'I won Sports Personality of the Year - it was something special and lovely': Memories still strong for Olympic swimmer Anita Lonsbrough six decades later
The memories of becoming the first female winner of a prestigious sports award voted for by the public are still strong after more than 60 years.
Anita Lonsbrough still has a replica of the trophy at her home in Tettenhall for becoming BBC Sports Personality of the Year, having been named as the winner of the award in 1962 at the age of 21.
It was a year which saw the swimmer win three gold medals and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Perth in Australia, as well as three medals in the European Championships in Leipzig in East Germany, having become Olympic champion in Rome two years earlier.
She had also finished third in the public vote in 1960, behind Olympic gold medal walker Don Thompson and award winner show jumper David Broome and said it was an award she was aware of, but never expected to win.
She said: "The award is something that as you get on in your sporting career, you get invited to the awards and you're aware of it, but I never ever thought I would win it.
"I always competed and wanted to win for myself, my family and my friends, but if other people didn't think I was worthy of this award, then that was fine as it was a personal choice.
