Jude Bellingham and Luke Littler are among the six nominees for the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. The pair have both been named on the shortlist for the first time, with the winner to be revealed at a ceremony in Manchester on Tuesday, December 17.

Also in contention are Olympic gold medalistists Keely Hodgkinson and Alex Yee, Joe Root, and Dame Sarah Storey.

It follows an incredible breakthrough year for Littler, 17, which saw him make the PDC World Championship final on his Ally Pally debut last January.

He's since been crowned the Premier League Darts champion and last month captured his first major televised ranking title at the Grand Slam of Darts. The teenage sensation has taken to X to react to the news, insisting he was shocked to be nominated.

"This is MADDDD," he wrote. "First young sports personality and now sports personality of the year… huge thank you to BBC Sport for nominating me, never thought I would be saying that."

Bellingham meanwhile, helped Real Madrid win the La Liga title and the Champions League, contributing 23 goals across all competitions. He also scored twice on England’s route to the final of Euro 2024 in Germany, including a sublime bicycle kick against Slovakia.

His displays saw him finish third in the Ballon d’Or voting, the highest position by an English player since Frank Lampard was second in 2005.Bellingham was also named as La Liga Player of the Season and Champions League Young Player of the Season, and collected the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award.

Hodgkinson, 22, claimed 800 metre gold in Paris Olympics ro secure Team GB’s first Olympic track title since Mo Farah’s 5000m and 10,000m double in Rio in 2016. That followed her retaining her title over the same distance at the European Championships.

Yee, 26, also won Olympic gold alongside a world title. In France he produced an exhilarating sprint finish to overtake New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, and then formed part of the British team that won bronze in the mixed relay.

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