By Tim Parsons-
Anthony Joshua is heading a short list for this year’s sport’s personality of the year, due to take place on December 17.
Joshua who beat Wladimir Klitschko last April before a record breaking crowd of 90,000 has a perfect 20 fight record with all knock outs. He will have some tough competition in this year’s nomination, with 2014 winner, Lewis Hamilton who won the formula 1 championship in Mexico last month for the fourth time in his career.
Mo Farah is also a fearsome contender, nominated after retaining the world 10,000m title in London and narrowly missing out on the 5,000m double in what was his final track season, while Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane gets a nod after winning the Premier League golden boot for the 2016/17 season and firing England to the World Cup. British women’s No 1 tennis player Johanna Kontais also recognised after she reached a career-best No 4 in the world after winning the Miami Open, where she beat the likes of Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, before making the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
Short-track speed-skater Elise Christie is also rated for winning the 1,000m, 1500m and overall gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam in March – the first European woman to achieve the feat.
Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea, who won the third successive World Superbikes title, is also on the short list, as well as Jonnie Peacock after he secured gold at the IPC World Athletics Championships in the T44 100m.
Swimmer Adam Peaty’s record-breaking achievements at the World Aquatics Championships have been recognised after the 22-year-old retained his 100m and 50m breaststroke titles, breaking his own world record twice in the shorter event and becoming the first man to swim the distance in under 26 seconds.
Cricketer Anya Shrubsole makes the list for her performance in England’s World Cup-winning campaign on home soil. She claimed six for 46 in the final at Lord’s to turn the match on its head with India needing just 38 from 44 balls with seven wickets in hand.
Bianca Walkden, who successfully defended her world taekwondo heavyweight title in South Korea, completes the 12-strong list.
The winner will be decided by public vote, with the live show taking place in Liverpool on 17 December.