04/12/2012 Sport Nation

It is the year ending for Na Li and what an incredible sporting year it

has been. Welcome to a very special programme

- we look back at the Scots to have made the headlines. Who will be the

first Sport Nation sports person of It has been described as the

greatest sporting year ever and Scots were at the heart of it.

Olympic gold, Grand Slam titles and world champions. Who would you say

has come out on top? That is the question we asked our

panel of experts. More on that later but first let's relive some

of the memorable moments of 2012 boast home and abroad.

Heather Stanning starred in the London 2012 gold rush when she won

Team GB's first gold and the first ever women's gold medal for Great

Britain. I was thinking, look how many people are watching us! It was

incredible. Tim Baillie originally completed -- competed in the K one

class but he switched and he and Etienne Stott paddled to gold.

Scott Brash won gold as part of the men's showjumping team. The man

from Peebles, Scott Brash, what a performance. Michael Jamieson took

silver in the 200 metres breaststroke. He broke two British

records on the way to the final and was only beaten in the final by the

two-time world champion who won in record time. David Florence won his

second Olympic silver. Luke Patience won silver in the 470

class. Back in 1912 Britain last won a team medal in Olympic

gymnastics. A century later Daniel Purvis was part of the team who

rode their name in history. Emily McGuire it was part of the hockey

team who secured bronze over -- after a win against New Zealand.

Eton Dorney saw a Team GB gold rush. David Smith's mixed cox for road to

gold, beating favourites Germany. Craig McLean cycled to gold with

his partner Anthony cappers. Neil Fachie won gold in the time-trial.

Them in the Olympic Stadium, two Scots who found Paralympic success,

Libby Clegg and Stef Reid, both won silver. Aileen McGlynn celebrated

double Paralympic success, silver in the time-trial and bronze in the

individual pursuit. 18-year-old James Clegg made his Paralympic

debut in the poor and came away with a bronze medal in the 100

metres butterfly. -- in the pool. The women had a year to forget --

to forget but the men fared better. Only 10 other people have done what

Dario Franchitti did. 2012 will be a year to forget for Scotland's

rugby team, who got the wooden spin -- wooden spoon and the Six Nations.

A then things seem to be looking up after three straight wins against

Australia, Fiji and Samoa are but after a loss to Tonga Andrew

Robinson resigned. I have never seen a goal scored like that from

that distance. Without a win since 2008, Scotland were hoping for a

reversal in fortunes but Koh Dong island Duff Ireland proved too

strong. -- but Ireland proved too strong. Steve and Hendry showed

there was still life in the old dog when he got a 100 -- but after a

quarter-final exit to Steve McGuire the most successful snooker player

of all time decided to hang up his pool cue. The -- his snooker cue.

Some great moments still to come as tonight we reveal sport nation's

choice for top form of 2012. make the final decision we asked

six experts to name the one sports man or one and they believed should

win. Let's meet the panel. Liz McColgan is a former world champion

and double Commonwealth games winner who is still at the heart of

Scottish athletics, coaching in her home town of Dundee. Graham O breed

twice hold -- held the world record in cycling. Even your head is a

four-time world junior champion. Lee McConnell has won world and

European and Commonwealth games medals in the 400 metres, 400-metre

hurdles and relays in her international career. For Alex

Arthur is a former British European and WBO super-featherweight

champion with a professional record of 31 wins and just three losses.

Susan Engel star for his Scotland's most-capped badminton players.

is the panel. They challenge is to choose the sport nation person of

the year. We have narrowed it down to five Scots who have had its -- a

stand-out 2012. Ricky Burns, Scotland's WBO lightweight champion.

There is or well-known theory in sport that says it takes hard work

to get to the top but even harder to stay there. If that is the case,

in 2012 Ricky Burns has put in the hard graft for stockists -- hard

graft. But 29-year-old has made it two successful defences of his WBO

lightweight crown. He makes to aimed -- to make that three in

London next week. I have just been getting more confident. I am coming

out and fighting a lot more aggressively. I think I have a good

combination. A successful first defence of his title came in the

spring. Burns once again showed his superpowers to the world. He is the

Clark Kent of boxing. Once he is in the ring he becomes Superman. At

side he is a lovely guy. -- outside. Rickey Burns! The fight the fans

craved came in September. London's Kevin Mitchell was to provide the

spark and he came up against Burns power. Kevin Mitchell is being

knocked. Me and Kevin wanted to fight for a couple of years. The

fight had been talked about for so long and I think that is why I was

so up for it. It is all over in the 4th round! Kevin Mitchell is

rescued. The man who was supposedly not a puncher has achieved the win

of his career. After my last fight I went over for a week, took my

training staff. What did misses mind if I had a chance to meet

Floyd himself. -- she didn't. You wake up and the sun is out. Even at

night, the heat is unbelievable. It is so much better getting out of

rain -- out of bed and not having the rain. 2012, a phenomenal year

for Ricky Burns. I have been with Amanda for about eight years. She

always says that she is the mature one and I need to grow up. So the

real boss is misses Burns? That's right.

Now time for the Scottish golden girl of London 20 told. Katherine

Grainger had three Olympic silver medals and six World Championships

but she could not get the one she really wanted, an Olympic gold

medal. Until the summer of 2012, Grainger proving that guts and

determination can make you succeed. It has been an exciting time for

Katherine Grainger since the Olympic games. As well as a gold

medal she is receiving many accolades. Recently added --

Edinburgh University named over in gym in her honour. -- a role in the

gym. If it has been a whirlwind of things to do and places to go and

people to see. It is hard to believe it really did happen. It

was utter joy at the time. I did not think you could be that happy.

It was as amazing a high as Beijing was a low.

Beijing took me a long time to come around to and move on from and deal

with. It took a few months. But I have not come down yet from this

one. After Beijing she changed her

discipline to compete in the double sculls with a new partner.

Me and her instantly knew that this had something that very few crews

had. I had not road in that boat class before. We knew from the

beginning that was the level we could be aiming at. That is what we

set about doing. Ultimately we loved it, we loved the journey. We

had so much passion for doing and racing. She can hang her scull stop

now if she really wants to. -- sculls. A lot of people say, you

have to go again, you have Rio, you are at the top of your game.

Especially people who have just got excited by the Olympics this time

round. Other people think, well, fine if you want to continue but

consider what an amazing story it is up to this point. For this

Olympian it is not about being recognised. Most Olympians,

especially in the room -- in the less public sports that you don't

see much of in between the Games, very few people are driven by the

fame side. It is fun but it is not the reason you did why you did. But

I think we all have a responsibility to sort of spread

the word and share our experiences and what we have benefited from

sport and to get young people involved, women involved. The

Olympics and the Paralympics transformed this country for

women's sport and we will always remember 2012. There is an aspect

that you don't want that to fade. It will inevitably but you want to

hang on to that enthusiasm, that passion, excitement, inspiration.

For a few weeks people thought Our next star of 2012 didn't win at

Wimbledon the first time around, but come the Olympics he came back

to Centre Court and defeated all who stood against him.

Even more was still to come, a grand slam victory had seemed so

close but yet so far, the 2012 was the year Andy Murray made history.

To me it is a bit unfair the criticism he has been getting, very

similar to the situation I had losing to Bjorg, and so on. A

player needs to mature and he is Glorious five-hour match. Djokovic

is through to play Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final.

Absolute respect to the effort of Murray today. He set the bar so

high last year, been working as hard as I could to try and close

that, and that is the main thing I take away from tonight, a great

performance from him, he was so dominant last year, to get by me,

What a way to do it! Andy Murray is through to his first ever Wimbledon

I got given two Angry Birds costumes for the dogs. That was

probably the strangest thing I've A brilliant start fron Murray, he

hasn't won a set in a grandslam Championship number seven for Roger

Federer. A fabulous first Wimbledon final for Andy Murray, he has done

So here we are, 28 days after that Wimbledon final won by Roger

Federer, this time to host, for the second time in its history, the

He has got it, first blow in this Olympic final. There is another

It is a golden triumph for Andy Murray. And he finished off like a

What scenes here in New York, as the entire stadium rises for Andy

Murray. It has been a long summer for everybody, French, Wimbledon,

Olympics and now this. Played a lot of tennis but I gave everything in

final. Murray has three championship points to win his

first grand slam title. As Murray serves, forehand return from

Djokovic, it is out, Andy Murray has won the title, his first grand

slam! Oh, my goodness, he has gone and done it and done it the hard

way. Cannot believe he has done it. Just can't. But he has. Andy Murray

is a grandslam champion. The moment it happened I realised I

had won I was very relieved, excited, emotional, happy and proud

and you think a lot about your career when a moment like this

happens and other things you have been through, a lot of tough losses

Well, it was a fantastic year in golf for Paul Lawrie, the comeback

kid. He won two titles over the season and over �1.5 million in

prize money. And he played a big role in

Europe's remarkable comeback in the Ryder Cup so Paul Lawrie is the

fourth super Scot to be considered for the Sport Nation but Sports

Peson Of The Year, 2012. Paul Lawrie's season has been

nothing short of remarkable, two wins and nine top-10 finishes

helping the 43-year-old earn over �1.5 million. And of course there

was Chicago, he was playing his part in helping Europe win the most

remarkable Ryder Cup match ever witnessed but the Aberdonian isn't

one to dwell on his achievements. It has been good. You want to keep

going. I want to make next year even better, that is what you try

and do, don't want to put too much importance on this year, I think it

is another good year, I was 18th in the order of merit in 2011, an

improvement on the year before. If I can improve on this year next

year and even better step forward. His successful 2012 is down to how

he finished 2011. Last year was a huge boost in confidence. I had a

run of top tens, won in Qatar. Every week was a snowball.

Obviously your confidence will get a boost. He wasn't the only one

taking confidence from the way he is playing. Everybody knows how

good a golfer he is. He has been showing that week in week out. We

can use that as inspiration, the more players we have up there in

contention, the better for everybody. Of course the highlight

of the golfing year for many was the Ryder Cup. For Paul Lawrie a

return to the European team, after a 13-year absence. A vital win in a

singles match helping Europe comeback from 10-6 down to complete

a remarkable victory. We all thought, man, this is

possible, you turn around, look at the board, you can see points all

over the place. As much as it was a snowball for us, it was opposite

for them. They could see this is getting messy, this is getting

tight and we were there in 99 when it was on the other foot. It went

for us, it was fantastic to be part of it. I think it might never

happen again, the way it happened away from home, 10-6 down. 2012 has

been one of his busiest and best. How do you follow it up? By not

letting up, of course. Next season and in the years to come.

What I do, golf, 43 is not that old. I plan on playing the seniors when

I get to 50, playing competitive full-time golf until I am at least

60, so the way I look at it, I have got 17, 18 years to play

professional golf. I love what I do, not many people have a better life

than me earning vast amount of money playing a game I enjoy. And

not bad at it, some would say. When you hear the noise from the

Paul Lawrie boys will be coming down the road

Finally, no list of top Scots performance would be complete

without Sir Chris Hoy. His professionalism and work ethic

powered him into the top time after time. A multiple world and Olympic

champion, his dream was to triumph at London 2012, but back at the

beginning of the year nothing was You're working very hard, producing

lactic acid and it burns and stings in your legs. Then you do it again

and you rest and do it again. Every time it is feeling worse and worse

before you even start the effort. Your legs just shut down and you

almost grind to a halt then it gets worse and you are rolling about the

floor in the foetal position, sometimes you are physically sick,

it is not very pretty. But it's part of the training. It is part of

what you have to do to get to the top. Hours, days, weeks and months

of brutal training to achieve this, his dream of walking out to compete

in his fourth Olympic Games. In March he told us he wanted to be

selected in three events and wining gold was not guaranteed. I could be

better then I was in Beijing but come away with no medals. The

standard could raise. What happens with your rivals, you have got no

control, but what you do yourself, you have control over. I aim to be

better then I was and if I win three gold medals with that

performance, that is fantastic. If you don't you have got to shake the

guy's hand and say well done if not. He was selected for two events in

London 2012, missing out on the kilometre sprint. Here comes Chris

Hoy. At 36 success on the track would only be tougher than ever

before. Gold medal for Great Britain, a new world record, 42.6,

I don't believe what I am seeing here, they are going quicker and

quicker and Great Britain have won the gold for the team sprint.

Back in his hometown of Edinburgh the gold painted postbox and stamp

printed in his honour. Back on track, the pressure was on in the

keirin, his only chance for an individual gold, in a notoriously

unpredictable event. Who is going to get it? Chris Hoy gets the gold

medal here in the keirin, his sixth gold medal, he becomes the greatest

achiever ever, the greatest British Olympian. His tally, six gold

medals, one silver. He is the Olympic champion. The sixth of his

career overtaking the five of Sir Steve Redgrave. He will always be

the biggest, no matter how many medals anybody went, he won five

consecutive gold medals, that is different to winning multiple gold

medals. He is a marvellous achiever, very down-to-earth, and he has got

time for everybody. That is as important as his gold medals, he is

just a nice bloke. After the Games his life literally

skyrocketed with honours and rewards.

It was the most incredible experience. Very hard to put into

words what it feels like when you are up there, started the whole

flight with a performance takeoff which means you go flat out there

and vertical and climb and climb which is a big difference to the

flights I am used to travelling round the world competing. Feet

back firmly on the ground he received a hero's welcome in

Edinburgh and freedom of the city. Murrayfield was the venue. Onto the

pitch now comes a man with more goals than Mr T, Chris Hoy. -- gold.

If ever was a man to inspire Scotland it is this man. Inspiring

Well, that is the final lineup and what a choice to make. We asked our

panel to make their choice. Will their choice be the same as

yours? Standby for the result. In third place, it is Olympic gold

medallist in rowing, Katherine Grainger. In second place,

Grainger. In second place, Britain's most successful Olympian

Sir Chris Hoy. Which means the Sport Nation Sports Person for 2012

is Olympic gold medallist and US Our behalf of BBC Scotland I'd like

to present you with the Sport Nation Sports Person Of The Year

Award 2012. Thank you very much. Congratulations. Thank you very

much, it's been a great year for Scottish sport, it's been the best

year of my career, so thank you very much, very proud.

Well done to Andy Murray, the winner in this incredible sporting

year and we will be back in late January with the Sport Nation rugby

special. John will be looking ahead to