Bradley Wiggins Is Sports Personality Of Year

Tour de France champion and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 32-year-old cyclist was presented with the trophy by the Duchess of Cambridge, who was making her first public appearance since being treated in hospital for severe morning sickness.

Wiggins picked up the most public votes after becoming the first Briton to win the Tour - rated as cycling's ultimate prize - in July.

He then followed up his victory days later by taking the Olympic Time Trial on the streets of Surrey.

Team GB Heptathlon gold medal-winner Jessica Ennis was second at the ExCel ceremony in London, with US Open tennis winner and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray third.

Wiggins said: "I'm not going to swear tonight so I am just going to say 'thank you' to everyone that picked the phone up and voted.

"We have had all that jungle stuff (I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!) and X Factor the last couple of weeks, so for people in half an hour to pick up and pay £1.50 to vote, thank you very much.

"And my nan: the cheque is in the post because you pressed redial God-knows how many times."

He also paid tribute to fellow riders plus the performance director and coach who have guided British cycling to a new high.

He said: "I'd like to thank my team-mates, Dave Brailsford and Shane Sutton. I'd like to thank British Cycling and Sky for paying me."

Cycling chief Brailsford, who helped deliver a large chunk of Team GB's success this year, was named coach of the year at the awards.

Under his leadership, Britain won 15 cycling medals in London and he also headed the Team Sky outfit which guided Wiggins to victory in the Tour de France.

Brailsford, who beat Ennis' coach Toni Minichiello and rowing coach Paul Thompson to the award, said: "It's a huge privilege to win this because it was a fantastic summer of sport. There is a great team behind me at British Cycling and Team Sky.

"They did a brilliant job. I would like to thank head coach Shane Sutton and all the team for the work they have done. They did such a good job. Our opponents thought our wheels were rounder than theirs.

"It's great because everyone sniggered when we said we would win the Tour de France in five years with a clean British rider."

The Team of the Year award went to Team GB and Paralympics GB for their successes in the Games during the summer.

The lifetime achievement award, also presented by the Duchess of Cambridge, went to London 2012 chief and double Olympic gold medallist Lord Sebastian Coe.

He was given his prize for his achievements in athletics and in recognition of his role in bringing the Olympics and Paralympics to London and their success.