These are the sports which provided the top three in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
The live programme on BBC 1 last night culminated with the announcement of the winner and the two runners-up, based on viewers votes.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024
The winner was Keely Hodgkinson, the 22-year-old 800-metre runner who burst onto our screens this year when she won gold at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The runner-up was Luke Littler, the teenage darts sensation, who came from nowhere - actually from Warrington, where I lived for a quarter of a century - to take the world of professional darts by storm. He is 16 years old!
In third place was Joe Root, the former England cricket captain who has smashed records left, right and centre since being relieved of the responsibilities of skippering the Test side. Root is an old man, turning 34 at the end of this month.
In her acceptance speech Keely Hodgkinson said:
“This year has been absolutely incredible for me. I’ve achieved everything I’ve set out to do on the outdoor track which is kind of rare so I’m so grateful to be in this position. Thank you everyone that voted at home, I hope you all loved watching Paris as much as I’ve loved competing in it and I wish you all a wonderful evening.”
Keely Hodgkinson
Keely Hodgkinson’s magnificent 2024 culminated in a brilliant 800m gold at the Paris Olympics. She stormed to victory, securing Team GB’s first Olympic track title since Mo Farah’s 5,000m and 10,000m double in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Her flawless performance broke a string of near misses on the global stage and confirmed her status as one of Britain’s greatest ever middle-distance runners. Her win at the Stade de France saw the 22-year-old become only the 10th British woman to win an Olympic track and field gold.
Keely is the first athlete to win Sports Personality since Sir Mo Farah in 2017 and the first female athlete since Dame Kelly Holmes in 2004.
Other Award Winners
The Helen Rollason Award was presented to former champion boxer Dr Mark Prince OBE. After a tough start to life, in which he ended up on the streets and involved in street crime and drugs, he turned his fortunes around through boxing and the discipline it brought him, culminating in a world title fight in 1998.
However, tragedy struck when his 15-year-old son Kiyan, who was an aspiring footballer with QPR, was murdered in 2006. Mark battled through the pain and grief to set up the Kiyan Prince Foundation (KPF) to combat knife crime and inspire young lives through boxing, life coaching, and motivational talks. The KPF has impacted over 100,000 children, gained global recognition with campaigns like “Long Live the Prince”, and was awarded naming rights to QPR’s Loftus Road in 2019. Prince’s incredible resolve through adversity and hardship to achieve so much progress on knife crime following his son’s death is a truly remarkably accomplishment.
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Armand Duplantis was awarded World Sport Star of the Year after the greatest pole vaulter in history enjoyed another record-breaking year. He defended his Olympic title in spectacular style at the Paris Games breaking his own world record, something he managed three times in total in 2024. The man known as “Mondo” also won golds at the World Indoor and European Championships and claimed a fourth consecutive Diamond League title, leaving no doubt about his overwhelming supremacy in the sport.
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Wigan Warriors took home BBC Sport’s Personality’s Team of the Year. In an all-conquering 2024, Wigan Warriors became the first team in the Super League era to complete the quadruple of World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final.
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Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows were awarded Coach of the Year. The husband-and-wife pair coached Keely Hodgkinson to her sensational Olympic gold in the 800m. Painter and Meadows also coached Georgia Bell to 800m bronze in Paris, as well as Lewis Davey, who took bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay.
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The BBC
Young Sports Personality of the Year was awarded to Luke Littler. Luke shook darts to its core in 2024 with one of the most astonishing breakthrough years the world of sport has ever seen. At just 16-years-old, and ranked a lowly 164th in the world, the prodigy stormed to the PDC World Championship final, smashing records and taking down some of the game’s biggest names along the way. His first major title soon followed at the Premier League of Darts, while his victory at the prestigious Grand Slam of Darts made him just the fourth player in history to win 10 trophies in one season and took his earnings over £1m.
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Jean Paton from Lymington, Hampshire, was the overall winner of the Unsung Hero award. At 90 years old, Jean is one of the most dedicated volunteers of Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington, Hampshire, where she has contributed for nearly 40 years. As an RYA Dinghy Instructor, she has been a cornerstone of the club’s twice-yearly “Moppy Camps,” inspiring generations of young sailors.
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Sir Mark Cavendish received the Lifetime Achievement award. The most successful sprinter cyclist of all time was presented with the award for his incredible career and dedication to cycling.
The 39-year-old legend from the Isle of Man, initially planned to retire in 2023, but postponed his farewell to chase a record-breaking 35th stage win at the Tour de France. In a stunning display of determination and skill, the “Manx Missile” claimed victory on stage five in Saint-Vulbas, securing his place in history as the sole holder of the record. This triumph marked the 165th win of his distinguished career and solidified his reputation as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
He twice won the Tour de France green jersey, awarded to the rider with the most points, and boasts a further 17 stage wins in the Giro d’Italia, three in the Vuelta a Espana and he also claimed the road world title in 2011. On the track he won omnium silver at the 2016 Olympics, three madison world titles and a Commonwealth Games gold for the Isle of Man. He was also honoured with a knighthood earlier this year.
Endpiece
Once again the BBC put on a great evening of sporting entertainment. In the absence of Gary Lineker, who was dropped pending the termination of his contract with the BBC in 2025, the three female presenters Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, did a great job.
© Sporty Sam
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