Three Young Athletes Named Finalists for BBC Sports Personality Award

Skateboarder Sky Brown, Para-swimmer William Ellard, and darts player Luke Littler have been selected as finalists for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award. A panel initially chose 10 remarkable young individuals from a broader list, subsequently reducing the selection to the final three. The recipient of the award will be revealed during a live broadcast on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show on Tuesday, 17 December. The program will be aired live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer starting at 19:00 GMT. The previous year, snowboarder Mia Brookes claimed the accolade, having achieved the distinction of becoming the youngest world champion in snowboarding and Britain’s first in slopestyle, just one month after her 16th birthday. Age: 16 Sport: Skateboarding Team GB’s Sky Brown secured an Olympic bronze medal in the women’s skateboarding park final despite a shoulder injury. Her shoulder dislocation occurred the day prior to her journey to Paris, following an earlier tear of the medial collateral ligament in her right knee. At 16 years old, Brown holds the distinction of being a two-time Olympic medallist, having also earned a bronze in Tokyo three years prior. She is projected to be 20 years old when the Los Angeles Olympics commence. She said: “I’m honoured to be shortlisted for Young SPOTY this year. Skateboarding has levelled up so much since the last Olympics. I’m so excited to see everyone push even harder and what that means for LA.” Age: 18 Sport: Para-swimming Ellard commemorated his first Paralympic appearance in Paris by securing three medals, including two golds. He achieved Paralympic champion status in the S14 200m freestyle, establishing a new world record, and in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, in addition to earning a silver medal in the 100m butterfly. Furthermore, Ellard garnered four medals, two of which were gold, at the European Championships held in Funchal, Madeira, during April. He said: “To be shortlisted for this award means a lot to me. Some of the greats – like Wayne Rooney, Ellie Simmonds, Phil Foden and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix – have won in the past, so to be nominated this year is a special feeling.” Age: 17 Sport: Darts Littler gained widespread recognition early in 2024, following an impressive performance at the World Darts Championship where he became the youngest competitor to advance to the final, at 16 years and 347 days old. Despite his defeat to Luke Humphries in the final, he has since secured 10 senior PDC titles this year and currently holds the championships for Premier League Darts, the Grand Slam, and the World Series of Darts Finals. Known as ‘the Nuke’, he holds the fourth position in global rankings and accumulated over £1 million in prize money during 2024. Littler said: “It’s been an amazing year and to be in the running for Young Sports Personality of the Year tops it off. If I’ve brought more fans to darts, then that’s all that matters to me.” Tuesday, 17 December 19:00-21:00 GMT The selection committee comprised Paralympic gold medallist Sammi Kinghorn, Olympic silver medal-winning BMX freestyler Keiran Reilly, television presenter Qasa Alom, and Radio 1 DJ Jeremiah Asiamah, alongside delegates from the Youth Sport Trust, Blue Peter, and BBC Sport. The initial longlist of 10 athletes, which encompassed the three finalists, featured: Mia Brookes (snowboarding) Sky Brown (skateboarding) William Ellard (Para-swimming) Cat Ferguson (cycling) Phoebe Gill (athletics) Luke Littler (darts) Abigail Martin (gymnastics) Ethan Nwaneri (football) Bly Twomey (Para-table tennis) Iona Winnifrith (Para-swimming)