Champion jockey AP McCoy to receive BBC lifetime achievement award

RACING legend AP McCoy will receive a lifetime achievement award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year show on Sunday.

The 20-time champion jump jockey, who has previously won the BBC’s prestigious Sports Personality accolade, will be honoured at the event in Belfast.

McCoy, 41, now joins the likes of Pele and Sir Chris Hoy, who received lifetime achievement awards in 2005 and 2014 respectively.

The Northern Irishman retired in April after a remarkable career, in which he rode more than 4,300 winners.

"It's a huge honour and I'm thrilled to be accepting it so close to home in Belfast," McCoy told BBC Sport.

"Like the main award, it's very prestigious, only with the lifetime award, you aren't going to win any more after that. That is the only disappointing thing about it," he joked.

AP McCoy in numbers:

1996 – The year AP McCoy first became champion jump jockey

1.7 – He’s ridden the equivalent of this many times around the world

4357 – Number of wins he's recorded in his career

20 – How many consecutive years AP McCoy reigned as champion jump jockey

1040 – Number of weeks he remained at the top of his game

700 – He’s broken his bones this many times