sportupdatesuk

Here are the finalised shortlists for the SUUK Awards Voting will be opened on January 1st. Some 17 sports have been represented in this year’s awards. More details will be added later about each of the nominees why they’ve been selected and how you can vote! Please note that some categories have more than five candidates as the votes were tied.

SUUK Star of the year  – The centrepiece of the awards. The star that takes home this prize will have excelled in their own sport to the extent that praise is near universal amongst their peers, criticism rare and consistency is constant.

* Novak Djokovic (Tennis)

* Aaron Rodgers (NFL)

* Cadel Evans (Cycling)

* Lionel Messi (Football)

* Sebastian Vettel (F1)

* Jessica Ennis (Athletics)

* Lindsey Vonn (Skiing)

* Mark Cavendish (Cycling)

SUUK British Star of the year – Awarded for excellence by a British sportsman or woman

* Mark Cavendish (Cycling)

* Mo Farah (Athletics)

* Rebecca Adlington (Swimming)

* Jessica Ennis (Athletics)

* Jenson Button (F1)
http://www.formula1.com/video/?uid=2011073111R

SUUK Overseas Star of the year– Awarded for excellence by a non-British sportsman or woman

* Novak Djokovic (Tennis)

* Cadel Evans (Cycling)

* Aaron Rodgers (NFL)

* Lionel Messi (Football)

* Sebastien Vettel (F1)

* Lindsey Vonn (Skiing)

SUUK Sportsmanship Award – Awarded for upholding the spirit of sport. Can be awarded to an individual, team, community or body.

*Paul Lagat (Athletics) – For warmly congratulating Mo Farah after losing the World Championship 5000m final
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0b7c84Xd5x4Ti/300x.jpg
* Tomás Ó’Sé (Gaelic Football)– Who after conceding a final second winner in the All Ireland Gaelic Football Final, retrieved the ball and presented it to the goalscorer
http://www.balls.ie/2011/09/19/classy/
*Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Cricket)- For allowing Ian Bell to return to the crease despite being run out For allowing Ian Bell to return to the crease after he was run out (Bell wrongly believed the ball had gone for four).

*Ryo Ishikawa (Golf) – The teenage golfer donated all of his winnings to the Japanese Tsunami recovery fund
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/Ryo-Ishikawa-will-donate-all-of-2011-prize-money?urn=golf-wp298
*Albany High School (Basketball)– For stopping their game to celebrate opponent Rebekah Dahlman scoring 3,000pts
http://www.presspubs.com/isanti/news/article_40d7bd68-2c21-11e1-97fa-001871e3ce6c.html#.TvNDG0QlLEk.facebook

SUUK Fighter Award – Awarded to the sportsman or woman who fought on to achieve the best result in the face of adversity.  

* Cory Hahn (Baseball)– High School star who broke his back in the process of sliding to a base. He has since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/26/sports/la-sp-cory-hahn-arizona-state-20110227
* Juan Antonio Flecha & Johnny Hoogerland (Cycling) – For finishing the stage at this years Tour de France after being suffering severe barbed wire cuts in a crash with a TV car.

* Billy Sharp (Football) – For scoring consistently for his side just days after the death of his newborn son.

* Thomas Voeckler (Cycling) – For holding on to the Tour De France lead for 10 stages with more recognisable stars closing in on his yellow jersey.

* Alex Zanardi (Paracycling) –  For recovering from a double amputation in 2001 following a CART smash to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/nick_zaccardi/09/15/Alex-Zanardi/index.html

SUUK Underrated Star – Awarded to the team, player or individual that is unfairly ignored or patronised by the majority of the media and fans.

* Vitaly Petrov (F1)
* Matty Fryatt (Football)
* Ben Foden (Rugby Union)
* Chrissie Wellington (Ironman Triathlon)
* Navaro Bowman (NFL)

SUUK Debutant of the year – Awarded for excellence by an individual or team that debuted in 2011

* Paul Di Resta (F1)
* Cam Newton (NFL)

* Sergio Aguero (Football)

* Sergio Perez (F1)
* Tom Lewis (Golf)
http://www.espn.co.uk/golf/sport/story/116603.html

SUUK Team of the year – Awarded for excellence by a team or collective

* Barcelona (Football)

* Green Bay Packers (NFL)

* Red Bull-Renault (F1)

* England (Cricket)

* New Zealand (Rugby Union)

SUUK Manager/Head Coach of the year – Awarded for excellence by a Manager/Head Coach

* Jim Harbaugh (NFL)
* Brendan Rodgers (Football)
* Sir Alex Ferguson (Football)
* Andy Flower (Cricket)
* Warren Gatland (Rugby Union)

SUUK Villain of the year – Awarded to the individual or group that did the most damage to sport in 2011.

* Sepp Blatter (Football)
* John Terry (Football)
* Luis Suarez (Football)
* Bernie Ecclestone (F1)
*  Chris Ashton (Rugby Union)

SUUK Moment of the year – The moment of the year that left an indelible mark on your brain. They can be moments of brilliance, ignominy or humanity.

* JR Hildebrand crashes on the last corner of the Indy500

* Button gains the lead from Vettel in the Canadian Grand Prix

* Marshawn Lynch’s NFL wildcard touchdown

* Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick in the Premier League’s Manchester derby

* The paddock uniting after the Tsunami at the Japanese Grand Prix

SUUK Clash of the year – The contest, game or event that drew the eye in 2011

* Amir Khan – Lamont Peterson (Boxing)

* Season opener Saints – Packers (NFL)

* Manchester City 6-1 Manchester United (Football)

* England – India at the Cricket World Cup (Cricket)

* India – Sri Lanka at the Cricket World Cup (Cricket)

SUUK Comeback of the year – Colloquially known as the Brett Favre award. Awarded to the star who exceeded expectations after being written off.

* Alex Zanardi’s (Paracycling) – For reaching the 2012 Paralympics after retiring from a successful motor racing career.
* Jenson Button (F1)  – For winning the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix from the back of the field.

* Craig Bellamy (Football) – For adding impetus to the Liverpool attack after spending last season in the Championship

* Alex Smith (NFL) – For shaking off his label as a draft bust and pushing the San Francisco 49ers to their first playoff berth since 2002

* Tim Tebow (NFL) – For winning in the face of intense media and fan criticism and for his numerous fourth quarter recoveries.