Ben Stokes And Beth Mead Nominated For BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award

This year's nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year have been announced.

Six sporting stars are in the running for the annual gong, which recognises the UK's top performers over the past 12 months.

Arsenal and England star Beth Mead is the favourite to win, having been the standout player as the Lionesses won this year's European Championships.

Six goals and five assists meant she finished the tournament as its top scorer, while she has also scored three goals and four assists in seven Women's Super League matches in the 2022/23 season so far - to go with the 11 strikes and eight assists last term.

Mead has been named alongside England men's Test captain Ben Stokes and snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the BBC shortlist.

Teenage gymnast Jessica Gadirova, athletics champion Jake Wightman and curler Eve Muirhead are the other contenders for the individual prize. The winner will be announced on Wednesday evening.

England cricketer Stokes has endured a whirlwind year, his first as captain of the men's Test team.

The 31-year-old has led his side to nine wins in 10 England Tests against New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan.

On Tuesday, Stokes sealed a 3-0 series win in Pakistan - making England the first-ever country to compete a clean sweep in the South Asian nation.

Stokes also played a starring role in England's T20 World Cup win over Pakistan, finishing on 52 not out in the Melbourne final.

Snooker star O'Sullivan would arguably be the people's favourite, having won his seventh World Championship this year to level Stephen Hendry's record in the open era.

Muirhead, meanwhile, led Great Britain to curling gold in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Eighteen-year-old Gadirova claimed floor gold in the final day of the Gymnastics World Championships last month, with Wightman securing 1500m gold in the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

Last year saw Tennis player Emma Raducanu voted the 2021 Sports Personality winner after ending Britain's 44-year wait for a women's Grand Slam singles champion with her victory at the US Open.

The ceremony is broadcast live on BBC One from 6.45pm this evening (Wednesday).