An eight-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who completed a triathlon unaided was given the Helen Rollason prize at Sunday night’s Sports Personality of the Year awards.

Bailey Matthews completed the Castle Howard children’s event – which included a 100m swim, a 4km bike ride and 1.3km run – and was handed the award for “outstanding achievement in the face of adversity”.

Matthews took the stage to a standing ovation from the audience and joked: “I think you can stop cheering now” before adding that he hoped to finish five more triathlons.

Asked by Gabby Logan, the event’s presenter, what it felt like to be famous, Matthews said: “It feels good. It’s cool.” He was given the award by double Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington and Niall Horan of One Direction.

Video footage of Matthews discarding his walking aid to complete the final metres of the triathlon in July has been viewed more than 30m times. In it, Matthews falls a couple of times as he covers the last 20m but picks himself up and carries on as spectators cheer.

He completed the event in about 90 minutes, finishing in last place. But a crowd stayed to cheer him on.

After his appearance at Sunday’s awards show, he was sent messages of support.

Earlier this year, Matthew was given a Pride of Britain award at the annual ceremony in London.

The Helen Rollason award is named in memory of the BBC journalist who died of cancer in 1999. Previous winners include competitors in the Invictus Games, the Hillsborough campaiger Anne Williams and the sitting volleyball player Martine Wright.