BBC Sports Personality of the Year LIVE: Keely Hodgkinson crowned 2024 SPOTY winner at Salford awards ceremony
The 71st edition of the awards takes place in Salford this evening, with Hodgkinson and Luke Littler among the favourites
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Your support makes all the difference.Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson was voted the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2024.
The award caps a brilliant 12 months for the 22-year-old in which she claimed gold at the Paris Olympics, successfully defended her European title and set a new British record of one minute 54.61 seconds that made her the sixth fastest woman in history.
Littler came second in the public vote, while England cricket star Joe Root took the third place prize at Tuesday’s ceremony in Salford.
Hodgkinson’s success makes it an unprecedented four years in a row that the award has been won by a woman, following Mary Earps in 2023, Beth Mead in 2022 and Emma Raducanu in 2021.
Mark Cavendish won the lifetime achievement award after breaking the record for most Tour de France stage wins in July, while there were gongs for the young sports personality (Luke Littler), the best overseas sportsperson (Mondo Duplantis), the team of the year (Wigan Warriors) and more.
Trevor Painter & Jenny Meadows win Coach of the Year
Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows win coach of the year. The duo coached Keely Hodgkinson to gold at Paris 2024, and their M11 Track Club produced two more Olympic medals for Team GB in Paris – Georgia Bell with a 1500m bronze and Lewis Davey with a bronze as part of the men’s 4x400m relay team.
Coach of the Year
Nominees include Emma Hayes, Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peat, Gareth Southgate and Hodgkinson’s coaching pair Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows. The winner will be announced imminently by Jess Ennis and Kelly Holmes...
Littler wins Young Sports Personality of the Year
Now up for the Young Sports Personality of the Year, and no surprise who’s won here – it’s Luke Littler!
The 17-year-old became the youngest player to reach the World Championship final at the age of 16 years and 347 days, and also won the Premier League Darts, Grand Slam and World Series of Darts finals.
How record-breaking Mark Cavendish became a Tour de France legend – according to his rivals and teammates
Mark Cavendish once gave me the look.
It was an interview in a hotel lobby in Yorkshire; he was slightly late and apologised profusely, then answered questions about the Tour de Francewith enthusiasm and detail. For some reason, I thought 10 minutes of flowing conversation made me his trusted confidant, so I looked him in the eyes and asked the question he didn’t like answering: how much do you want to break Eddy Merckx’s Tour stage record? He shrugged it off. But what would it mean to you? He went quiet. Wouldn’t it crown your legacy?
The look was somewhere in the Venn diagram of anger and disdain, and I half expected him to walk off. He stayed, but in that brief moment, I felt the gentlest prod of his famous spikiness. Cavendish was once asked what he’d learned from a difficult day on the bike. “That journalists sometimes ask some stupid f***ing questions,” he replied.
How Mark Cavendish became a Tour de France legend – according to rivals and teammates
Explosive on the bike and off it, the Manx Missile has made history as the most prolific stage winner the Tour de France has ever seen. Lawrence Ostlere speaks to allies and opponents about the fast and furious sprinter
Cavendish: “It’s such a massive honour"
Cavendish is in Salford to speak to the BBC, and he accepts his award from his family and good friend Bradley Wiggins.
“That was an amazing reception,” he says. “I’m not very good at public speaking, that’s why I ride a bike for a living.Â
“I’ve always been a sports fan, and sport has this incredible ability to inspire. Whether you want to compete, perform, keep fit, you can do what you want with sport. Specificlaooy cycling, that’s what I loved about it.Â
“I don’t really watch cycling, I watch everything else. We look back at those years, with Covid, as soon as sport started everyone was happy.
“It’s good we celebrate it with SPOTY, we’re such a strong nation in the world of sport, and to celebrate that every year is very special.Â
On the award, he says: “It’s such a massive honour, it’s so lovely. Thank you.”
Sports Personality of the Year LIVE
The lifetime achievement award is being handed out now, though we already know the winner – Sir Mark Cavendish.
Team of the Year: Wigan Warriors
Rugby league side Wigan Warriors have won the Team of the Year award!
They won every trophy available to them in 2024, including the World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final.
Team of the year
The nominees for the team of the year include the Paralympics GB team, Manchester City and Chelsea women. The award will be announced imminently.
Ellie Kildunne: “ love my team and I love the way we are playing"
Women’s world player of the year Ellie Kildunne also spoke to the BBC earlier.
“I think this year I have understood what it means to be playing rugby and the happiness that it brings,” she said.
“I love my team and I love the way we are playing because I love what we are doing.”
On England’s World Cup chances next year, she added: “As soon as the last World Cup finished I was ready for the next one to start. Personally it was the best thing that happened to me losing that final as a fire was reignited. We are ready for it whenever it comes.
“Everyone keeps saying it is going to be the moment and I keep getting asked “What is going to happen after?”
“I hope it exceeds my imagination. I think we are on the right track for that to happen.”
Unsung Hero award
It is now time for the Unsung Hero award, which celebrates the best volunteers, whose work makes a difference in communities across the UK. The shortlist included 15 national and regional nominees.
The winner is Jean Paton – the 90-year-old has volunteered at the Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington, Hampshire for almost 40 years!
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