Sports Personality of the Year 2022 shortlist announced with Beth Mead

Lionesses hero Beth Mead is the strong favourite to win the Sports Personality of the Year award on Wednesday night with the six-person shortlist now announced. The contenders include curling’s Eve Muirhead, snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan, track star Jake Wightman, gymnast Jessica Gadirova, cricketer Ben Stokes and England women’s hero Mead.

Voting will open during the show, which will be aired live on Wednesday, 21 December. Lionel Messi is set to be awarded the World Sport Star of the Year while Usain Bolt will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.

Other awards throughout the evening include the Young Sports Personality of the Year, Team and Coach of the Year, Unsung Hero and the Helen Rollason award. Mead is the heavy favourite to scoop up the main award of the evening following her exploits for England’s women’s team this past summer.

The 27-year-old led the Lionesses to their first trophy at a major women’s tournament after they beat Germany at Wembley. Mead was named player of the tournament and also took home the Golden Boot and Top Assist Provider awards.

“It was a proud moment for me and a surreal moment, walking out of that tunnel and going to play football in front of a home crowd,” Mead said of the Euro 2022 triumph. “The day in general, the noise in general, the atmosphere was honestly something I’ll never feel or experience again.”

Gadirova made history earlier this year when she won floor gold on the final day of the world gymnastics championships. She became only the fifth British gymnast to become an individual world champion and is also on the shortlist for Young Sports Personality of the Year.

“I’m just so shocked to be in that shortlist with such incredible athletes and to be recognised for my hard work and achievements, it’s incredible,” she told BBC Sport. O’Sullivan became the oldest world champion in Crucible history back in May with his seventh title – equalling Stephen Hendry’s record.

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Stokes was one of England’s star players as they clinched the men’s T20 World Cup by beating Pakistan in an epic final. Wightman became the first British man to win 1500m gold at the World Championships since 1983.

He surprised many in beating strong favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen and had his father, Geoff, there as the stadium announcer in Oregon. “It’s that moment you cross the line, it’s just such euphoria, I just wish you could bottle that up because it soon fades a way a little bit,” Wightman told BBC Sport.

“The disbelief and the shock are something that I will never have again.” Muirhead led Great Britain women’s team to curling gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in what was her fourth games.