Square Mile Sport Awards - Vote Now!
There a lot of tough people in sport. People for whom taking their body to the extremes of physical exertion is a daily occurrence. This was your chance to vote for who you think is the toughest of the tough - the Land Rover Toughest Sportsperson of the Year . The winner was chosen from the 4 nominees below...
Chrissie Wellington, Iron Woman
Quitting your job to compete in Ironman events is not the most obvious of career choices for a 30-year old from Norfolk. However Chrissie Wellington’s decision has proved spectacularly to be the right one. In only her second professional event, she beat the world’s best to win the 140-mile Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii. Over nine hours, eight minutes and 45 seconds of competitive racing proved enough for Wellington to take the title by 5 minutes from Canadian Samantha McGlone. And to think she only took up triathlon after being hit by a car – an accident which forced her to start swimming instead of running as a way to lose weight.
Lewis Gordon Pugh, Swimming
There are not many lawyers who can claim to have swum the length of the River Thames. But then, there aren’t many Lewis Gordon Pughs in the world. The British swimmer has hit the headlines in recent months for his ability to take on the sorts of extreme athletic challenges that most would regard as lunacy. Known as the ‘Iceman’ due to his unique training to withstand extreme cold, Pugh became the first person to undertake a long distance swim at the Geographic North Pole this July. The 1 km swim, in -1.8°C water, took almost 19 minutes and would have killed a lesser man. Enough said.
Michael Bisping, Ultimate Fighting
Mixed martial arts fighting used to be confined strictly to the realms of Hollywood but the rapid rise in popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has seen this most brutal of competitions achieve sporting recognition. Within this world, British fighter Michael Bisping has risen to prominence becoming Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion prior to joining the UFC. Holding a professional record of 15 wins and 0 losses, Bisping is renowned for his ‘flying knee’ move which in most cases has ensured a total knock-out. Ouch.
Jason Lewis, Globe Circumnavigation
Of all the methods of crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a wooden pedal boat wouldn’t be top of the list for most travellers. Jason Lewis on the other hand is not one to shirk such a challenge. The Londoner has travelled over 37,000 miles since 1994 in a career of crossing the globe via extreme methods. Such methods have ranged from kayaking from Australia to Singapore to roller-blading across North America. Not even two broken legs, endured whilst on a trekking expedition, has deterred this most hardened of men from his quest. Not the sort of man you’d find in the first-class lounge at Heathrow airport when a canoe and paddle would suffice.