Gold medal winning Olympian Keely Hodgkinson and darts prodigy Luke Littler are expected to go head-to-head in tonight’s battle to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2024.
Six nominations were announced for the award, which was most recently won by England goalkeeper Mary Earps, and there’s also a significant nod towards what was an impressive Paris Olympics for Team GB. But, if the latest Sports Personality betting odds are to be believed, it looks virtually certain that Hodgkinson and Littler are the only two with a genuine chance of taking home the big prize.
Who are the BBC Sports Personality contenders?
The six BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominees for 2024 include three gold medal winning Olympians, one footballer and the top ranked test cricketer. Below is a brief summary of why each of them was nominated.
| SPOTY Nominee | Sport | Main Achievement |
| Jude Bellingham | Football | La Liga Player of the Season & Euro 2024 finalist |
| Keely Hodgkinson | Athletics | 800m Gold Medallist at Paris Olympics |
| Luke Littler | Darts | World Championship runner-up at 16 years-old |
| Joe Root | Cricket | England’s all-time leading Test run scorer |
| Sarah Storey | Para-cycling | Double Gold Medallist at Paris Olympics |
| Alex Yee | Triathlon | Double Medallist at Paris Olympics |
Jude Bellingham (175/1)
There can be little doubt that Bellingham has enjoyed an outstanding 2024, with plenty of highlights that most footballers would do anything to replicate. La Liga winner. La Liga Player of the Season. Champions League winner. Champions League Young Player of the Season. Euro 2024 finalist, including unforgettable late overhead goal against Slovakia.
Yet despite all this, Bellingham still has plenty of detractors, including many who have only watched him regularly for England, and were calling for him to lose his place throughout the Euros. It’ll be tough to turn that around sufficiently to win a public vote.
Keely Hodgkinson (1/4)
Hodgkinson went into the Olympics being touted as one of Team GB’s big hopes, as the country sought a new hero to cheer on in the absence of Mo Farah. Sure enough, she justified the hype, winning the 800 metres gold medal, potentially establishing herself as the face of UK athletics for years to come.
At the age of just 22, she has a huge future ahead of her. If the BBC go big on the Olympics in their Sports Personality coverage, she could well steal the show and secure the big prize.
Luke Littler (3/1)
It’s crazy to think that only the biggest darts followers would have even heard of Littler 12 months ago. Yet his fairytale run through the PDC World Championship draw as a 16 year-old really caught the country’s imagination, as he found himself making front page news before ultimately losing to Luke Humphries in the final.
Littler went on to justify a Premier League wildcard by winning the tournament, before securing the Grand Slam of Darts later in the year, and soaring up the world rankings.
It’s clear that Littler already has a huge fanbase, so it’s little surprise to see him in the reckoning for the BBC Sports Personality trophy.
Joe Root (66/1)
Root has enjoyed an outstanding year, which has seen him surpass many records that had previously stood the test of time. He is now England’s leading Test run scorer, and also the first Englishman to exceed 20,000 international runs.
A career best score of 262 saw him move clear at the top of the individual Test batsman rankings too, but it remains unlikely whether that’s enough to win this award in a non-Ashes year.
Sarah Storey (150/1)
If this was a lifetime achievement award, Storey would win hands down, having secured another two cycling gold medals at the 2024 Paralympics. Those achievements took Storey’s overall tally to a remarkable 19 Paralympic golds and 30 Paralympic medals.
She’s sure to have the support of the cycling world, particularly after Mark Cavendish missed out of a nomination of his own.
Alex Yee (80/1)
Following in the footsteps of the Brownlee brothers was a tall order, but Yee has managed to do so in style. A dramatic gold medal in the men’s triathlon gave him a first individual gold medal, as one of Britain’s biggest Olympic highlights. That was followed up by a bronze in the mixed race, as well as another gold in the World Championships, although he may struggle for another podium here, in the presence of stiff competition.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Betting Odds 2024
As already mentioned, the 2024 Sports Personality odds point towards a close tussle between Hodgkinson and Littler. The BBC’s on-the-night coverage will inevitably revolve around the 2024 Olympics, given they own the TV rights for the Games, so Hodgkinson could receive a boost off the back of that, alongside triathlete Alex Yee.
With Hodgkinson and Littler vying for the top two spots, there’s a subplot around who’ll secure the third and final podium spot. Joe Root and Alex Yee are in a tight battle of their own for that honour, but neither Sarah Storey not Jude Bellingham can be completely ruled out of the reckoning at this stage.
| SPOTY Nominee | Winner Odds | Top 3 Odds |
| Keely Hodgkinson | 1/4 | 1/100 |
| Luke Littler | 3/1 | 1/7 |
| Joe Root | 66/1 | 8/13 |
| Alex Yee | 80/1 | 6/4 |
| Sarah Storey | 150/1 | 10/1 |
| Jude Bellingham | 175/1 | 11/1 |
Who is favourite to win BBC Sports Personality 2024?
At the time of nominations, the Sports Personality of the Year odds had Keely Hodgkinson as the 2/5 favourite. Since then, her position as favourite has only strengthened, so it’s looking highly likely that she’ll come out on top. The only realistic rival that Hodgkinson faces is Luke Littler. The PDC World Darts Championship takes place during December, and so Littler’s achievements may well be freshest in the minds of voters when the time comes to make a decision.
Regardless of the final outcome, Littler is highly likely to collect some sort of silverware on the night, having also been nominated for the Young Sports Personality of the Year award, alongside skateboarding Olympian Sky Brown and Paralympian swimmer William Ellard.
When is BBC Sports Personality 2024 and how to vote?
The 2024 BBC Sports Personality ceremony will be screened live on BBC One as ever. This year’s show will be hosted by Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, and is scheduled to start at 7pm on 17th December 2024, with the winner being announced shortly before 9pm. It’ll be the first time Gary Lineker hasn’t presented the awards since 1999.
Not all the awards on the night go to a public vote, but the main BBC Sports Personality of the Year award certainly does. To have your say, just tune in to the live show on 17th December 2024. Voting will be available by phone, the BBC Sport app or via the BBC Sport website. The number to call for each contender will be revealed during the programme.
Previous BBC Sports Personality winners
2021 saw Emma Raducanu end a run of 14 successive male Sports Personality winners. The tide has well and truly turned though, with women securing the three most recent awards and Keely Hodgkinson in with a good chance of extending that run.
| Year | SPOTY Winner |
| 2023 | Mary Earps |
| 2022 | Beth Mead |
| 2021 | Emma Raducanu |
| 2020 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 2019 | Ben Stokes |
| 2018 | Geraint Thomas |
| 2017 | Mo Farah |
| 2016 | Andy Murray |
| 2015 | Andy Murray |
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton |
