British tennis champion Andy Murray and athlete Mo Farah have been knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. Paralympic dressage rider Lee Pearson also becomes a Sir, while heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill and rower Katherine Grainger are made dames.
There are CBEs for cyclists Jason and Laura Kenny, swimmer Sascha Kindred and equestrians Charlotte Dujardin, Nick Skelton and Sophie Christiansen. Former athlete Sir Roger Bannister is made a Companion of Honour.
Boxer Nicola Adams, Great Britain hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh and Wales football manager Chris Coleman receive OBEs. Other OBEs include rowers Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge, cyclist Ed Clancy, Paralympians Jody Cundy and Anne Dunham and racehorse trainer John Gosden.
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew is made a MBE, as are a host of gold medal winners from the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio, with more than 100 people in sport included on the list.
Great Britain’s women’s hockey players – including Richardson-Walsh’s wife Helen – are all honoured, together with other champions including gymnast Max Whitlock, swimmer Adam Peaty, golfer Justin Rose, and Paralympic gold medal-winning cyclist and athlete Kadeena Cox.
An extraordinary year for Murray
Becoming a Sir caps a landmark 12 months for Wimbledon and Olympic champion Andy Murray, 29.
February 2016: Has first child as wife Kim gives birth to daughter Sophia
June 2016: Becomes Wimbledon champion for the second time
August 2016: Defends Olympic singles title in Rio
November 2016: Replaces Novak Djokovic as world number one
December 2016: Wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year for record third time; knighted in New Year Honours List
Scot Murray, previously honoured with an OBE in 2012, had said he was “too young” for a knighthood.
Dream come true – Farah
Mo Farah, 33, completed a ‘double double’ in Rio as he won his fourth Olympic gold and became only the second man to retain the 5,000m and 10,000m titles.
His knighthood completes a remarkable journey for the runner who moved from Somalia to England aged eight. “Looking back at the boy who arrived here from Somalia, not speaking a world of English, I could never have imagined where I would be today – it’s a dream come true,” he said.
Dressage rider Lee Pearson carried the flag for Great Britain during the Paralympic opening ceremony and went on to win the 11th gold medal of his career. The decorated Paralympian already held the MBE, OBE and CBE for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport. (BBC Sport)
