Michael Johnson, one of the most iconic athletes and Olympians of recent times, has been longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2011.
Competition for Johnson, longlisted for Gold Rush, an exploration of the psychological and personal qualities that create an Olympic champion, includes cyclist David Millar, for his autobiography Racing Through The Dark, and award-winning sportswriter Patrick Collins, for Among The Fans, which charts his year observing a range of different sports and their many and varied supporters.
Books about football dominate the list, with titles about the beautiful game including: A Life Too Short by Ronald Reng, which tells the tragic story of German national goalkeeper Robert Enke, who took his own life at just 32 years of age; “Get In There!”, the biography of one of England’s greatest goal-scorers Tommy Lawton; the autobiography of Carlo Ancelotti; and Babysitting George by Celia Walden, wife of Piers Morgan, an account of the months she spent with George Best and the unlikely friendship that ensued.
Now in its 23rd year, and with a prize worth £27,500 for the winner, the
William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2011 longlist covers a range of sports, including football, cycling, running, cricket and – rather more unusually – bullfighting.
The longlist in full:
1. Carlo Ancelotti: The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius by Carlo Ancelotti with Alessandro Alciato (Rizzoli International Publications)
2. The Bicycle Book by Bella Bathurst (HarperPress)
3. Among The Fans: From Ashes to the Arrows, a Year of Watching the Watchers by Patrick Collins (Wisden Sports Writing)
4. Into The Arena: The World of the Spanish Bullfight by Alexander Fiske-Harrison (Profile Books)
5. Gold Rush: What Makes An Olympic Champion? by Michael Johnson (HarperSport)
6. The Ghost Runner: The Tragedy of the Man They Couldn’t Stop by Bill Jones (Mainstream Publishing)
7. Racing Through The Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar by David Millar (Orion)
8. The Smell of Football by Mick Rathbone (Vision Sports Publishing)
9. A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng (Yellow Jersey Press)
10. 32 Programmes by Dave Roberts (Bantam Press)
11. The Following Game by Jonathan Smith (Peridot Press)
12. Babysitting George by Celia Walden (Bloomsbury)
13. “Get In There!” Tommy Lawton – My Friend, My Father by Barrie Williams and Tommy Lawton Junior (Vision Sports Publishing)
14. Behind The Boundary: Cricket at a Crossroads by Graeme Wright (A & C Black)
“As befits the world's richest sporting book prize, this year's longlist boasts a rich variety of subject matter; ancient and modern; tragic and triumphant; mainstream and controversial”, said William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award is the world's longest established and most valuable literary sports-writing prize. As well as a £23,000 cash prize, the winning author will receive a £2,000 William Hill bet, a hand-bound copy of their book, and a day at the races.
The judging panel for this year’s award consists of broadcaster and writer John Inverdale; award-winning journalist Hugh McIlvanney; broadcaster Danny Kelly; and columnist and author, Alyson Rudd. Chairman of the judging panel is John Gaustad, co-creator of the award and founder of the Sportspages bookshop.
The shortlist will be announced on 28th October. The winner will be announced at a lunchtime reception at Waterstone’s Piccadilly (London), Europe’s largest bookstore, on Monday, November 28.
