A day after she won RTÉ Sports Star of the Year, Rachael Blackmore added the BBC World Sports Star of the Year award to her collection. She is the first Irish person to win the award.
This year, the Tipperary native became the first woman to be crowned top jockey at Cheltenham when she picked up six wins. She followed that by becoming the first woman to ride the winner of the Aintree Grand National when Minella Times triumphed in April.
Also nominated for the BBC award were boxer Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, NFL star Tom Brady, tennis player Novak Djokovic, sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah and Formula One champion Max Verstappen.
The award was decided by a public vote.
Rachael Blackmore wins BBC World Sports Star of the Year
🗣️ "It far surpassed anything I could have imagined!"
What an incredible year for @RachaelBlackmor!
World Sport Star at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 🏆
📲💻 Watch: https://t.co/rIosTy9Hhb#SPOTY live on @BBCiPlayer and @BBCOne pic.twitter.com/6Y6tzil7wv
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 19, 2021
"Unbelievable!" said Blackmore.
"The support has been incredible. I got such a kick out of being on that lost of nominees. This is just incredible, it's overwhelming to think I've just been given an award after Simone Biles got one.
"My dreams were so big, but [this year] far surpassed anything I could have every imagined.
"The reaction has been brilliant, I feel very privileged to have had the year I've had.
"The Grand National was incredible, I felt like I was exactly where I wanted to be. You need a lot of things to fall into place for that to happen."
See Also: Newly Wed Stacey Kehoe Crowns Memorable 24 Hours With All-Ireland
