Jeremy Wilson’s “superb” book Beryl: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete, Beryl Burton has been crowned the winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. 

Wilson received the award trophy and £30,000 prize at a ceremony on Thursday 1st December, at BAFTA. His book pays homage to the remarkable life of champion cyclist Beryl Burton, capturing her life through family, friends and fellow competitors to reveal an incredible story about one of the greatest cyclists of all time. 

A panel of judges from the world of sports and journalism, chaired by author and journalist Alyson Rudd, concluded a four-month judging process, whittling a record 158 entries down to the winning book.   

The judges praised the book for its “exhaustive research” and “superb writing”, including its opening paragraph “laced with righteous fury” on why the public has not heard more about Beryl Burton. The cyclist dominated her sport as much as her male contemporary Eddy Merckx, but with added longevity that surpasses sporting legends like Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Sir Steve Redgrave.   

On receiving the prize, Wilson said: “I followed this award in the 1980s and ’90s and must have half the previous winners on my bookshelves. It’s inspired me to read sports books and write one. I felt such a responsibility to tell this story – Beryl made history and delivered this incredible story and I was fortunate to tell it. I share this award with her.”  

Rudd said: “Too few biographies focus on sportswomen, but this book helps to alter the balance. It is quite simply a tour de force and leaves the reader emotionally drained but also uplifted. Beryl deserved for her story to be told in style and Jeremy Wilson achieves that while also charting the more controversial elements of her extraordinary life.”  

“This was a tough year for the judges, having had a record 158 entries. We had five incredible books on the shortlist, and selecting a winner was no mean feat. Congratulations to our other shortlisted authors and everyone who entered.”

The four authors on the shortlist, alongside Wilson, receive £3,000 and a leather-bound copy of their book.

They are:

Be Good, Love Brian: Growing Up with Brian Clough by Craig Bromfield

God is Dead: The Rise and Fall of Frank Vandenbroucke, Cycling’s Great Wasted Talent by Andy McGrath

My Hidden Race in which Olympian Anyika Onuora gives us an insight into what life was like off the track as a professional athlete – and most importantly her experiences as a black woman in the north.

Expected Goals: The Story of How Data Conquered Football and Changed the Game Forever by Rory Smith.