Sports Personality: 2016 contenders

Rio 2016 Triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee is Murray's
closest rival for the gong on December 18 at Birmingham's
Genting Arena.

Fellow Olympic heroes Mo Farah, Laura Kenny and Max
Whitlock are highly favoured by the bookmakers to challenge
Murray too, with Wales and Real Madrid superstar Gareth
Bale leading the charge for football.

A shortlist of 16 contenders have been nominated for the
prestigious main award, up from 12 in 2015.

They are:

Nicola Adams – Boxing
Gareth Bale – Football
Alistair Brownlee – Triathlon
Sophie Christiansen – Equestrian
Kadeena Cox – Athletics/Cycling
Mo Farah – Athletics
Jason Kenny – Cycling
Laura Kenny – Cycling
Andy Murray – Tennis
Adam Peaty – Swimming
Kate Richardson-Walsh – Hockey
Nick Skelton – Equestrian
Dame Sarah Storey – Cycling
Jamie Vardy – Football
Max Whitlock – Gymnastics
Danny Willett - Golf

Bale will be aiming to become just the fifth Welsh winner in
the award's history after lifting the Champions League with
Real Madrid and inspiring Wales to the semi-finals of Euro
2016.

Jamie Vardy is a 100/1 outsider on the shortlist to win the
award with his Leicester City side in contention to scoop the
Team of the Year following their Premier League title heroics.

But Leicester face serious competition this year from TeamGB
and ParalympicsGB's incredible medal feats at the Rio
Olympics, along with Wales' magnificent run to the Euro 2016
semi-finals and England's brilliant Grand Slam success in the
Six Nations.

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri is set to be in the running for
the Coach of the Year award, while Overseas Sports
Personality, Lifetime Achievement Award, Helen Rollason
Award and Get Inspired Unsung Hero Award will also be
handed out on the night.

Gabby Logan , who will present the annual showcase
alongside Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker and Clare
Balding , announced the full shortlist live on The One Show .