THE governing body representing Scottish athletes has hit out at the BBC’s shortlist for Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) over the absence of Scots world champion Josh Kerr.
Kerr claimed a shock 1500m title at the World Championships in Budapest in August to leave favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen trailing in second.
The decision to leave Kerr off the shortlist has been questioned, with some fans noting Jake Wightman was one of the nominations last year for the same achievement.
“I know, I know, it’s nonsense. But who did Josh Kerr upset to be left out in favour of people who failed to win when it mattered most?” one post read.
Scottish Athletics, the governing body for athletics in Scotland, reacted to the announcement on Twitter/X, writing: “And just a reminder that Josh beat an athlete almost unbeatable in any track race in last couple of years …” while posting an image of Kerr’s winning moment.
BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY SHORT-LIST Hmmm 🤔@joshk97 photo by @AthleticsImages And just a reminder that Josh beat an athlete almost unbeatable in any track race in last couple of years . . . https://t.co/ZfNAv1qAxJ pic.twitter.com/ezEN2jQvxy
— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) December 12, 2023
In an analysis piece by The Times’ Matt Lawson entitled “Kerr omission a betrayal of SPOTY award and smacks of ignorance”, he wrote: “Josh Kerr is a notable omission from the list after he matched Johnson-Thompson’s feat in claiming gold at the World Athletics Championship, stunning the Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1500m.
“Jake Wightman won the same race last year and was nominated for SPOTY.”
Chief sports writer at The Telegraph Oliver Brown also reacted in support of Kerr, stating: “Dreadful decision to omit Josh Kerr. In a relatively barren year for British sporting glory, a world 1500m champion in a truly global field is not even shortlisted. Ludicrous.”
Journalist Rob Draper said: “I not a huge fan of SPOTY but if you can’t find room for Josh Kerr on your shortlist, you don’t understand how sport works”.
Another Twitter/X user said: “These lists just get more ludicrous every year. Josh Kerr won the world 1500m title against an elite field while Ronnie O'Sullivan won his 8th UK title at the age of 47!”
Chief sports writer at the Daily Mirror Andy Dunn said the shortlist “does nothing for award's credibility” after missing Kerr as well as Ronnie O’Sullivan who won a record-extending eighth snooker World Championship making him the oldest ever UK champion.
England goalkeeper Mary Earps leads the six nominees to succeed team-mate Beth Mead for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper helped England reach the Women’s World Cup final in August, saving a penalty as they went down 1-0 to Spain. Earps was awarded the Golden Glove after keeping three clean sheets in the tournament.
The Manchester United star is the bookmakers’ runaway favourite to take the award, having been named England women’s player of the year, come fifth in the voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin – the highest-ever ranking for a goalkeeper – and kept a Women’s Super League record 14 clean sheets last season.
Earps is joined on the shortlist by retired cricketer Stuart Broad, former jockey Frankie Dettori, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett and golfer Rory McIlroy.
Broad will be aiming to become the first cricketer to win the award since 2019 when Ben Stokes collected the award.
He became England’s second leading Test wicket taker with 604 before announcing his retirement on the penultimate day of the fifth and final Ashes Test and helping them draw the series against Australia at the Oval by taking a wicket with his final ball bowled and hitting a six off the last ball he faced.
Liverpool-born Johnson-Thompson came back from injury to win her second world title in Budapest this year.
Her build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was undermined by an Achilles injury which forced her to pull out but the 30-year-old bounced back with a Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham last year and then conquered the world again in Budapest.
Three-time British flat racing champion jockey Dettori triumphed in two British classics this year, winning the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and the Oaks on Soul Sister, and is joined on the list by wheelchair tennis player Hewett and world number two in golf McIlroy.
Hewett was 2023 Australian Open and US Open singles champion and also claimed three of the four grand slam titles on offer in doubles alongside Gordon Reid, while McIlroy was the top points scorer in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory.
The winner of the public vote will be announced on the night of the live show on Tuesday, December 19.
Other awards being presented on the night are world sport star of the year, young sports personality of the year, coach of the year, team of the year, unsung hero, the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity, and the lifetime achievement award.
