Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson during the Women's 800m Final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Keely Hodgkinson leads the way for the Spoty award among Telegraph readers Credit: PA/Peter Byrne
As the countdown to the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year begins, Telegraph readers have weighed in on who they believe should take home the crown.
With a field of talent spanning football, athletics, cricket, darts and cycling, the debate has become as heated as ever. From the explosive rise of Jude Bellingham and his Champions League triumph at Real Madrid, to Keely Hodgkinson’s commanding 800m gold at Paris 2024, the contenders are varied and accomplished.
With passionate opinions on both sides, the question remains: who do readers believe deserves to be recognised as Britain’s top sporting figure?
Jude Bellingham (2% of Telegraph poll vote)
‘Why has Bellingham been chosen? He was rubbish at the Euros’
Jude Bellingham finished third in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting, following an impressive debut season at Real Madrid, which ended in Champions League glory.
The Birmingham-born midfielder’s dramatic bicycle kick against Slovakia kept England’s European dream alive in the summer, but some readers have insisted that this is simply not enough to warrant a nomination.
UNBELIEVABLE 🤩
Jude Bellingham pulls out an overhead kick to save England in the dying moments 🏴#EURO2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/px4qLzJQoq
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
Mark Blackwood, for example, argues that while Bellingham did score “an impressive goal”, England did not claim silverware at Euro 2024, and therefore the 21-year-old should not be included over an athlete who has been victorious for British sport, such as Mark Cavendish.
Others have also suggested that Bellingham’s bicycle kick overshadowed several poor performances at the Euros. Simon Rogers notes: “Apart from a cool bicycle kick, he was pretty ineffective for most of his games for England. Sport is about consistency and delivering results.”
Some readers point out that there should be a focus on success away from home, which Bellingham has had in abundance, finishing in the highest position recorded by an Englishman in the Ballon d’Or ranking since Frank Lampard in 2005.
Dodrade Gesserit says: “There’s more to football than the Premier League. Bellingham won the Spanish League, Champions League, La Liga Player of the Season and finished third for the Ballon d’Or.”
Certain readers disagree however, and believe that as a British competition, players performing in the Premier League should be prioritised. Michael Bowler argues: “It is pathetic that Bellingham is shortlisted; he plays abroad, whereas Phil Foden was voted
player of the year in England.”
A similar sentiment is felt by reader Barry Thompson, who insists that Cole Palmer was “far better than Bellingham” last season, and deserved to be nominated.
Keely Hodgkinson (36%)
‘Keely will run away with it as she usually does’
Keely Hodgkinson became Team GB’s first track champion since Sir Mo Farah this summer, winning 800m gold in emphatic style at Paris 2024. Britain’s new track and field queen is the bookies’ favourite to win Spoty and is currently leading our readers poll.
Golden stride🥇 Keely Hodgkinson crosses the finish line and into the #Paris2024 history books as the 800m Olympic champion!! 🇬🇧#Olympics pic.twitter.com/ryA7KfvC7C
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 16, 2024
Anthony Bertin is among the majority of readers who believe that Hodgkinson is “head and shoulders” above the rest of the nominees. He says: “Hodgkinson’s performance in Paris was outstanding and is deserving of Spoty. The rest – I don’t think so.”
Moe DeGrasse believes that “Keely will run away with it; as she usually does”.
Joe Root (31%)
‘Root is the only one who deserves to be there’
The Yorkshire batsman made history in October, surpassing his former team-mate Sir Alastair Cook to become England’s all-time record Test run scorer.
Root is currently second favourite in our readers’ poll, with reader David Cuthbertson saying that out of all the nominees, “Root is the only one who deserves to be there”.
Similarly, many readers have argued that Root is the most humble on the list, and that this is a quality which should be rewarded.
Joe Root reacts after scoring a century during play on day three of the second Test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand on Dec 8, 2024
Many feel Joe Root’s understated character makes him the best candidate for the award Credit: AP/Andrew Cornaga
Other readers disagree, for instance, Andrew Loveland says: “Root won’t win because he is a better batsman than a captain – a common theme in English cricket.”
Paul Robson believes that the 33-year-old has not had his best season, despite hitting a remarkable career-best score of 262 against Pakistan earlier this year. He says: “It’s difficult to justify Joe Root. Not because he’s not a great cricketer, but because he hasn’t been exceptional this year.”
Luke Littler (13%)
‘Nominating Littler is a disgrace, he’s not even the best darts player called Luke’
Luke Littler took the world of darts by storm in December-January, finishing runner-up in his first PDC World Championship. aged just 16.
The teenage prodigy has since gone on to become the youngest winner of the Premier League Darts, with reader Ivan Dunne arguing that Littler has “re-kindled” his interest in the sport.
Luke Littler celebrates with the Premier League of Darts trophy after beating Luke Humphries in the play-off on 23 May 2024
Luke Littler’s inclusion on the shortlist has divided opinion Credit: PA/Zac Goodwin
Despite this, some readers are against Littler’s inclusion, citing that World Championship winner Luke Humphries would have been a better choice. Gesserit says: “Nominating Littler is a disgrace, he’s not even the best darts player called Luke!”
Others have questioned the legitimacy of darts as a sport, arguing that it should not be included in the competition. Reader John Gordon-Smith says “Darts is not a sport, it’s a booze fest,” while Julian Sampson uniformly argues: “I want anybody other than Littler to win; darts is a pub game not a sport.”
Sarah Storey (8%)
‘There should be a disabled Spoty category’
The odds are stacked against Storey, despite the Paralympic swimmer-turned-cyclist extending her record-breaking gold medal tally to 19 at Paris 2024. Yesterday Storey claimed she was the underdog in the running due to a lack of promotion for disabled athletes. This year, Storey also won her 28th and 29th world titles, making her the most decorated contender on the shortlist. However, readers have suggested that Paralympic sport does not currently have the popularity to allow the 47-year-old to win the vote. Andy Steggals suggested that to counter this, the BBC should have an able-bodied category and a disabled category.
Over 4,000 readers have already voted for who they want to win in our poll. Have your say below and join the debate underneath the poll.
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