BBC Sports Personality Betting: Chris Froome 6/1 with Sky Bet to claim top award

Last year Team Sky rider Froome didn't even make the shortlist despite winning a third Tour title and an Olympic bronze medal and the 32-year-old has only twice made the list before, coming sixth in the public vote in 2013 and 2015.

This year's ceremony will be at Liverpool's Echo Arena on December 17 and here are the six leading candidates and their latest Sky Bet odds:

ANTHONY JOSHUA - 2/5

If this was a prize for the best single performance by a British star in the last 12 months, it is no contest - the 27-year-old heavyweight's victory over Wladimir Klitschko in April was an absolute belter. But that Wembley wonder is still his only outing this year and a fight against Kubrat Pulev in October is not setting many pulses racing. That said, the British have taken the former Olympic champion to their hearts and he looks in great shape to add a SPOTY belt to his collection.

CHRIS FROOME - 6/1

The first man to follow up a win at the Tour de France with a victory in the Spanish equivalent in the same season, the 32-year-old is now, by any fair measure, one of cycling's greats. Since the start of July, he has raced more than 4,000 miles, over 42 days, and has seen off every challenge. For many, he should win this race by miles, too, but a previous SPOTY best of sixth suggests he has not yet conquered the heights of popular acclaim here. Could this be his breakthrough year?

JERMAIN DEFOE - 12/1

Now 34 and playing for Bournemouth, the Londoner was the best player on a bad Sunderland side last season, scoring an admirable 15 league goals. That effort earned him a recall to the England squad for the first time in three years and he scored on his return. But that is not why Defoe is an outside bet for SPOTY. At Sunderland, he met Bradley Lowery, a six-year-old with cancer. Lowery died in July, but not before the pair had struck up a heart-warming friendship that saw the pair lead England out at Wembley in March.

SIR MO FARAH - 12/1

Having won nine straight global track finals since 2011, you could argue his return of a gold and a silver at London 2017 was a disappointment. But that would be very unfair. Britain's only individual medallist, Farah won one thriller and narrowly lost another. The 34-year-old is now aiming for marathon glory and he has just won his fourth straight Great North Run. Like Froome, the Somalia-born star probably has not had the credit he deserves at SPOTY. A best of third, in 2011, does not really reflect his domination in one of sport's most accessible disciplines.

LEWIS HAMILTON - 14/1

Widely considered to be the best driver of his generation, Hamilton has just edged ahead of his great rival Sebastian Vettel in the race for the 2017 Formula One crown. Winning that prize - the last race is on November 26 in Abu Dhabi - should also boost the 32-year-old's SPOTY hopes, but his third world championship in 2015 only translated to a fifth-place finish in the traditional pre-Christmas vote. The sport's move away from terrestrial TV may have played a part in that, which is a shame because his driving is just as good.

JAMES ANDERSON - 20/1

If it is value you are looking for, look no further than the Burnley Express. England's greatest wicket-taker, he burst through the 500-mark with a haul of seven for 42 to beat the West Indies. That took him to 39 wickets for England this summer, at a cost of just over 14 runs each. Already honoured by Lancashire this year with the James Anderson Stand at Old Trafford, some SPOTY love is long overdue for this king of swing.

Related links

• Sky Bet SPOTY odds