Originally Posted by Flukie:
“Anyone who admires what he's achieved, maybe they just don't like him much as a person? I seem to vaguely remember there was some negative publicity about him after the London Olympics when he got something like £250,000 for running half a marathon or something? I think it was a whole marathon but he only ran half of it ..? And there were things about him doing anything for money ... ? I remember he ran some race earlier this year and on the radio they were on about that, about some of the things he's done for the money not going down well ... something like that, I was only half listening!”
“Anyone who admires what he's achieved, maybe they just don't like him much as a person? I seem to vaguely remember there was some negative publicity about him after the London Olympics when he got something like £250,000 for running half a marathon or something? I think it was a whole marathon but he only ran half of it ..? And there were things about him doing anything for money ... ? I remember he ran some race earlier this year and on the radio they were on about that, about some of the things he's done for the money not going down well ... something like that, I was only half listening!”
The thing is he's a sports person. What's he supposed to do.. turn the money down? He's got a large family. Other sports people make hundreds of thousands per week like top Footballers. Why shouldn't he profit from his own success? I don't see that as a reason for him not to get votes.
I think what really has hurt him is the claims made against his coach and the fact him winning has become rather routine now. His story isn't what it used to be. And that's what win votes with SPOTY... story. It's never really been decided by pure sporting achievement.




There was quite a big blurb on it before the awards were announced because three of them weren't there.
) and finally these last couple of years it seems like people finally appreciate him.