Sport’s most iconic celebration revealed as Cristiano Ronaldo, Frankie Dettori, Usain Bolt & Chloe Kelly do battle
FRANKIE DETTORI has seen off the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Farah and Chloe Kelly to the title of sport's most iconic celebration.
The world's most famous jockey, 52, will bring the curtain down on his British racing career at Ascot on Saturday.
Thousands of punters piling into the Royal track will be desperate to see the Italian pull off his famous flying dismount one last time.
Not least because it has been voted the public's favourite celebration by some 2,000 UK sports fans.
Asked to rank celebrations from one to ten based on their 'icon-factor' - with ten being the 'most iconic' - no one could match Dettori, the man behind the legendary Magnificent Seven.
Football icon Ronaldo came second with his 'siu' celebration, while Olympics legend Usain Bolt's 'lightning bolt' was third.
Mo Farah's 'Mobot' came fourth while Paul Gascoigne's infamous 'dentist chair' rounded out the top five.
Kelly's awesome shirt-waving celebration after scoring the winner for England at Euro 2022 came sixth, one spot behind Peter Weber's viral ten-pin bowling meltdown.
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The bowling king made headlines worldwide when he won his fifth and final US Open with a strike in the final frame to clinch the title, screaming: "Who do you think you are? I am!"
Football dominated the lower rankings, with Alan Shearer's raised arm eighth, Peter Crouch's 'robot' ninth and Argentina World Cup winner Emi Martinez's notorious golden glove celebration tenth.
Most read in Horse Racing
The poll was conducted by and bookie Trevor Dunne said: "Frankie is racing's first true global superstar thanks to some incredible career moments including his Magnificent Seven and of course his flying dismount celebration, which helped him transcend sport.
"Despite the list of celebrations featuring high profile sports and individuals, it's no surprise Frankie's celebration tops the list.
The inside story of the flying dismount
Jack Keene writes...
Did you know Dettori didn't come up with the flying dismount on his own?
He actually borrowed the idea from American jock Angel Cordero.
When he first performed his now iconic celebration after riding a winner in 1994, Jockey Club chiefs were not amused and had a quiet word.
Punters, however, absolutely loved it, so those running the sport caved in and the flying dismount became a part of British racing folklore.
A day at the races was never complete without seeing the Italian maestro flying through the air to great cheers and applause, which he absolutely loved.
If he failed to give the people what they wanted they’d serenade him with playful boos, and he would cup his ear and grin in response.
Never has a jockey been so comfortable being the centre of attention.
"Thanks to his longevity on our screens and at racetracks around the world - racegoers come to see a flying a dismount.
"His personality and skill as a jockey has lit up sports for a long time, now the question is, which jockey will bring a new version of the flying dismount to the winners' enclosure?"
Punters in the US will get to see Dettori's dismount much more than those in Blighty in the new year.
That's after the jockey pulled off a shocking retirement u-turn last week, confirming his decision to race only in the US next year.
Although bookies think it's a short price he'll be back at Royal Ascot next year... even if the jockey himself says it's a longshot.
Sport's most iconic celebrations
1st Frankie Dettori (Flying Dismount)
2nd Ronaldo (Siu)
3rd Usain Bolt (Lightning Bolt)
4th Mo Farah (Mobot)
5th Paul Gascoigne (Dentist Chair)
6th Pete Weber (Tenpin Bowling)
7th Chloe Kelly (Shirt Wave)
8th Alan Shearer (Raised Arm)
READ MORE SUN STORIES
9th Peter Crouch (Robot)
10th Emi Martinez (Golden Glove)
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