Sports Personality 2021: Emma Raducanu dominates social media reaction
- Published
Raducanu picked up her award over a video call from her hotel room in Abu Dhabi, where she is quarantining
What a way to end an incredible year of sport.
Tennis star Emma Raducanu was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 in Salford, where there was no studio audience present due to Covid-19 guidelines.
Amid 2021's packed sporting calendar that featured the delayed Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and Euro 2020, the world watched as 19-year-old Raducanu wrote her name in history on the tennis court.
She ended a 44-year wait for a British women's Grand Slam singles champion, winning the US Open without dropping a single set, months after receiving her A-Level results.
She became the youngest women's Slam champion since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004, having started the year at 338th in the WTA world rankings.
After finishing ahead of second-placed Tom Daley and Adam Peaty in third, Raducanu was trending on social media within minutes.
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It was an emotional night and BBC viewers had 'goosebumps' right from the get-go...
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Then when Arsenal and Scotland defender Jen Beattie picked up the Helen Rollason award for bravery in speaking about her cancer diagnosis and encouraging others to get screened, the tears started flowing...
Contenders for the main award Adam Peaty and Tom Daley took to their social media channels looking sharp on the red carpet.
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Sports Personality of the Year 2021 was a night to remember and a fitting sign-off to an extraordinary year in sport.
Congratulations to Raducanu and all who picked up an award. To BBC viewers, let's hope the tears have stopped flowing by now...
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