Mo Farah has been hailed as Britain’s greatest ever sporting champion, a new survey has found. The double-gold Olympian came top of the list of British sporting champions and beat five-time gold winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave who came second.
The poll will be bad news to Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney who came in 50th place – one spot behind racehorse Frankel – the highest-rated racehorse in the world.
Cyclist Bradley Wiggins and current Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis came third and fourth respectively.
Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, David Beckham, and track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy all featured at the top of the list.
Footballing legend Sir Bobby Moore, Dame Kelly Holmes and ice skating favourites Torvill and Dean complete the top ten.
The research was commissioned by Great British Racing to mark the third running of Qipco British Champions Day, the climax to the Flat racing season at Ascot on 19th October.
A Great British Racing spokesman said:
”These results are a wonderful reminder of Britain’s sporting prowess in so many different disciplines, by both men and women, over the past half century.
”As a country we must surely punch well above our weight. It’s great to see a racehorse makes it onto the list among the many famous faces.
”In horseracing we’re equally blessed with many of the world’s finest racehorses, jockeys and trainers, including last year’s world champion, the unbeaten Frankel who lit up British Champions Day with victories in both 2011 and 2012.”
Other sporting greats to reach the top 50 list included long distance runner Paula Radcliffe, former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson and World Cup winning rugby player Jonny Wilkinson.
Formula One favorite Lewis Hamilton and paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson also featured in the top half.
Linford Christie, the only British man to ever win gold in the 100 meters, is also high on the list of greatest sporting champions.
The ‘Flying Scot’ Jackie Stewart and the late Henry Cooper – the heavyweight boxer – are also being remembered as British greats.
Retired 400m hurdle runner Sally Gunnell and snooker player Steve Davis – who has won more professional titles in sport than any other player – sit at 25th and 26th.
Lennox Lewis, another retired sports personality and the most recent undisputed world heavyweight boxer, is ranked at number 27 in the poll.
British racing driver Nigel Mansell took the number 30 spot, while Jensen Button was voted as our 33rd favorite sporting champion.
Former gold medallist javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread also made the list.
While jockey Tony McCoy, who finally won his first Grand National in 2010 on Don’t Push It, has been voted as 46th in the poll. The 18-times champion is expected to ride his 4,000th jumps winner by early November, a new record for the sport.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney finishes the list as the 50th favorite British sporting champion.
The Great British Racing spokesman added:
”At this year’s British Champions Day, we will be celebrating sporting champions with a special one-day exhibition of famous sporting trophies, including The FA Cup, The Ashes Urn, the Rugby League Challenge Cup, the Calcutta Cup and Jules Rimet Trophy.
”Also on display will be items loaned by England striker Michael Owen, World Middleweight boxer Darren Barker, Darts Champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, Snooker Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and AP McCoy.”
BRITAIN’S TOP 50 SPORTING CHAMPIONS
1. Mo Farah
2. Steve Redgrave
3. Bradley Wiggins
4. Jessica Ennis
5. Andy Murray
6. David Beckham
7. Chris Hoy
8. Bobby Moore
9. Dame Kelly Holmes
10. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
11. Daley Thompson
12. Seb Coe
13. Ian Botham
14. Paula Radcliffe
15. Alex Ferguson
16. Stirling Moss
17. Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson
18. Victoria Pendelton
19. Jonny Wilkinson
20. Sir Matthew Pinsent
21. Lewis Hamilton
22. Linford Christie
23. Jackie Stewart
24. Henry Cooper
25. Steve Davis
26. Sally Gunnell
27. Lennox Lewis
28. Phil Taylor
29. Lester Piggott
30. Nigel Mansell
31. Jonathan Edwards
32. Andrew Flintoff
33. Frank Bruno
34. Jensen Button
35. Nick Faldo
36. Stephen Hendry
37. Mark Cavendish
38. David Weir
39. Damon Hill
40. Joe Calzaghe
41. Chris Froome
42. Mary Peters
43. Fatima Whitbread
44. Barry McGuigan
45. Geoff Boycott
46. Tony McCoy
47. Christine Ohuruogu
48. Chris Eubank
49. Frankel
50. Wayne Rooney