Established in honour of Sportsmail legend Ian Wooldridge, who died in 2007, this annual award is voted for by you.
It celebrates the sporting genius and Corinthian spirit so beloved of ‘Woolers’. Last year the winner was Roger Federer, who added a 20th Grand Slam title to his record-breaking haul.
Now we invite you to nominate a sportsperson from this year. Here, our writers offer some suggestions...
Tennis star Roger Federer was the recipient of the Ian Wooldridge Award last year
Nominee: Alastair Cook
There can only be one winner this year. How Ian would have loved to have been at The Oval last summer to see Alastair Cook mark his final Test with a hundred in a winning cause.
I’m sure Woolers would have been on his feet applauding like the rest of us. This was the perfect goodbye for an outstanding cricketer and, most pertinently, an outstanding individual who represented all the qualities our great columnist so held dear.
Ian would have admired the dignity Cook always demonstrated off the pitch and the sheer will to win and character he showed on it to make the very best of his ability.
How Ian would have loved to have been at The Oval last summer to see Alastair Cook's hundred
Nominee: Lizzy Yarnold
Her competitive record is testament to the spirit Ian so cherished, even before the obstacles she overcame are put into the equation.
A village near the A20 in Kent is not the most auspicious place to be brought up for an individual aspiring to win medals in the skeleton, though Yarnold never seemed to see difficulties as impediments.
Defending her Sochi Winter Olympics gold in South Korea last February meant overcoming chronic back pain, a severe chest infection and the vestibular disorder which made her dizzy and disorientated after her first run.
She prevailed, becoming Britain’s most successful Winter Olympian.
Lizzie Yarnold overcame the odds to become Britain's most successful Winter Olympian
Nominee: Tyson Fury
NOBODY loved a maverick more than Woolers and Tyson Fury is the godfather of all sporting non-conformists.
While he may have been uneasy about the extreme beliefs Fury expresses, Woolers would have been the first to salute his journey along the hard road to redemption.
My much-missed colleague also relished a comeback and would have applauded Tyson’s return to the ring at the forefront of the heavyweight division with that last-round resurrection in his epic draw with Deontay Wilder.
MIKE DICKSONNominee: Tommy Fleetwood
I suspect this twinkle-eyed Lancastrian would have won Ian’s admiration. His odd couple
