Who were your sporting heroes, as a kid?

Before I formed opinions about which sports I loved, pre prejudiced, when I were a lad, I had two heroes.

Kenny Dalgleish. Even as a Rangers fan, in direct opposition to our kenny, I loved him. A fantastic footballer blessed with remarkable vision and an eye for goal that would see him more than live up to his predecessor, a certain Kevin keegan, I adored watching his performances for Scotland and Liverpool.

Allan wells. Incredible to see a Scotsman up against the Eastern European power houses.

Who did it for you as a mere cherub then?,

A bit obvious, but Senna.

Barry Sheen

Hi
As a kid loved motorbikes (still do) but my hero was Barry Sheene.
Watched him at Oliver’s Mount passing people with his front wheel in the air.
Just awesome
Cheers
Steve

Edit- damn beaten to it

Bobby Charlton, Bob Wilson, Eddy Merkx

Sheene.
🙂

Meadowlark Lemon.

Emerson Fittipaldi.

Tony Currie.

Alan Woodward.

Alf Tupper.

As a teenager, Ralph Milne.

muhammed ali
neil fox

Ralph Milne. Now yer talking.

James Hunt
Barry Sheene
Daley Thompson

I’ve tried to rack my brain but i can’t remember having any sporting heroes as a kid, but in my adult years i have the utmost respect and admiration for Graeme Obree.

Yup.
🙂

He was genuinely appalling.
I used to go and watch Man United with my mates and I’ve never heard anything so funny as the entire Stretford End taking the piss in unison.

So in the spirit of supporting the underdog, we became his little matchday fanclub.

I’ve just checked Wikipedia.
He died last year.
😐

Dennis Conner, 1980 America’s Cup winner on Freedom..

I was young, I was sailing and racing and this guy inspired me..

Cycling…
Big Mig (Miguel Indurain)
Gianni Bugno
Super Mario (Cippolini)
Tashkent Terror (Abdujhaparov)
John Tomac
Chris Boardman

Obree should rightfully have been but I never fully understood his efforts at the time.

Motorsport…
Nigel Mansell

Sailing…
Peter Blake
Lawrie Smith
Tracy Edwards

Rugby…
Jonah Lomu

Georgie Best

I’ve met Obree a couple of times in the local supermarket, genuinely great guy. However, it saddens me in the extreme that pretty much everyone in the shop wouldn’t know who he is, but if Wayne Rooney walked in…..

Alberto Tomba.
Beefy.
Dean Richards.

Fair do’s, Tomba was awesome.

David Bedford

Barry Sheene.
Martin Lampkin.
Ivan Mauger.
Sammy Miller.
My uncle Mike. (played ice hockey for GB against the USA when he was 16)

Marco Gabbiadini

Senna
Michael Jordan

Graham Noyce & Barry Sheene

Davie cooper as another, God bless him.

Kenny Dalgleish 65 now, Jesus that makes me feel old.

Brian Jacks and Daley Thompson.
Eddie Kid and all the Lampkins.

Derek Collins
Miguel Indurain
Luis Enrique
Michael Schumacher
Janne Lindberg
Van Homan

Jinky Johnson
Billy Bremner
Martin Buchan
Mark Spitz
Jackie Stewart
James Hunt

Nadia Comaneci, Olga Korbut, and various other gymnasts

I T Botham

John Tomac
Chris Boardman

Roger De Costa the first ever MX superstar.
Then when I got a bit older Johny O’Mara and George Jobe.

The Viet-Gwent.

unovolo – Member
Brian Jacks and Daley Thompson.

Superstars fan by any chance?

Stephen Hendry

The Viet-Gwent

There’s always one.

Daley Thompson
Miguel Indurain
Greg Lemond
Walter Payton

Graeme is perfectly happy with that anonymity though so don’t feel saddened by that , he’s good mates with one of my best pals from Newmilns so our paths occasionally cross – i remember doing a 10 against him back in the early 90’s (before his hour record) and he was a **** absolute machine on the bike – i’ve never encountered anyone who could put themselves through so much pain and suffering such as he did but with all that we now know about his bi-polar disorder and personal demons that plagued him it comes as no surprise that he broke the hour record in his own inimitable style.

Needless to say i have the original painting done by a local artist (Joe Scherrer – ex continental pro) of his hour record bid and the one that graeme has for his promo signed prints at events, i got graeme to sign the original but even then he was reticent as he didn’t wish to spoil it – he genuinely is an unassuming sporting legend in my eyes. Every time i hear/read about a so called footballer who is held up to be a sporting hero in the popular press and earns £xxxxxx a week i just feel the corners of my mouth rise in an sneer of disgust…but that’s just me – never watched a football game in my life.

Soma, it’s not Graeme I feel for, it’s the folks around who should really have known that a proper, top class athlete, a true hero, is living amongst them.

Smashing fella, any time I’ve spoken to him.

Daley Thompson, Chris Woods, Robert Millar and Roy of the Rovers.

Ali (from my dad’s old films), Tyson (pre Don King), Diego Maradonna. Recently retired Paul O’Connell.