Sport

Tyson Fury and Murray added to Sports Personality shortlist

<span style=" line-height: 20.8px;">Tyson Fury during a homecoming event at the Macron Stadium, Bolton on Monday<br />Picture by PA</span>
Tyson Fury during a homecoming event at the Macron Stadium, Bolton on Monday
Picture by PA
Tyson Fury during a homecoming event at the Macron Stadium, Bolton on Monday
Picture by PA

TYSON FURY and Andy Murray are last-minute inclusions on the shortlist for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year 2015 award following their weekend triumphs. The awards night is to be held in Belfast's SSE Arena later this month. 

Murray's heroics in Great Britain's historic Davis Cup victory in tennis and Fury's points win over Wladimir Klitschko to become boxing's heavyweight champion of the world have seen the pair included on a 12-strong list - two more than usual. The early favourite according to William Hill bookmakers, however, is Jessica Ennis-Hill, who was crowned world heptathlon champion in August, 13 months after giving birth. 

There are two other contenders who enjoyed track and field success at the World Championships in Beijing. One is Mo Farah, who secured a unique 'treble double' in distance running, having won golds in both 5,000 metres and 10,000m at two World Championships and the Olympics. The other is Greg Rutherford, the long-jump world champion who became only the fifth British athlete to hold Olympic, Commonwealth, European & world titles at the same time.

Last year's winner of the BBC award, Lewis Hamilton, is also shortlisted again after successfully defending his Formula One world champion title, his third drivers' championship in all. Tour de France winner Chris Froome is nominated, as is fellow cyclist Lizzie Armitstead, who won the UCI World Road Championship.

Lucy Bronze, the defender who helped England's women's football team to third place in the World Cup and was shortlisted for the player of the tournament, is also nominated. So too is Kevin Sinfield, who retired from rugby league after an extraordinary career - including winning the Challenge Cup, League Leaders' Shield and the Super League title in his final season - before switching codes to union.

The final contenders are Adam Peaty, who became the first British swimmer to win three gold medals at a single World Championships, and Max Whitlock, who ended Britain's 112-year wait for a men's gold medallist at the World Gymnastics Championships.

Barbara Slater, BBC director of sport and chair of the selection panel, said: "The panel was faced with some incredibly tough choices in deciding who should be on the shortlist. All nominees have achieved exceptional success in their respective fields in the past year and we wish each of them the best of luck, while also looking forward to a great night in Belfast."

The panel met in mid-November and agreed that significant sporting events taking place after that meeting but before the shortlist was announced should be taken into consideration. The winner will be decided by a public vote and announced live at the Belfast event on Sunday, December 20.