Olympic hero Keely Hodgkinson and darts sensation Luke Littler lead the way as BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist is revealed

Keely Hodgkinson heads the six-person shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year – but there is no place for Tour de France record breaker Mark Cavendish.

Olympic 800 metres gold medallist Hodgkinson has been nominated alongside teenage darts sensation Luke Littler and Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.

England batting great Joe Root, Olympic and world triathlon champion Alex Yee and Dame Sarah Storey, Britain’s most successful Paralympian, make up the rest of the shortlist.

But Cavendish has been controversially omitted despite making history in July by breaking the Tour de France stage wins record with his 35th victory.

The Manx Missile, who won SPOTY in 2011, had been installed as the bookies’ third favourite to land the prestigious award for a second time.

Hodgkinson, 22, remains the odds-on favourite and would become the fourth successive female winner, after Emma Raducanu, Beth Mead and Mary Earps.

Littler, 17, is the second favourite after reaching the final of the World Darts Championship aged 16 and could become the second youngest winner in the show’s 70-year history.

He has also been nominated for Young Sports Personality of the Year alongside skateboarder Sky Brown and para swimmer William Ellard.

Bellingham, 21, has made the shortlist after winning La Liga and the Champions League in his first season with Real Madrid, as well as finishing third in the vote for the Ballon d’Or.

He also helped England reach the final of Euro 2024, saving them in the last 16 against Slovakia with an injury-time overhead kick, despite recently saying he felt like he was made a ‘scapegoat’ for his country not winning the tournament.

Root, 33, surpassed Sir Alastair Cook as England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer in October. He has scored more Test runs than anyone else in the world this year, starring in series wins against West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, where he scored his 36th Test century at the weekend.

On making the shortlist, Root said: ‘I didn’t expect that at all. ‘It’s something I’ve watched as a kid growing up, so I am honoured to be involved in it.

‘It’s been a wonderful year of sport, so to even be considered is pretty humbling.’

Yee is shortlisted after producing a sensational comeback to win the men’s triathlon at Paris 2024, before claiming a bronze medal in the mixed relay. The 26-year-old also went on to win his first world title.

Cycling star Storey, 47, was victorious in both the C5 time trial and C4-C5 road race at the Paralympics to extend her record as Britain’s most decorated athlete at the Games, with an overall tally of 30 medals, including 19 golds.

The shortlist – which has been restricted to just six contenders since 2018 – was compiled by a 12-person judging panel of former sportspeople, broadcasters, journalists and BBC executives.

Dame Laura Kenny, Iwan Thomas, Ade Adepitan, Nedum Onuoha and Rory Best were the ex-athletes on this year’s panel.

‘It’s a fantastic shortlist,’ said Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport. ‘All six of them have kept us on the edge of our seats this year, showing us how sensational they are.

‘I’m looking forward to reliving each of their successes on the night and finding out who audiences want to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024.’

Swimmer Poppy Maskill, 19, may consider herself unlucky not to be nominated after winning five medals at the Paralympics, including three golds, as might wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett. The 26-year-old won the Wimbledon singles title for the first time to complete a career Grand Slam, while also claiming Paralympic gold in the men’s doubles.

Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock had also been tipped for the shortlist, as had trampoline gold medallist Bryony Page.