(Reuters) – Journalist Jeremy Wilson’s book “Beryl: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete” about cycling great Beryl Burton who dominated the sport in the 1960s and 1970s won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award on Thursday.
Wilson, who captures Burton’s life through family, friends and fellow competitors, collected a 30,000 pounds ($36,700) prize.
From the age of 19 to 39 Burton won 96 national titles, the women’s world road title twice, and the world individual pursuit track title five times. In 1963 she became the first woman to break the hour barrier for the 25-mile time trial.
Burton won Britain’s best all-rounder time trial competition (25, 50 and 100 miles) 25 years in a row.
A panel from the world of sports and journalism chaired by author Alyson Rudd praised Wilson’s book for its “exhaustive research” and “superb writing”.
“Too few biographies focus on sportswomen, but this book helps to alter the balance,” Rudd said. “Beryl deserved for her story to be told in style and Wilson achieves that while also charting the more controversial elements of her extraordinary life.”
Wilson said he had felt a “responsibility” to tell Burton’s story.
“Beryl made history and delivered this incredible story and I was fortunate to tell it. I share this award with her,” he said.
($1 = 0.8175 pounds)
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
