BBC WALES SPORT PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2008
Venue: The Swalec Stadium, Cardiff
Date: Sunday, 7 December Transmission: 2100 GMT
Coverage: BBC Two Wales and Radio Wales
David Roberts is continuing Wales' fine Paralympics tradition with clinical style.  | 2008 has been a special year for Roberts not just due to his Paralympics heroic but as his beloved Cardiff City reached the FA Cup final. |
The 28-year-old swimmer's phenomenal Paralympics victories at the 2008 Beijing Games means his all-time haul is 11 gold medals. The inspiring feat equalled Great Britain's Paralympics gold medal record set by another Welsh sporting great, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson. Roberts' incredible success inside the Beijing Water Cube in September was rewarded with the honour of carrying the Great Britain flag at the Paralympics closing ceremony. The swimmer from Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd led from the front as Team GB secured an impressive 11 swimming golds in Beijing, 41 medals in total. Roberts, who won three golds at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics and four at the 2004 Athens Games, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 11 and was told swimming was the best form of physiotherapy. He swam for Wales by the age of 14 before representing Great Britain in European events five years later. Roberts, who trains at the Wales National Pool in Swansea, has lowered an amazing nine world records and in 2005 he was rewarded with an MBE for his services to disabled sport in the Queen's New Years Honours list. | 606: DEBATE |
His 100m freestyle, 4�100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 50m freestyle golds - breaking two world records in the process - in Beijing raised his complete Paralympics haul to 16 medals in total. The year 2008 has been a special year for Roberts not just in the pool but outside of it also as his beloved Cardiff City football team performed equally impressively to reach the FA Cup final before losing to Portsmouth at Wembley. Roberts now hopes to break Dame Tanni's 11-gold haul at the 2012 Paralympics in London.
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