After a splendid year in which he won the Commonwealth Games road race, Geraint Thomas has been named Welsh Sports Personality of the Year. In addition to the his performance in Scotland, the Welshman was close to the overall win in Paris-Nice and excelled in the cobbled classics.

Geraint Thomas has been awarded the prize as the Welsh Sports Personality of the Year in a competition held every year by the BBC. The Team Sky rider who won the gold medal in the road race at the Commonwealth Games and was close to an overall win in Paris-Nice, is the second bike rider in the history to receive the recognition after Nicole Cooke took the honours in 2003 after having taken three World Cup wins at just 20 years of age.

Thomas beat gymnast Frankie Jones who won six medals at the Commonwealth Games, and mountain biker Manon Carpenter who dominated the Downhill World Cup.

The other athletes who had been nominated for the prize were  the footballer  Gareth Bale, cyclists Elinor Barker and Rachel James, swimmers Jazz Carlin and Georgia Davies, golfer Jamie Donaldson and judoka Natalie Powell .