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It was no 2012 but, all in all, 2014 was not a bad year for British sport. Rory McIlroy won the Open, the US PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup; Lewis Hamilton became only the fourth Briton to win multiple F1 championships; Gareth Bale scored a goal for the ages in the Copa Del Rey final before helping Real Madrid win their tenth European Cup.
The three frontrunners have earned their odds but if anyone can charm the nation it is Jo Pavey, the European 10,000m champion who won her gold medal 10 months after giving birth. The voting public love a sentimental choice – they picked Ryan Giggs in 2009 – so Pavey should prepare a speech.
If the voters decide to honour an athlete for their lifetime of achievement, Carl Froch could be in with a chance. The four-time world champion defeated George Groves in the biggest fight of the year and he has since suggested that he might not return to the ring. Froch would join a lofty contingent of boxers who have won the award. Henry Cooper won it twice – despite never holding a world title – before Barry McGuigan, Lennox Lewis and Joe Calzaghe picked up the prize.
The remaining nominees can all boast gold medals in 2014. Lizzy Yarnold won Great Britain's only gold at the Winter Olympics in Sochi; Charlotte Dujardin picked up two golds at the World Equestrian Games; Kelly Gallagher and her guide won Britain's first ever Winter Paralympic gold in Sochi; Adam Peaty won a couple of gold medals at the Commonwealth Games; and Max Whitlock came home from Glasgow with three golds, three silvers and two bronze medals. Who has won your vote?
