BBC Sports Personality of the Year

All twelve nominees gave us a summer to remember. Their performances, their demeanour, their smiles, wonderfully showcased multicultural Britain.

They all have heart-wrenching stories, some of them dealing with adversity of the cruellest kind. It is almost a shame that in a year when so many excelled, there can only be one winner.

For me it would have to be Mo Farah. Of course it’s a subjective and personal view, but one that cannot ignore the lives of many Somali’s living in the UK. Although, the history of Somalia’s living in London goes back centuries, it is its recent history that has seen a waves of refugees fleeing a war-torn, conflict-ridden country. A proud largely Islamic people, they have too often fall between the cracks from those dealing with Islamaphobia, or racism. And yet of course they are subject to both.

As it has been said a million times or more, Farah could have easily been crushed by the two curses of Islamaphobia and racism, but he found a way out. And in doing so not only lifted his family out of poverty but also lifted a nation’s spirit. He draped in a Union Flag, which has become the symbol of multicultural Britain.

That’s why he gets my vote.

Simon Woolley