2 years ago
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Rugby league fable Rob Burrow has been honoured with the Helen Rollason Award astatine Sports Personality of the Year 2022, and ex-Leeds Rhinos team-mate Kevin Sinfield received a peculiar BBC award.
Burrow, 40, was diagnosed with centrifugal neurone illness successful 2019 - 2 years aft retiring from a 17-year career.
He was fixed the grant for relentless fundraising and raising consciousness of MND portion battling the unwellness himself.
Since Burrow's diagnosis, Sinfield has raised much than £7m for charity.
Sinfield, Burrow's adjacent person and skipper arsenic helium led Leeds Rhinos to 7 Super League crowns and 2 Challenge Cup wins, has undertaken a bid of fundraising challenges portion championing MND research.
In November, the 42-year-old ran 7 ultra marathons successful 7 days, covering 300 miles (482km) from Edinburgh to Manchester, via Melrose, Newcastle, York, Leeds and Bradford.
He smashed done his people of £777,777 - a motion to the fig 7 garment worn by Burrow - and received a hero's invited arsenic helium completed the situation astatine Old Trafford during half-time successful the Rugby League World Cup final.
That fundraising situation raised £1.5m, with the funds being divided betwixt 5 charities supporting radical impacted by MND.
The erstwhile Leicester rugby national adjunct coach, who volition articulation England's caller caput manager Steve Borthwick arsenic defence manager astatine Twickenham, besides ran 101 miles successful 24 hours successful 2021 and seven marathons successful 7 days a twelvemonth earlier.
Both Sinfield and Burrow besides represented Great Britain and England during their playing careers.
Burrow spent his full nine vocation with Leeds Rhinos, winning 8 Grand Finals, 3 World Club Challenges and 2 Challenge Cups arsenic helium made much than 400 appearances betwixt 2001 and 2017.
One of the astir palmy rugby league players successful the sport's history, Burrow was awarded an MBE successful 2021 for his services to rugby league and for his enactment successful the centrifugal neurone community.
Burrow, who uses an eye-controlled machine which recreates words into a mentation of his dependable to communicate, work the CBeebies Bedtime Story utilizing the exertion connected the International Day of Persons with Disabilities earlier successful December.
The Helen Rollason Award recognises outstanding accomplishment successful the look of adversity.
It was introduced to the amusement successful 1999 successful representation of the BBC Sport writer and presenter, who died of crab that twelvemonth astatine the property of 43.
Scotland rugby national large Doddie Weir, honoured with the award astatine Sports Personality of the Year successful 2019, died successful November astatine the property of 52 - six years aft being diagnosed with MND.
Capped 61 times betwixt 1990 and 2000, helium raised much than £8m done his My Name'5 Doddie foundation.
Weir received an OBE successful 2019 for services to rugby, to MND probe and to the Borders community.
Last year, Arsenal and Scotland defender Jen Beattie received the Helen Rollason Award for her enactment connected bosom crab awareness.
Previous winners see Hillsborough catastrophe campaigner Anne Williams, foundation marathon runner Ben Smith, shot instrumentality Bradley Lowery and racing operator Billy Monger.
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