Sports Personality of the Year: Froome, Konta, Christie, Rea and Kane make shortlist

Competition was fierce to even make the shortlist of the BBC’s end-of-year event, and journalist Gabby Logan revealed the final 12 on Monday evening.

Anthony Joshua is the early favourite to win the award. The 28-year-old heavyweight boxer beat Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA and IBF titles in April before defending his title against Carlos Takam in October.

Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Harry Kane was the surprise pick on the shortlist. However, the forward's 2017 has been exceptional, with a Premier League Golden Boot award and a Ballon d'Or nomination underlining his class.

Many will feel that Chris Froome, who has never won the award, should be considered among the favourites after his stellar year. The Team Sky cyclist achieved a remarkable Tour de France and La Vuelta double, continuing his dominance of the biggest events in road cycling. Froome has never finished higher than sixth in the vote, despite having won four Tour de France titles.

Mo Farah's 10,000m triumph at the World Athletics Championships in London this summer also earns him a spot pn the shortlist. The distance runner's extraordinary track career came to an end in 2017, although he was pipped into second place in the World 5,000m to deny him a fifth major championships 'distance double'.

Motorsport is well represented in the shortlist, with both Lewis Hamilton and Jonathan Rea among the 12 athletes. Hamilton secured a fourth Formula 1 world title in October, seeing off Sebastian Vettel to make him Britian's most successful ever F1 driver.

Meanwhile, the remarkable Rea's stranglehold over World Superbikes continued. The Northern Irishman set a new record for the number of points in a season, winning 16 races en-route to his third straight world title.

Only two swimmers have ever won the SPOTY award, but Adam Peaty will be hoping to make that three. The Olympic Champion won gold in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke at the World Championships in July, breaking his own 50m world record twice in the same day along the way.

Elise Christie will be hoping to become even more of a household name when she goes for gold at the Winter Olympics in 2018, but three gold medals at the World Short Track Championships earned her a spot in this year's shortlist.

Two-time Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock won the T44 100m final at the World Championships earlier this year and followed up that feat with a spell on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing.

Johanna Konta became the first British Woman since 1978 to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon, while she also won the Miami Open back in April.

Anya Shrubsole was the match-winner as England triumphed in spectacular fashion in the Women's Cricket World Cup at Lord's in July. Shrubsole's fearsome bowling secured her five wickets in 19 balls in the final as she steered England to a narrow victory.

And Bianca Walkden's taekwondo triumph at the World Championships in June mean she has now taken the last four world titles.