[Closed] Your first sporting hero

Robby Naish. I had pictures of this guy killing it when I was a teenager- he's still killing it! Ledge 😉

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Tom Simpson, first British road champion. Didn't work out so well in the end though 🙁
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Ali
Pele
Cruyf

Bruce Lee

For the OP, Peter Collins? Nah, Les Collins

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Only sport I was into as a kid, great time to be a monarchs fan... Then a wee bit later on, John Clelland- because we had a Cavalier, and he was a mentalist.

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Gilles.

Rob Aston

Kenny Dalglish
Viv Richards
Daley Thompson

For younger STW's there will be much more choice due to tv coverage, 'back in my day' 3-4 tv channels, papers mostly did sport seasonally and of course no women heroes cos women's sport was only invented in 2014 when some cyclists did stuff, although having written that now I am thinking that Tessa sanderson the javelin thrower was a big name in the early 80's.

George Best

Greg Lemond and Jamoliddin Abdoujaparov

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Can I have a second vote for Tommy Simpson?

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Severiano Ballesteros
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I was there that day watching him.

Jason McRoy for me

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Ian Botham - Headingley 1981.

The Jimi Hendrix of the Skateboarding world -

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Gary Lineker

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Hmm, hard one, didn't have 'heros' as such, read about the famous people but don't remember hero-worshipping anyone in particular. I kind of think being into surfing, skating and riding bikes its less conducive to hero-worship compared to football/rugby.

However, the famous surfers when i were growing up were the newschool generation, people like Shane Dorian, Kalani Robb, Rob machado and kelly slater. Used to have an american magazine with a sequence of Kalani rob doing an insane tailslide on the bluest wave somewhere in hawaii which i can still remember now.

Bikewise was very much MBUK influenced so the two martyns, team animal etc. Plus I always wanted to have the guts to have spiky died hair liek one of the MBUK staff (can't remember name)

@rockape63. I trust you are referring to the wonderful Steve Ovett there?

Ali, although I was too young to see him at his best.

martinhutch

Shilts, or possibly David Gower...

You are me, and i claim my £5

Although to be strictly accurate, my very first would be the same as Rockape63, but in this guise

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I had a picture of every one of these goals in my scrapbook

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/apr/17/england-malcolm-macdonald-cyprus-1975

First one I was actually excited about winning something was probably Ainsley at the Sydney Olympics.

Not a 'pretty' win, but incredibly exciting to watch a masterclass in using the rules to keep Scheidt out of the points.

I trust you are referring to the wonderful Steve Ovett there?

Why? Would it be wrong to nominate Coe? ( I assume you are not referring to Straub?)
Coe is the only man to retain the Olympic 1500m gold, held more world records than you can shake a stick at and his 1:41 in Rieti is one of the most impressive 800m's ever run.
He was a hero of mine.

A few more than just one, but he ho.

Ieuan Evans

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Glenn Hoddle

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John Tomac

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Tim Gould

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Nigle Mansell

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Noyce

I like this bloke, not necessary hero, but he died age 32 so not sure if that is good or bad.

Yes, it's a sport.

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Botham smashing the Australian bowling round the ground. My favourite memory of my late Dad and I. Watching in the front room, I was 10 ish, all doors and windows open due to the heat. He was a Yorkshireman and as such Cricket was the only sport he loved. It was the happiest I had ever seen him!!!!!!

This legend:

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I was there on THAT day in 1990. I was also, unfortunately, there on that other day 18 months later. Almost behind the posts in fact.

Dougal Haston - cried when I head the BBC news saying that he had been killed in an avalanche in Leysin. Can still see the picture of him now.

Ingemar Stenmark - took me until this year to ski in a pair of élan skis!!

Tiggs - seve was close and I was there too, working in the stand behind the 18th. Magic put and theatre!

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The Goat

Whilst I don't mean to denigrate anyone's childhood heroes, you could explain Nigel Mansell to me from now until, oooo, the end of time and I'm still going to say "I don't get it".

Jean Pierre Rives
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although as an Englishman it was often somewhat masochistic.
James Hunt and Gordon Banks

@rockape63. I trust you are referring to the wonderful Steve Ovett there?

You were either Coe or Ovett and I was a big fan of Coe. It was just soo exciting watching him run, and having not one, but two changes of pace in the last 150m. 1980 was epic!

Here's another one:

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Bit of a tool at the time, but his will to win and never give upness....inspired me!

And....The Great White Shark

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Fearless attack minded golfer.

Ronnie Peterson for me too, Dorset Knob.

When we played F1 on our bikes as kids, I was always Ronnie Peterson.
Well........until he died 🙁

Whilst I don't mean to denigrate anyone's childhood heroes, you could explain Nigel Mansell to me from now until, oooo, the end of time and I'm still going to say "I don't get it".

I didn't nominate him and without looking up his record, he was massively popular not just because he won, but how he won. Fearless racer, when so few were. His attempts to get past Senna at Monaco will go down in F1 folklore!

Why is Mansell a surprise? British, successful, and to a child the 'lack of personality' isn't a major consideration.

TBH, i can't even recall hearing Supermac speak as a kid, but he was a Newcastle number 9 and therefore in my eyes, walked on water. I couldn't tell you what he was like.

Whilst I don't mean to denigrate anyone's childhood heroes, you could explain Nigel Mansell to me from now until, oooo, the end of time and I'm still going to say "I don't get it".

But after Jim Clark died I figured out even heroes die and I never had another. Only people I admire - of which there are and have been quite a few.

Love that pic of Robbie Naish. I think I pulled the same move at Aberdovey on Tuesday. I also got in that boat of Dennis Conner's a few years back. A bit primitive compared to today's Americas cup boats.

Coe is the only man to retain the Olympic 1500m gold, held more world records than you can shake a stick at and his 1:41 in Rieti is one of the most impressive 800m's ever run.
He was a hero of mine.

Back on Coe...he used to live close to me and I'd often see him running. about 18 yrs ago he was in the local paper shop and I couldn't help but stop him and introduce my 5yr old daughter to my sporting hero! 😳

(she still remembers!)

Probably this guy.

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Bob Haro.

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John Bentley - fond memories of watching that era of 'Fax as a boy, stood on the terraces at Thrum Hall with my dad.
Still have a programme autographed by him from the match when fax played the touring Aussie's at TH in 1994. Even has a muddy handprint on the back