FULL LIST OF CONTENDERS

Anthony Joshua (Boxing)

The hugely popular London 2012 Olympic champion is ranked the world’s top heavyweight after adding the WBA and IBO belts to his IBF title with a technical knockout of Wladimir Klitschko in April. He defended his IBF title against late replacement Carlos Takam in October.

Odds: 2/7

Lewis Hamilton (Formula One)

The Englishman won a fourth world championship title, joining Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as drivers with four or more. He also became Britain’s most successful F1 driver.

Odds: 6/1

Chris Froome (Cycling)

The Team Sky rider is now second in the all-time list after completing his third successive Tour de France victory and fourth in five years, beating Rigoberto Uran by 54 seconds. He followed that by becoming the first Briton to win La Vuelta, the third man to successfully complete the Tour-vuelta double in the same year.

Odds: 12/1

Mo Farah (Athletics, pictured)

Farah signed off his last season on the track with victory in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in London. However, he missed out on a fifth major championship double when beaten by Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris in the 5,000m.

Odds: 16/1

Adam Peaty (Swimming)

The 22-year-old Olympic champion retained his 100m and 50m breaststroke titles at the World Championships, breaking his own world record twice in the shorter event and becoming the first man to swim the distance in under 26 seconds.

Odds: 33/1

Jonathan Rea (Motorcycling)

The Northern Irishman enjoyed a recordbreaking season in World Superbikes, becoming the first rider to win the title three years running.

Odds: 50/1

Anya Shrubsole (Cricket)

England’s medium-pacer was the hero of the World Cup final on home soil at Lord’s. She claimed six for 46, the best figures in a final, to turn the match on its head with India needing just 38 from 44 balls with seven wickets in hand.

Odds: 50/1

Harry Kane (Football)

The Tottenham striker finished Premier League top scorer for the second successive campaign in May, only the fifth player to do so. He was also England’s leading scorer in their successful World Cup qualifying campaign.

Odds: 50/1

Jonnie Peacock (Paralympics)

The sprinter returned to the London Stadium five years after he became one of the faces of the 2012 Paralympic Games to regain the T44 100m at the World Para Athletics Championships in the summer, a title he last won

in 2013.

Odds: 50/1

Elise Christie (Speedskating)

The short-track skater from Livingston became the first European woman to win the 1,000m, 1500m and overall gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam in March.

Odds: 150/1

Johanna Konta (Tennis)

The British No 1 reached her best singles world ranking of four in the summer after the biggest win of her career at the Miami Open, where she beat Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki in the semi and final, and then reached the last four at Wimbledon.

Odds: 250/1

Bianca Walkden (Taekwondo)

Walkden successfully defended her world taekwondo heavyweight crown in South Korea before winning back-to-back Grand Prix events, including her maiden title in Moscow in August.

Odds: N/A