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Quiz about BBC Sports Personalities of the Year  1
Quiz about BBC Sports Personalities of the Year  1

BBC Sports Personalities of the Year [1] Quiz


The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award has been held annually since 1954. This is the first of a series of quizzes on the athletes who have been honoured over the years, covering 1954-1963.

A multiple-choice quiz by Supersal1. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
Supersal1
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
303,853
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
553
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The first winner was a runner who later went into politics as a Conservative MP. He is well-known for being one of the pacemakers when the first sub-four minute mile was run in May 1954. Who is he? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Gordon Pirie won the award in 1955. What was his field of expertise? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Cricketer Jim Laker was the 1956 winner. He played for Surrey and Essex at county level, but in which county was he born? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The 1957 winner hailed from Wales and captained Britain to win golf's Ryder Cup that year. Who was he? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. How old was Ian Black when he won the award in 1958? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. John Surtees was the winner in 1959. Which sport led him to win the award? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Show jumper Sunsalve carried which rider to the title in 1960? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The 1961 winner is often known as "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship". However, he did win both the 1961 Monaco and German Grand Prix. Who is he? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. 1962 saw the first woman (a swimmer) win the title. Who was she? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The 1963 winner was a female. Dorothy Hyman competed in which discipline? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first winner was a runner who later went into politics as a Conservative MP. He is well-known for being one of the pacemakers when the first sub-four minute mile was run in May 1954. Who is he?

Answer: Christopher Chataway

Christopher Chataway set a world record time of 13 minutes 51.6 seconds for the 5000 metres on 13th October 1954, at White City in London. The event was televised, which helped put him in the public eye for the vote.
Roger Bannister was the first person to run the sub-four minute mile, and was runner-up in the awards. Chris Brasher was another of the pacemakers in this race. Harold Abrahams' story was told in the film, "Chariots of Fire", and he was in fact one of the commentators when Bannister ran the sub-four minute mile.
2. Gordon Pirie won the award in 1955. What was his field of expertise?

Answer: Running

Douglas Alistair Gordon Pirie was a middle-distance runner. He set a world record of 7.55.5 minutes for the 3000 metres in June 1956, and broke that record the following year with a time of 7.52.8 seconds. This record remained until 1962, when it was broken by Michael Jazy of France.

He won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics for the 5000 metres. He also won the English Cross Country Running Championship three times.
3. Cricketer Jim Laker was the 1956 winner. He played for Surrey and Essex at county level, but in which county was he born?

Answer: Yorkshire

James Laker was noted for his bowling prowess. During a test match against Australia in July 1956, he took 19 of the 20 Australian wickets, which many consider to be cricket's greatest bowling feat. That match is commonly known as "Laker's Match".
4. The 1957 winner hailed from Wales and captained Britain to win golf's Ryder Cup that year. Who was he?

Answer: Dai Rees

Dai Rees played in nine Ryder Cups between 1937 and 1961. The Ryder Cup first took place in 1927, and up until 1979 was played between the USA, Britain, and Ireland. The 1957 British win was the first since 1933, and also the last, as U.S. domination of the event led to the event being held between the USA and Europe from 1979.
5. How old was Ian Black when he won the award in 1958?

Answer: 17

Ian Black was born in Scotland in 1941. He won three gold medals for swimming in the European Championships in 1958, as well as gold and two silver medals in the Commonwealth Games.
6. John Surtees was the winner in 1959. Which sport led him to win the award?

Answer: Motorcycle racing

John Surtees won the Senior TT race at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy event in 1958 and 1959. He made the hat-trick the following year. He had won the 500 cc World Championship in 1956. His father was a motorbike dealer, and he won his first race at the age of 15.

In 1960, he switched to F1 racing and won the World Championship in 1963, making him the first person to win the World Championship on both two wheels and four.
7. Show jumper Sunsalve carried which rider to the title in 1960?

Answer: David Broome

David Broome and Sunsalve won bronze medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics and also at the 1960 World Championships in Venice. During his 30-year career, David won both the British National Championship and the King George V Gold Cup five times. He received an OBE in 1970, and a CBE in 1995.
8. The 1961 winner is often known as "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship". However, he did win both the 1961 Monaco and German Grand Prix. Who is he?

Answer: Stirling Moss

Sir Stirling Moss won 16 F1 Grand Prix races. He was runner-up for the World Championship four times. He retired from motor racing in 1962, after a near-fatal crash at Goodwood. Although he made a full recovery from his injuries, he felt that his driving was not quite as good as it had been previously. The Moss family obviously felt the need for speed. Stirling's father had raced as an amateur and won events at Brooklands and Indianapolis in the 1920s.

His mother also competed in rallies. His sister, Pat Moss, was at one time active on the show jumping circuit, but switched to rally driving in 1953.
9. 1962 saw the first woman (a swimmer) win the title. Who was she?

Answer: Anita Lonsbrough

Anita Lonsbrough won one silver and two gold medals and the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia. She also won one gold and one silver medal at the European Championships that year in Leipzig. She had previously won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics for the 200 metres breastroke, setting a world record time of 2 minutes, 49.5 seconds. Anita was also the first woman to carry the flag for the British Olympic Team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
10. The 1963 winner was a female. Dorothy Hyman competed in which discipline?

Answer: Athletics

Dorothy Hyman was a sprinter with an impressive track record. She won silver and bronze medals the 1960 Rome Olympics. She also won silver and two gold medals at the 1962 commonwealth games in Perth, Western Australia, then bronze, silver, and gold medals at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade.
She retired from competition in 1963 and devoted herself to training young athletes in Yorkshire where she was born. The athletics stadium in her home village of Cudworth is named after her.
Source: Author Supersal1

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