Mary Earps is the frontrunner to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year next week after being named on the six-person shortlist.
The England goalkeeper, 30, is the odds-on bookiesâ favourite to become the second straight Lioness to land the coveted award following Beth Meadâs triumph last year.
Earps, who starred as Sarina Wiegmanâs side reached the Womenâs World Cup final in August, faces competition from Ashes hero Stuart Broad and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Veteran jockey Frankie Dettori, Europeâs Ryder Cup talisman Rory McIlroy and wheelchair tennis No1 Alfie Hewett are also nominated, but there is no place for world 1500 metres gold medallist Josh Kerr.
The sportsperson who tops the public vote on December 19 will become the 70th winner of SPOTY.
Mary Earps is the favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year
![The England goalkeeper won the Golden Glove at the Women's World Cup but couldn't prevent the Lionesses from losing the final to Spain](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/12/07/78856563-12853569-image-a-7_1702365499098.jpg)
The England goalkeeper won the Golden Glove at the Women’s World Cup but couldn’t prevent the Lionesses from losing the final to Spain
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If it is Earps, it would be the third successive year a woman has been victorious following Emma Raducanu in 2021 and then Mead, after 15 years of male dominance before that.
Earps won the Golden Glove at the World Cup after keeping three clean sheets for England on their way to an historic first final. She also saved a penalty in the Lionessesâ heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Spain in Sydney.
Of the other candidates, Broad was Englandâs top bowler in this summerâs amazing Ashes battle, taking the final wicket of the fifth Test against Australia to level the series 2-2 after announcing his retirement during that match.
Johnson-Thompson claimed her second world heptathlon title in Budapest in August, bouncing back from the injuries which blighted her career following her first global gold in 2019.
Dettori secured a host of big wins in his final year of racing in the UK at the age of 52, including victories in two Classics – the 2000 Guineas and the Oaks.
McIlroy was the top point scorer as Europe beat USA in the Ryder Cup in Rome, earning four points out of a possible five after only claiming one in a record defeat two years ago.
![Stuart Broad is also in contention after bringing down the curtain on his Test cricket career with a superb Ashes series in the summer](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/12/07/78856333-12853569-image-a-3_1702365031475.jpg)
Stuart Broad is also in contention after bringing down the curtain on his Test cricket career with a superb Ashes series in the summerÂ
![Rory McIlroy was nominated after leading Team Europe to win the Ryder Cup in Rome](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/12/07/78856353-12853569-image-a-4_1702365034571.jpg)
Rory McIlroy was nominated after leading Team Europe to win the Ryder Cup in Rome
![Katarina Johnson-Thompson claimed her second world heptathlon title in Budapest in August](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/12/07/78856429-12853569-image-a-6_1702365196331.jpg)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson claimed her second world heptathlon title in Budapest in August
Meanwhile, Hewett won five Grand Slam wheelchair tennis titles â two singles and three doubles â this year, which he ended as world No1. He could become the first para sports star to be named SPOTY in the showâs 70-year history.
The most notable omission on the six-person shortlist is middle-distance runner Kerr after he stunned Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win 1500m gold in Budapest.
His victory emulated the 2022 achievement of his British team-mate Jake Wightman, who was nominated for SPOTY last year.
Snooker great Ronnie OâSullivan, who won a record-extending eighth UK Championship title earlier this month, had also been backed in recent days, as had England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham after a stunning start to his first season in Spain.
According to the BBCâs criteria for the award, the winner should be âthe sportsperson whose sporting actions have most captured the UK publicâs imagination during 2023â.
An industry panel were asked to select a shortlist that âreflects UK sporting achievement, represents the breadth and depth of UK sports and takes into account impact of the personâs sporting achievement beyond the sport in questionâ.