Harry Kane's World Cup heroics should see him justify favouritism

BBC1, 7pm Sunday

The big four in the betting have become the big three as Harry Kane, Geraint Thomas and Lewis Hamilton dominate the market for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award.

Tyson Fury has drifted and Ronnie O'Sullivan has come in for support, but they and the rest of the chasing pack are all at double-figure odds.

Last year's shock win for Mo Farah shows that doesn't put them out of the running, but the last outsider to win before him was Joe Calzaghe in 2007, so they don't come around that often.

We asked the Racing Post Sport team who they think should take the accolade and who looks the likely winner.

Graham Woods
Who should win? None of the top three. Yes it was the World Cup, and England fans fell in love with the game again, with their national team, the manager and his waistcoat and with throwing beer around, but did we fall in love with Harry Kane? Or has he just been picked out as the single face of a much wider success story?

That said, did we ever fall in love with Geraint Thomas or Lewis Hamilton? A British rider winning the Tour de France is not a novelty any more, and Hamilton has been here before.

If anyone is going to capture hearts on the night, it could be sprinter Dina Asher Smith, who is a warm, bubbly individual with a sense of humility. At 5-2 she is worth backing to squeeze at least one of the top trio out of the places.

Who will win? Harry Kane. It's the World Cup after all, isn't it?

Phil Agius
Who should win? Harry Kane. There are some fine candidates this year, not least a new Tour de France winner and a five-time F1 world champion.

But Kane captained unfancied England to their first World Cup semi-final for 28 years and snared the Golden Boot award in the process.

England don't do well at major football events very often but when they do it has been recognised in that year's Spoty - Bobby Moore (1966), Paul Gascoigne (1990) and Michael Owen (1998) all won in World Cup years.

He won't get many votes in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or the red half of north London, but winning an individual award on the greatest stage in the biggest sport in the world should be enough.

It would be great to see Lizzy Yarnold or Alastair Cook recognised for their brilliant careers but the Three Lions' amazing summer oif surprises was the sporting highlight of the year.

Who will win? Kane should go close. The best value bet might be last year's runner-up Jonathan Rea each-way at big prices. He retained the Superbike world title this year, winning the last 11 races of the season, and has proven public support.

Adam Scriven
Who should win? It would be fair to say that some of Lewis Hamilton's five F1 world titles have been gained by cruising to victory in the fastest car but that certainly wasn't the case this year.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won the first two races but he simply couldn't live with Hamilton's relentless form in the second half of the season, despite the red car looking faster on several occasions.

Despite his consistent success - Hamilton has won at least one race in each of his 12 F1 seasons - it is only this year that those within the sport have started comparing him with the all-time greats and it would be fitting if he was recognised with a second Spoty win.

Harry Kane's performance at the World Cup was at the forefront of England's summer of sporting love, but Arsenal fans and non-English voters aren't likely to pick him. Winning the Tour de France four times wasn't enough to get Chris Froome into the top three in any year so Geraint Thomas looks a bit short.

Who will win? Kane looks just about the right favourite given how the World Cup gripped the nation. I popped to Sainsbury's during the semi-final against Croatia and both the shop and the streets were deserted.

But despite being weak in the market Tyson Fury looks a decent shout. Boxing has a lot of dedicated fans and no one can deny Fury has plenty of personality. He also has recency on his side and a sense of injustice after his dramatic draw with Deontay Wilder this month.

Henry Hardwicke
Who should win? Ronnie O'Sullivan lifted his record-breaking seventh UK Championship earlier this month and while that in itself wouldn't be enough for him to be considered a worthy winner that title made it 19 triple crown victories and it's time the Rocket is given the recognition he deserves.

The win in York took him one past Stephen Hendry's benchmark and although O'Sullivan would be a worthy contender in any year he now has the record to substantiate his claims.

O'Sullivan first lifted the UK crown as a 17-year-old and is still the dominant force in snooker at the age of 43. The Rocket has won five world championships and seven Masters titles, he has made 15 maximum breaks, including the fastest ever in five minutes and 20 seconds, and 986 centuries while displaying style and showmanship.

Who will win? Harry Kane looks the right favourite. Winning the Golden Boot on the biggest stage in the most popular sport should see Kane home.

James Milton
Who should win? British sports fans seem reluctant to clutch Lewis Hamilton to their collective bosom but his achievements this season make him a deserving recipient of the award.

His mid-Atlantic accent is undoubtedly grating but that should not detract from some hugely impressive career statistics. Hamilton's fifth world drivers championship puts him behind only Michael Schumacher in terms of titles.

His temperament and talent are highlighted by a record tally of 83 pole positions and he hasn't missed a Grand Prix since his debut in March 2007.

Harry Kane is an uninspiring favourite but then I am morally opposed to individual awards for footballers mainly due to the ridiculous corporate hype surrounding the Ballon d'Or.

Ronnie O'Sullivan would be a fine winner in my view and don't be surprised if 1971 champ the Princess Royal pops up on the shortlist – she's usually there or thereabouts in this one.

Who will win? The value could be Tyson Fury, three years on from the controversy of his 2015 Spoty nomination. His heroic draw with Deontay Wilder is fresh in the memory and the voting public love a tale of redemption. Kane will probably scrape home, though.

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