she was reinstated and ended up winning the Bronze medal. She sounds too normal and humble to sing her own praises but in my opinion the BBC, as a publicly funded organisation, has a duty to ensure our CHAMPIONS, especially in a minority sport, get the recognition they deserve.
Totally agree mate, don't watch the Olympics on far too long excepting the womens beach volleyball could watch that forever. Seriously though if she did get herself noticed she would be in with a very good chance.
I agree with Talc mate. She may have a sad story, which is a shame. But it doesn't make her a personality. Like when the women commentators were whining about the lack of female nominees, for sports personality of the year. Being a big fish in a small sport that nobody watches, doesn't make you popular nation wide. Or well known. You can't be a personality if no one knows who you are.
