Full Sports Personality of the Year 2016 voting statistics revealed

Mo Farah just missed out on third place behind Nick Skelton, but Andy Murray was way out in front with almost a quarter of a million votes

Radio Times Staff

Published: Monday, 19 December 2016 at 7:50 am

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Andy Murray received over twice as many votes as the closest contender on his way to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2016, voting statistics reveal.

The tennis world number one picked up 247,419 votes on the night, putting him well clear of second-place Alistair Brownlee in the Sports Personality shortlist. Triathlete Brownlee finished on 121,665 votes, with showjumper Nick Skelton in third on 109,197 votes.

Mo Farah, who made history as Britain's most successful track and field athlete in Rio 2016, only managed fourth place in the Sports Personality poll, pulling in 50,000 fewer votes than Skelton.

Mo Farah speaking with Sports Personality host Gabby Logan via video link from Dubai

Earlier this year, Farah correctly predicted he would not make it into the top three this year, saying, “I’ve never been in the top three of Sports Personality. And I won’t be in the top three again. You have just got to accept what it is. What drives me is winning medals and just going out there and enjoy it."

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Farah has actually finished third in Sports Personality once, in 2011, before his London 2012 exploits.

The Sports Personality voting breakdown also shows that cyclist Laura Kenny beat her husband Jason in the viewer vote, with Laura finishing in 8th and Jason in 10th.

Although he claimed top spot by a distance, Murray's vote count was down on last year, when he beat rugby league star Kevin Sinfield to the title.

2015 saw Murray pick up over 361,446 votes, with Sinfield in second on 278,353. Jessica Ennis-Hill came third last year on 79,898 votes.

See the full 2016 list below.