Paul Gascoigne, widely regarded as one of the best playmakers of his generation and one of the greatest English footballers of all time, has won the coveted Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times, at a glittering ceremony staged at the Kia Oval this evening. His memoir Eight, written with Victoria Williams, was voted a worthy winner by the public, with over 10,000 votes cast, with Sir Bradley Wiggins and Susie Wolff placed second and third, respectively.
Paul Gascoigne, commenting on his award, said:
“For the first time, I felt ready to write in full about the life I’ve led, so people could get to know the real me and not the Gazza you have read about in the papers. I would like to give special thanks to Katie Farrell, my agent and friend, Victoria Williams, Oscar Janson Smith, my team at Reach and to my brilliant sister Lindsay Gascoigne.”
14 awards were presented this evening at the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards in association with The Sunday Times, including new awards for Motorsports Book of the Year, The Sports Audiobook of the Year and The Sports Podcast of the Year, in association with Sport Social Podcast Network. Charles Tyrwhitt, the menswear brand renowned for championing sportspeople embodying values of excellence and integrity, also announced their intention to renew their involvement as title sponsor.
Matt Dawson hosted the Green Room, and ITV Sport host Mark Pougatch hosted the main awards ceremony for the fourth year. The event was attended by a distinguished group of guests, including Sir Bradley Wiggins, Paul Gascoigne, Sir Tim Rice, Jill Douglas, Christine Ohuruogu, Miles Jupp, Rory Kinnear, Steven Finn, Ashley Giles, Bobby George, Guillem Balagué, Maisie Adam, Jodie Ounsley, Maggie Alphonsi, Shanequa Paris and many others.
Commenting on the event, Charles Tyrwhitt’s Chief Marketing Officer Joe Irons said:
"We're thrilled to be back as sponsors of the 2026 Sports Book Awards for the third year running. A love of sport runs through everything we do – from our partnerships with England Rugby, Fulham FC and the New York Yankees, to welcoming Ryder Cup winning captain Luke Donald as our latest ambassador, alongside Joe Root, Stuart Broad, Matt Dawson and Marcus Smith.
This year's winners all have remarkable stories to tell, capturing the highs and lows that make professional sport so compelling. We couldn't be prouder to support the awards and celebrate the sports we love."
Boris Becker, the six-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one, received the Francis Clark Financial Planning International Sports Book of the Year Award. Inside offers a raw and unflinching account of Becker’s life behind bars, confronting his mistakes and the price of fame. Becker, speaking from his home in Milan, said:
"For most of my life, people have judged me very publicly. First as a tennis player, then later as a person. Sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly, but always publicly. That is one of the reasons why writing Inside was so important to me. Not to change the past or ask for sympathy, but simply to tell my story in my own words. Honestly. Completely.
I would not be where I am today without the support of my family, especially my wife Lilian, whose strength and belief in me never changed, even in the darkest moments. For many years, my story was told by other people. This book was the first time I truly told it myself. To have that recognised in this way means more to me than I can properly express.”
Susie Wolff, the first person to be nominated for three categories at the Sports Book Awards, won the Audiobook of the Year for her book Driven, written with David Stoddart. Audiobook of the Year is a new award category judged by an exceptional panel that included Lawrence Dallaglio, Darren Gough, Alistair Brownlee, five-time Olympian Jo Pavey, TalkSPORT breakfast host Shebahn Aherne and Sky Sports golf broadcaster Iona Stephen.
Wolff was speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in Quebec when she said:
“It’s an honour to win Audiobook of the Year for DRIVEN.
There was never any question of me not reading the audiobook myself. We recorded it over two days in a studio in Oxford, and at times it became emotional reliving parts of the journey.
Writing the book with my brother made the whole experience even more personal, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to him, to my publisher Susannah Otter, and to the brilliant team at Hodder & Stoughton for believing in the story from the very beginning.
And finally, thank you to everyone who listened and connected with my story.”
Stephen Curry’s book, Shot Ready, was awarded the JP Marland Charitable Trust Illustrated Book of the Year. A powerful distillation of Curry’s transformative philosophy of success – centred on preparation, constant improvement, creativity, connection, mindfulness and joy. It is delivered in his own voice and style and stunningly illustrated with over 100 images.
“We’re deeply honored that Shot Ready was selected as the Illustrated Book of the Year award at the The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards,” said Stephen Curry and Erick Peyton of Unanimous Media.
"This book was an opportunity to share the mindset and values that have shaped Stephen’s journey both on and off the court. We’re so grateful that readers around the world connected with the book’s themes, personal stories and the incredible photography throughout.”
The biggest prize of the evening went to Jonathan Wilson's The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup, which took both the IFX Payments Football Book of the Year and the Overall Sports Book of the Year. The judges celebrated Wilson's meticulous research and elegant writing, declaring it as the definitive account of the World Cup.
Sports Entertainment Book of the Year, in association with Love Reading, was awarded to Swimmingly by Vassos Alexander. In Swimmingly, Vassos Alexander works with elite coaches and interviews the great and the good of swimming to uncover the massive sense of community at the heart of this time-honoured pastime.
The Last Bell by Donald McRae received the Pinsent Masons Sports Writing Award. The Last Bell is a revealing look at the ruin and salvation of twenty-first-century boxing, from one of sport’s greatest contemporary writers.
The Vikki Orvice Award for Women’s Sports Writing, sponsored by Evelyn Partners, was presented to Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson for their book Ultra Women. A gripping, behind-the-scenes journey into the high-stakes world of female endurance, where athletes race across deserts, over mountains, and through the night for up to 200 miles at a time. Blending intimate profiles with cutting-edge science, Ultra Women reveals how women runners, swimmers and cyclists are smashing records, shattering stereotypes and redefining what “strong” looks like at every stage and age of life. Named in honour of the late trailblazing sports journalist, the Vikki Orvice Award celebrates outstanding contributions to women's sports writing and the voices that inspire progress and change.
Running My Own Race by Abena Eyeson was the winner of the Children’s Sports Book of the Year, supported by the National Literacy Trust and Waterstones. Running My Own Race is the inspiring story of a talented young athlete who earns a place at a prestigious private school, but as pressure mounts from his family, friends and rivals, he must decide whether to follow others’ expectations or forge his own path.
The Motorsports Book of the Year was won by Peter Grimsdale for Superveloce – the story of how Italy rose from the ashes of the Second World War to lead the world with its beautiful fast cars. Victory in Australia by Richard Whitehead was awarded the Rathbones Cricket Book of the Year. Victory in Australia tells the story of England's greatest Ashes triumph 1954-55.
The Charles Tyrwhitt Rugby Book of the Year, in association with the Rugby Union Writers’ Club, was awarded to The Bish by David Bishop with Brendan Gallagher. The Bish is a frank, tell-all autobiography from one of the most talented players of his generation.
The inaugural Sports Podcast of the Year, in association with Sport Social Podcast Network, was won by Big Kick Energy. Big Kick Energy is a lively and inclusive podcast where comedians Maisie Adam and Suzi Ruffell dive headfirst into women’s football.
Overall Sports Book of the Year / IFX Payments Football Book of the Year
The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup, Jonathan Wilson (Abacus)
Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times
Paul Gascoigne: Eight, Paul Gascoigne with Victoria Williams (Reach Sport)
Children’s Sports Book of the Year, supported by the National Literacy Trust and Waterstones
Running My Own Race, Abena Eyeson (Nosy Crow)
Francis Clark Financial Planning International Sports Book of the Year
Inside: Winning. Losing. Starting Again. Boris Becker (HarperCollins)
Motorsports Book of the Year
Superveloce: How Italian Cars Conquered the World, Peter Grimsdale (Simon & Schuster UK)
Rathbones Cricket Book of the Year
Victory in Australia: The Remarkable Story of England's Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55, Richard Whitehead (Bloomsbury Sport)
Sports Audiobook of the Year
Driven, Susie Wolff, written with David Stoddart, narrated by Susie Wolff. (Hodder & Stoughton)
Sports Entertainment Book of the Year, in association with LoveReading
Swimmingly: Adventures in Water, Vassos Alexander (Bloomsbury Sport)
Pinsent Masons Sports Writing Award
The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing, Donald McRae (Simon & Schuster UK)
The JP Marland Charitable Trust Illustrated Book of the Year
Shot Ready, Stephen Curry (Pan Macmillan)
The Vikki Orvice Award for Women’s Sports Writing, sponsored by Evelyn Partners
Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport, Lily Canter & Emma Wilkinson (Canbury Press)
Charles Tyrwhitt Rugby Book of the Year, in association with the Rugby Union Writers’ Club
The Bish: It's All About Me, David Bishop, with Brendan Gallagher (Y Lolfa)
Sports Podcast of the Year, in association with Sport Social Podcast Network
Big Kick Energy, hosted by Maisie Adam & Suzi Ruffell
The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards are judged by an esteemed judging academy which includes Mark Chapman, Miles Jupp, Georgie Heath, Shebahn Aherne, Amy Williams, Iona Stephen, David Fulton, Emma Paton, Lisa O’Keefe, Christine Ohuruogu, Jill Douglas, Sir Tim Rice, Rory Kinnear, Jacqui Oatley, Lawrence Dallaglio, Darren Gough, Jo Pavey, Alistair Brownlee, David Croft, Sarah-Jane Mee, Sam Matterface, Jo Tongue and Eilidh Barbour, among others.
The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards, in association with The Sunday Times, are grateful to sponsors and partners, including Charles Tyrwhitt, The Sunday Times, Waterstones, Pinsent Masons, Evelyn Partners, Rathbones, Sport Social Podcast Network, Francis Clark Financial Planning, IFX Payments, The JP Marland Charitable Trust, National Literacy Trust, Rugby Union Writers' Club and LoveReading.
