Image shows athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson running across a track.

Maya Dhillon

The BBC has released its shortlist of finalists for the Sports Personality of the Year 2023 award. 

The six nominees are cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Frankie Dettori, footballer Mary Earps, wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, heptathlete Katarina Johnson Thompson and golfer Rory McIlroy. 

The public can vote for the winner during the broadcast on BBC One on Tuesday, 19th December, at 7pm. Nominees were chosen by an industry panel, including former sporting legends Colin Jackson, Ellie Simmonds and Ellen White. 

The 70th edition of the award show will also see prizes awarded for Unsung Hero, Lifetime Achievement, Team and Coach of the Year, and Young Sports Personality of the Year. 

Stuart Broad MBE

Broad retired from cricket earlier this year. He scored a six on his final ball and took the last wicket of the match to lead England to Ashes victory.

Regarded as one of the best Test bowlers ever with a total of 604 Test wickets, Broad has the record for most wickets taken by an Englishman against Australia. 

The 37-year-old began his career in Leicestershire in 2005 and made his Test debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka.

Broad was made an MBE in 2016 in the Queen’s Honours List due to his services to cricket. Bookies predict him as second most likely to win the top award, with his odds currently at 8/1.

Frankie Dettori

Another 2023 retiree, Dettori, went out in style by winning both the Oaks in Epsom and the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

“With a career lasting more than 35 years, the most defining moment for the jockey was in 1996.”

With a career lasting more than 35 years, the most defining moment for the jockey was in 1996, when he rode all seven winning horses at Ascot in the British Festival of Racing.

Born in Milan, Dettori moved to England when he was 14 to follow in his father’s footsteps — Gianfranco Dettori was a 13-time champion jockey.

Despite announcing his retirement earlier this year, the 53-year-old has revealed that he will continue to race in the United States and on the international circuit. His odds of winning on the night currently sit at 25/1.

Mary Earps

Earps won the Women’s World Cup’s Golden Glove award after conceding only four goals and keeping three clean sheets. Her outstanding performance made the goalkeeper the star player of England’s tournament. 

In domestic football, Earps started every match for Manchester United in the 2022/23 WSL season and broke the record for highest number of clean sheets — with a total of 14.

The 30-year-old goalkeeper also placed the voting for the 2023 women’s Ballon d’Or — the highest that any English player has finished in the six years the award has been going. 

If she wins Sports Personality of the Year, she will succeed her England teammate Beth Mead, who won the award in 2022. Earps is currently the favourite to win, with odds of 1/10.

Alfie Hewett

The 26-year-old wheelchair tennis player won seven singles tournaments this year. These included the US and Australian Opens and runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon. 

“Hewett ended the year as the singles world number one for the first time in his career.”

Hewett ended the year as the singles world number one for the first time in his career. He also enjoyed success with doubles partner Gordon Reid, winning three grand slam titles. 

With 26 wheelchair Grand Slam titles, Hewett is second on the all-time list, just behind Japan’s Shingo Kunieda. His odds to win are 125/1.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson

2023 saw Johnson-Thompson come from behind to win her second World Heptathlon title in Budapest. The athlete also recorded a PB in the 800m event.

The 30-year-old’s career has been blighted with injury. After tearing her Achilles in 2019, Johnson-Thompson withdrew from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during the 200m race. Post-recovery, Johnson-Thompson went on to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. 

She is on track to compete at her fourth Olympic Games in Paris next year, aiming to outdo her sixth-place finish in London in 2012. She is currently at 20/1 to win. 

Rory McIlroy

The Northern Irish golfer won his fifth Ryder Cup this year after the European side’s heartbreak in 2021. The 34-year-old was the top points scorer, winning four out of five matches.

McIlroy has scored 37 victories throughout his career, including four major titles. 

His first major European win came at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic when he became one of the youngest to ever win at 19. McIlroy’s odds to win are 100/1. 

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Featured image courtesy of David Pilbrow via Flickr. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.

Maya graduated from the University of Oxford in June 2022, with a degree in Spanish and Linguistics. She is currently getting her NCTJ qualification at News Associates.

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