BBC award for Beth
12 December 2006
Beth Tweddle comes third in BBC Sports Personality of the Year competition
LJMU sports scholar Beth Tweddle topped off an amazing year by coming third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year competition.
Beth polled 12.98% of the votes, to finish behind Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke and the winner Zara Phillips, who holds both world and European equestrian titles on her horse, Toytown.
Beth, who is studying sport and exercise science at LJMU, bounced back from missing the Commonwealth games because of an ankle injury in superb style. She became the first British gymnast to win a gold at the European Championships on the uneven bars and then surpassed that achievement by claiming Britain's first ever gold medal at the World Championships in the same discipline.
Beth said: ''The only other thing that would be equal to this year would be an Olympic gold - or some sort of Olympic medal in 2008. If I continue to develop and things go well, then hopefully that can happen. But two years is a long time for a gymnast. I am just taking every step as it comes. If I stay injury-free and still love the sport, hopefully I'll be there in 2008.''
Picture: Beth Tweddle, Zara Phillips and Darren Clark at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
