Will Keely Hodgkinson Win BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024?

As the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards approach in December 2024, all eyes are on Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson as the frontrunner to take home the top prize. The 22-year-old British athletics star cemented her place as one of the nation’s favorite athletes with a stellar gold medal performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, she faces stiff competition from other British sporting talents who have also enjoyed breakout years in 2024.

Keely Hodgkinson’s Incredible 2024

There is no doubt that 2024 has been the year that Keely Hodgkinson stepped into the global spotlight. She announced herself on the scene at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with a surprise silver medal in the 800m at just 19 years old. Hodgkinson spent the next few years establishing herself as a dominant force in the event, winning two World Championship silver medals leading up to the 2024 Paris Games.

In July 2024, Hodgkinson set a new British 800m record of 1:54.61 at the Diamond League meet in London, making her the sixth fastest woman ever over the distance. This built immense hype and expectations going into the Paris Olympics. As the face of the BBC’s promotional coverage, all eyes were on the young star to see if she could handle the pressure on athletics’ biggest stage.

Hodgkinson did not disappoint. She coasted through her heat and into the 800m final, where she produced an epic performance to win gold in a time of 1:54.10. This was half a second faster than the second place finisher and cemented Hodgkinson’s status as Olympic and national hero. At just 22 years old, her future looks incredibly bright.

Hodgkinson’s Case as Overwhelming Favorite

Based on her outstanding Gold medal run in Paris, Hodgkinson seems to be the overwhelming favorite to win Sports Personality of the Year. She was the face of the Olympics for the host nation and her triumphant victory captured the hearts of the British public. At just 22, she is also an inspiration to young athletes across the country.

Do you think she will be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year? 22bet21.com thinks she will, with odds of 1.222/1 or 81.80%.

Threats From Emerging British Talents

While Keely Hodgkinson had an undeniably incredible 2024, she faces competition for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award from several other worthy British candidates.

16-year-old darts prodigy Luke Littler burst onto the scene in 2024, reaching the World Championship final in January and going on to win 10 senior PDC titles including the Premier League. The teenage phenom has been called the future of darts and leading referees have backed him as a favorite for the BBC award.

Meanwhile, veteran cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish finally broke Eddy Merckx’s longstanding Tour de France stage win record in 2024 before retiring. Cavendish previously won Sports Personality in 2011 and his record-breaking sendoff could see him lift the trophy again.

Other Olympic heroes like Tom Pidcock and Alex Yee also have strong cases after defending or winning surprise gold medals in Paris. Paralympic legend Sarah Storey extended her gold medal tally to 19 in swimming events. Both Pidcock and Storey have won Sports Personality previously.

While several British sports stars have staked their claim for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024, Keely Hodgkinson stands out as the frontrunner after her history-making Olympic gold medal performance. At just 22 years old, she represents the future of British athletics. However, don’t count out the likes of darts phenom Luke Littler and cycling legend Sir Mark Cavendish putting up a fight on the night. It will certainly be an exciting awards ceremony to cap off an incredible year of British sporting achievements.