Sports Personality of the Year 2022: Rob Burrow honoured with Helen Rollason Award

Rugby league legend Rob Burrow has been honoured with the Helen Rollason Award at Sports Personality of the Year 2022, and ex-Leeds Rhinos team-mate Kevin Sinfield received a special BBC award.

Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019 - two years after retiring from a 17-year career.

He was given the award for relentless fundraising and raising awareness of MND while battling the illness himself.

"This is for the MND warriors," said Burrow, 40.

Burrow, who uses an eye-controlled computer which recreates words into a version of his voice to communicate, added: "We will not stop until we find a cure. I am inspired to keep going by my friend Kevin.

"I'm totally overcome with this award due to the amount of amazing people who have won this before. In particular my MND hero, Doddie Weir.

"What a fantastic guy he was. I don't think I would be here today without meeting him less than a week into my diagnosis. I will accept the award on his behalf."

Since Burrow's diagnosis, Sinfield has raised more than £7m for charity.

Sinfield, Burrow's close friend and captain as he led Leeds Rhinos to seven Super League crowns and two Challenge Cup wins, has undertaken a series of fundraising challenges while championing MND research.

In November, the 42-year-old ran seven ultra marathons in seven days, covering 300 miles (482km) from Edinburgh to Manchester, via Melrose, Newcastle, York, Leeds and Bradford.

He smashed through his target of £777,777 - a nod to the number seven shirt worn by Burrow - and received a hero's welcome as he completed the challenge at Old Trafford during half-time in the Rugby League World Cup final.

"From the start this has been a big team effort," said Sinfield.

"Everyone has got behind what we have tried to do. Rob is probably the most inspirational bloke in the UK. He has inspired us to be better friends. In sport and certainly in rugby, the connections you make, the friends don't just stop when the whistle goes.

"Sport is powerful enough to bring communities together. What we have witnessed is a nation that cares about the MND community.

"Doddie [Weir] used to say MND isn't incurable, it's just under-funded. We've got to keep fighting. We will keep banging the drum."

That fundraising challenge raised £1.5m, with the funds being split between five charities supporting people impacted by MND.

The former Leicester rugby union assistant coach, who will join England's new head coach Steve Borthwick as defence coach at Twickenham, also ran 101 miles in 24 hours in 2021 and seven marathons in seven days a year earlier.

Both Sinfield and Burrow also represented Great Britain and England during their playing careers.

Burrow spent his entire club career with Leeds Rhinos, winning eight Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups as he made more than 400 appearances between 2001 and 2017.

One of the most successful rugby league players in the sport's history, Burrow was awarded an MBE in 2021 for his services to rugby league and for his work in the motor neurone community.

Burrow read the CBeebies Bedtime Story using the technology on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities earlier in December.

The Helen Rollason Award recognises outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

It was introduced to the show in 1999 in memory of the BBC Sport journalist and presenter, who died of cancer that year at the age of 43.

Scotland rugby union great Doddie Weir, honoured with the award at Sports Personality of the Year in 2019, died in November at the age of 52 - six years after being diagnosed with MND.

Capped 61 times between 1990 and 2000, he raised more than £8m through his My Name'5 Doddie foundation.

Weir received an OBE in 2019 for services to rugby, to MND research and to the Borders community.

Last year, Arsenal and Scotland defender Jen Beattie received the Helen Rollason Award for her work on breast cancer awareness.

Previous winners include Hillsborough disaster campaigner Anne Williams, charity marathon runner Ben Smith, football fan Bradley Lowery and racing driver Billy Monger.