PLATINUM JUBILEE CELEBRATION

Bobby Moore was England’s captain when they lifted the football World Cup back in 1966 – presented to the England legend by Queen Elizabeth II herself. Widely-regarded as one of the best defenders ever, Moore picked up 108 caps for his country and is immortalised in an iconic bronze statue at the entrance to Wembley Stadium. An OBE, a BBC Sports Personality of the Year, a member of the English Football Hall of Fame and on the BBC’s list of 100 Greatest Britons, Moore is a true icon.

When he won Wimbledon for the first time in 2013, Sir Andy Murray wrote himself in British sporting legend, ending a 77-year wait for a British Wimbledon champ. The Scot has a total of three Grand Slam titles, plus 46 ATP singles and spent 41 weeks as World No. 1. Additionally, Murray has two Olympic gold medals and has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year on a record three occasions.

A three-time world heavyweight boxing champion, Lennox Lewis is the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed world championship, having retired in 2004. Regarded by many experts as one of the best fighters of all time, Lewis is an icon of British boxing, having defeated big names like Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko, Frank Bruno and many others.

You can’t think of British Parasport without thinking immediately of Tanni Grey-Thompson. A winner of 16 Paralympic medals (11 gold), a holder of over 30 world records and a six-time London Marathon champ, Grey-Thompson is a wheelchair racing superstar. She has become a member of the House of Lords in recognition of her achievements and Parasport activism, and also holds a BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

Who could forget Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal to win England the Rugby World Cup back in 2003? The fly-half goes down in history as the man who won England their only World Cup to date, earning himself various honours, including a CBE, a BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and a place in the World Rugby Hall of Fame. He scored 1,179 points for England, as well as 67 for the British & Irish Lions, and was at one point the highest point scorer in international rugby history.

Paula Radcliffe MBE is a famous British long-distance runner, having won the London Marathon three times and held the women’s world marathon record time until 2019. A champion runner over several distances, Radcliffe competed for Great Britain for over 20 years and earned many accolades, including BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Lord Botham is an icon of English cricket and one of the best all-rounders of all time. Employing an aggressive and positive style of play, Botham scored 5,200 runs, took 383 wickets and claimed 120 catches in tests for England and is most famous his heroics in winning the 1981 Ashes series. Known affectionately as ‘Beefy’, Botham has also been commended for his charity walks and is a well-regarded pundit.

Perhaps the most famous name in equestrian, Zara Tindall is Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest granddaughter and an Olympic medallist. Tindall followed her mother, Anne, Princess Royal, into equestrian and has won eventing championships across Europe and the wider world. Married to England rugby star Mike Tindall, she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006.

Northern Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy, is one of the most successful British golfers ever, with four Major Championships to his name and having spent over 100 weeks as the World No. 1. As well as his numerous successes on the PGA Tour, he has represented Europe at the Ryder Cup on six occasions, helping them defeat USA four times. Due to this personal and team success, he has been RTÉ Sports Person of the Year twice and earned an MBE.

Married couple, Laura and Jason Kenny, hold the most Olympics medals for a British woman and British man, respectively, having achieved astonishing success in track cycling. Jason has seven gold medals and nine in total, making him the most successful cyclist at the Olympics ever, while Laura holds five gold medals and one silver. After the 2020 Olympics, both Laura and Jason were knighted by the Queen and look set to break yet more records in the future.

It couldn’t be a list of iconic British sportspeople without mentioning David Beckham, arguably the most famous English footballer ever. A former England captain, a treble winner, the first English player to win titles in four countries and the husband of a Spice Girl, Beckham is known in all corners of the world. Beckham played 115 times for England, and turned out for huge club sides like Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG during a glittering 21-year career.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean entered into British sporting folklore at the 1984 Winter Olympics when they won a gold medal in ice dancing, skating to Boléro. As the Nottinghamshire duo secured the highest figure-skating score for a single programme ever, over 24 million Britons were glued to their television. In a 2002 poll, their gold medal win was voted No.8 in the 100 Greatest Sporting Moment of all time by the British public.

Phil Taylor has won all that darts has to offer and is known as the greatest darts player ever. 14 World Championships, 16 World Matchplay wins, 11 World Grand Prix titles, 6 Premier Leagues and countless more titles, Taylor is one of the greatest British sportspeople ever and holds numerous records, including an amazing 13 televised nine-dart finishes.