England and Arsenal striker Beth Meade has been named BBC Sports Personality of 2022.
Meade featured at Euro 2022 this summer, where she helped the Lionesses to Wembley glory, England’s first ever major trophy in women’s football.
The 27-year-old becomes the first women’s footballer to win the award.
In a public vote, England Test captain Ben Stokes was second and Eve Muirhead, who led Team Great Britain to curling gold at the Winter Olympics, came third.
Athlete Jake Wightman, seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and gymnast Jessica Gadirova were also shortlisted for the award.
“I’m speechless for once,” Mead said.
“I am incredibly honored to win this award. I wouldn’t have done it without the girls. The team supported me. Yes, I won that distinction, I scored a few goals, but I wouldn’t have done it without them,” she added.
“This is about women’s sport and women’s sport going in the right direction. Let’s keep pushing girls, let’s keep doing the right thing.”
Meade’s stellar performance at Euro 2022 saw her named Player of the Tournament as well as winning the Golden Boot with six goals and five assists.
Mead also won Sports Team of the Year along with her Lionesses teammates, while England head coach Sarina Wigman won Coach of the Year.
The accolades are the latest in a long list this year, which has already seen Meade named Arsenal’s Player of the Season for 2021-22, finish runner-up in the Ballon d’Or Feminin and win the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
Her international goal tally for the 2021–22 campaign was 20 in 19 games, breaking Jimmy Greaves’ long-standing record for most England goals in a single season.
English soccer player Beth Mead nominated for Sports Personality
Mead’s incredible year to remember
Having been left out of Great Britain’s squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mead’s success is all the more remarkable.
She scored in four of England’s six matches at the European Championships, including a hat-trick against Norway in the group stage, pipping Germany’s Alex Pop to the Golden Boot.
She also helped England qualify for next year’s World Cup with a 100% record and without conceding a single goal.
The Euros were the first major trophy for the Lionesses and the first for a senior England team since the men won the World Cup in 1966.
Domestically, Meade was in superb form for her club Arsenal ahead of the tournament, scoring 14 goals and providing 19 assists in 40 appearances in the 2021-22 campaign as the Gunners came agonizingly close to a first Women’s Super League title since 2019 , but finished second to Chelsea by one point.
Meade’s 2022-23 campaign looked set to be just as fruitful, but was cut short after she suffered an ACL injury against Manchester United in November, casting doubt on her hopes of playing at next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Presented by Gary Lineker, Claire Bolding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, Sports Personality of the Year 2022 was broadcast live from MediaCityUK, Salford.
Other Sports Personality 2022 Award Winners
Helen Rollason Award: Rob Burrow
Coach of the Year: Sarina Wiegman
Team of the Year: England Women
Young Sports Person of the Year: Jessica Gadirova
Overall Achievement: Usain Bolt
Unsung Hero: Mike Alden
World sports star: Lionel Messi
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