[Closed] Hugh Porter

he spent most of the TT talking about the Gyro d'italia.

has he never heard anyone else say it?

Having had to suffer Castroviejo coming out as Castrovieho, I've given up worrying. I've also heard Spanish commentators cocking up British names. 😀

His is the voice I associate with track cycling tbh.

Give it a rest eh.

"MR HUGH PORTER – CITATION FOR THE CONFERMENT OF THE FREEDOM
OF THE CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON
Hugh Porter was born, raised, educated and has always resided in Wolverhampton.
Hugh’s athletic talents soon became apparent. After many local successes, he quickly made his mark on the national cycling scene and then ultimately came to international prominence in the early nineteen sixties and seventies. During that time, Hugh’s cycling achievements in a British vest, both at amateur and professional level, were exceptional. His record included 4 World Professional Championship
Gold Medals in 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1973 and two Silver Medals in 1967 and 1969 in the 5,000 metres Pursuit together with a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal in 1966 in the Amateur 4,000 metre Pursuit. He also won two gold medals at the pre-Olympics and then represented Great Britain at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, where, unfortunately, illness derailed his medal chances and he finished fifth.
Most champions excel within just one specific aspect of their chosen sport, which is difficult enough, but Hugh’s prolific talents were such as to demonstrate unusual versatility as rider across a range of cycling disciplines. Although best known as a world class track rider, he also competed for Britain in the World Road Race
Championships as both an amateur and professional. He won the season-long ‘Star Trophy’ competition to find the top amateur roadman in Great Britain. He represented Britain as an amateur in the Tour of Britain Milk Race three times and the Tour of Czechoslovakia. As a professional, Hugh competed in the world famous
Tour de France and the Tour of Switzerland. Given his track racing pedigree and established reputation, he was invited into the very demanding ‘closed shop’ of winter indoor track racing and rode in more than twenty international Six-Day events.
During all these years, Hugh was also always active on the domestic scene and he won many British titles both as an amateur and a professional. It is important to remember that many of his sporting achievements, particularly as an amateur, were largely self-motivated and supported; there was little of the financial and coaching
infrastructure from which modern day athletes can benefit, which makes his successes all the more noteworthy.
On his retirement from competition, Hugh was awarded his MBE for services to sport and was also recognised by the City by having a road named after him: ‘Hugh Porter Way’, which appropriately enough leads down to the Aldersley Sporting Village and the track where he often raced and trained.
In addition to recognition by British Cycling with its Gold Badge of Honour, Hugh has also received the prestigious Bidlake award, which is presented by the sport for conspicuous services to cycling, and was invited to sign the Golden Book of Cycling.
He is also a Past President of the oldest existing (founded 1870) and perhaps most famous British cycling club, the Pickwick Bicycle Club, which is now a prestigious social and dining club representing the great and good in British cycling and for which membership is by invitation only.
After his competitive cycling years ended, Hugh’s second and equally distinguished media career then began. Hugh now brings his experience and insight to the BBC TV’s commentary team, where since 1979 he has been a familiar voice at all major games for over two decades. He is known as the BBC’s “Voice of Cycling”, having commentated on every Olympic Games since 1984.
Hugh has therefore commentated on every Olympic Cycling Gold medallist:
1992 Chris Boardman
2000 Jason Quealley
2004 Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins
2008 Chris Hoy (3 Golds), Bradley Wiggins (2 Golds), Nicole Cooke, Victoria
Pendleton, Rebecca Romero, the Team pursuit and the Team Sprint
It is believed this must be a record - surely no other British commentator has ever called 8 Olympic Gold medallists from one sport at one games. As if this is not enough, he has again demonstrated his versatility by showing his commentating talents extend to more than just his own sport. BBC Sport recognised his broadcasting skills by sending him to cover the short and long track speed skating at
the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, the World Swimming Championship in Japan and the World Triathlon Championships. For a number of years he voiced all the World Cup swimming for TV and has commentated on tennis and horse jumping for Satellite TV.
Back to his own sport, on the road racing scene he is the established speaker for the Tour of Britain (the latest version of which was held earlier in the year and swept through Wolverhampton along its route, with Hugh proudly being able to mention his home City whilst covering the race for ITV4) and he has filled the same role for all the recent British racing tours. The last time the Tour de France came to this country he co-presented Le Grand Depart in London for television and has acted as the English speaker for this great race on two occasions.
His is therefore a familiar voice world-wide, e.g. 1984 in LA California (USA); 1988 in Seoul (South Korea); 1992 in Barcelona (Spain); 1996 in Atlanta (USA); 2000 in Sydney (Australia); 2004 in Athens (Greece) and 2008 in Beijing (China). Hugh has also commentated on every Commonwealth Games since 1986 (in Edinburgh),
including 1990 in Auckland (NZ), 1994 in Victoria (Canada), 1998 in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), 2002 in Manchester and 2006 in Melbourne (Australia).
When not working for TV, Hugh has acted as commentator and MC for the World Table Tennis Championships, The British Water Skiing Championships, The European in Line Skating Championships, The Paralympics World Cup swimming and cycling, the International Rowing Regatta on the Serpentine and the British Athletics GP Circuit. For five years Hugh covered the Wolves matches for BBC Radio WM. He has also acted as guest presenter for both the Carl Chin and
Ed Doolan shows for BBC Radio WM."