World 1500m champion is among the short list of contenders for BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Wednesday

Jake Wightman flies the flag for track and field athletics at the 2022 BBC Sports Personality of the Year but the middle-distance runner will have to unleash the finishing kick of his life if he is to over-turn the hot favourite, footballer Beth Mead.

England and Arsenal striker Mead is odds-on to lift the prize after a year which saw her win the Golden Boot and player of the tournament awards at Euro 2022 as the Lionesses made history at Wembley.

But Wightman will be hoping for a podium place at least after his brilliant year which was capped by a world 1500m title in Eugene where he beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Along with Wightman and Mead, the other contenders are gymnast Jessica Gadirova, curlings Eve Muirhead, cricketer Ben Stokes and snooker player Ronnie OSullivan.

Eyebrows have been raised at the omission of Eilish McColgan after her stellar year, which included Commonwealth 10,000m gold in Birmingham, but competition to get on to the six-strong short list has been fierce.

Mo Farah was the last winner of SPOTY from the sport of athletics. Seb Coe, Daley Thompson, Fatima Whitbread, Kelly Holmes and Paula Radcliffe are other athletics stars to have claimed the top honour in the past.

Athletics is easily the most successful sport in the history of SPOTY. Chris Chataway won the inaugural award in 1954 after running a 5000m world record to beat Soviet runner Vladimir Kuts at the White City. But the sport has only had one winner in the past 16 years Farah in 2017 and didnt even have a contender in the short list in 2021.

Wightman was the first British man to win the world 1500m title since Steve Cram in 1983. He produced a superb final burst to pass Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen and clinch the title, called home by his father Geoff who was the stadium announcer.

Its that moment you cross the line, its just such euphoria, I just wish you could bottle that up because it soon fades away a little bit, Wightman told BBC Sport.

The disbelief and the shock are something that I will never have again.

Wightman also won 800m silver at the European Championships and 1500m bronze at the Commonwealth Games.

The 2022 awards are on Wednesday December 21 at 6.45pm on BBC One live from Salford and voting will open during the show.

You can vote by phone or online on the night for the main award, with full details announced during the show.

Other awards to be announced include Young Sports Personality of the Year, Team and Coach of the Year, Unsung Hero and the Helen Rollason Award.

READ MORE: Bolt to receive lifetime achievement award

Usain Bolt will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award, while football World Cup winner Lionel Messi is the World Sport Star of the Year.

Athletics winners at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year

1954: Chris Chataway
1955: Gordon Pirie
1963: Dorothy Hyman
1964: Mary Rand
1968: David Hemery
1972: Mary Peters
1974: Brendan Foster
1978: Steve Ovett
1979: Seb Coe
1982: Daley Thompson
1983: Steve Cram
1987: Fatima Whitbread
1991: Liz McColgan
1993: Linford Christie
1995: Jonathan Edwards
2002: Paula Radcliffe
2004: Kelly Holmes
2017: Mo Farah

Recent doping cases are not a great look for athletics, writes Katharine Merry, but there should be pride taken in how proactive the sport is in punishing those who break the rules

Plenty of headlines have been created around our sport lately in relation to doping and, whenever one of these stories comes out, it produces a complex melting pot of emotions for me. 

Theres the concern around how this news whether its the spate of Kenyan distance runners testing positive or 2012 Olympic 400m hurdles champion Natalia Antyukh being set to lose her gold medal makes the sport look, plus theres that sinking feeling of here we go again and a deep sadness of, unfortunately, not being surprised. You want to be shocked, you want to be appalled but, with Russian athlete Antyukh, that wasnt the case Im afraid. 

There are encouraging aspects to it all though, too. Im disappointed for the sport but Im also very proud that were the ones being so proactive with these issues. The more you test, the more positive cases you are going to find and the better systems you have in place, the more people are going to fall foul of it.

I still think we could do more when it comes to anti-doping and it would benefit massively from more funding, but athletics does deserve a lot of credit for being on the front foot when some other sports perhaps dont do enough in this area, simply because they dont want to. 

Theres no doubt at all that anti-doping is a lot different from when I was running. The whole process seems a lot more relentless, which is a very good thing and obviously the reason why more athletes are being caught. 

We did have to do the whereabouts process and tell people where we trained, where we lived and when we were going away, but it has stepped up in terms of how regimented that is and being narrowed down to specific hours in the day. 

I was a very organised athlete and Im still a very organised person Id be the one sorting out all the details for our training camps, for example but the more lackadaisical athletes out there soon discover there really is no margin for error.

I have no sympathy for anyone who doesnt take this side of the job and it is a key part of the job if you want to be a professional athlete properly seriously. Ultimately, the responsibility has to sit with the individual. 

In years gone by, if youd written a job description for being a full-time professional, time management and ticking all the right boxes when it comes to anti-doping protocols probably wouldnt have been the first thing youd have put on your list, but its right up there now.

CJ Ujahs case has been a prime example of how easy it can be to come a cropper in the current climate. He put his failed test which saw the British 4x100m team stripped of their Olympic silver medal down to having taken a supplement which he ordered through Amazon.

The AIU deemed his error wasnt deliberate and his ban will now come to an end in time for him to start competing again this summer but, when CJ does get back on the track, it is going to be a big test in a number of ways. 

He knows what hes done, hes accepting what hes done and the consequences of that will now follow him for the rest of his career. Its not something you get away from and he will face questions about it when he starts racing again. I hope that hes strong enough and prepared enough for that.

UKA technical director Stephen Maguire has said he will come under consideration for selection for the British team again, should he be running quickly enough, but there will still be challenges in bringing him back into the fold. 

It has been made easier by a couple of his team-mates from that Tokyo line-up publicly providing him with messages of support, but not everyone will feel that way and thats completely understandable. 

With the Antyukh case, I have a lot of sympathy for American Lashinda Demus who will become Olympic champion 10 years later than she should have done. Its too late. Its not just that shes missed out on the winning moment. The money, the improved contracts and sponsorship that goes with it is gone, too. 

What are the interest levels going to be like in a 45-year-old Olympic gold medallist compared to one who was at the peak of her powers? The answer to that question is a short one. 

As an athlete, you do have a sixth sense that someone you are competing against might not be playing by the rules. You can ask any athlete at a top level that and youll find very few that will say yeah, Ive looked along the line and thought look at all these lovely nice people Im going to be racing against.

I raced against people who came back into the sport after having been proven as cheats and I raced against people who I know would have been cheating but never got caught. 

However, as obvious as it may sound, you have little choice but to block that out of your mind and get on with your own performance. If you dont, it will drive you mad. 

Also, dont always believe that the cheating comes down to who the coach is or the make-up of the training group. Every athlete is an individual, is their own person and has a choice. I just hope that, with the ever improving systems in place and the increasing cost of falling foul, more athletes make the right choices.    

We speak to a record-breaking middle-distance talent about his 2022 season and ambitions for the future

When Henry Dover crossed the finish line to win the TCS Mini London Marathon in October, he cemented his place as one of Britains young, bright distance runners. Having come second twice before, it was third time lucky and a particularly sweet victory. 

This has been a huge year for the 17-year-old who also broke a 3000m championships record that had stood for 42 years running 8:24.06 at the England Athletics Under-17 Championships in Bedford. His subsequent 8:15.26 for the distance put him No.5 on the UK all-time rankings and pushed Mo Farah down to sixth so hes in good company.

He also topped the podium for the 1500m at the English Schools Championships and the SIAB Schools International. We caught up with him to look over his incredible year and look ahead to what the future has in store.

How did you get into athletics?

It was completely by accident. I was always very sporty and I really loved football. I went to my local athletics track Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club (CATS) just to get fitter for football. I did a couple training sessions there and my coach put me into a couple of races and that was when I realised I was actually pretty good at running and maybe it should take over from football.

What made you choose distance running?

I chose distance running because, when I played football, I would always be running around the pitch twice as far as any other player without getting tired. Also, in primary school cross-country races, I would be miles in front of everybody, so I knew I had the endurance in me, even without that much training. 

What did it mean to win the Mini Marathon?

The Mini Marathon was the one I wanted. I had previously come second twice, and I could not let that happen again. When crossing the finish line, there was a great sense of relief. Meeting the legendary Eliud Kipchoge after the race was a huge honour which I will never forget [right]. Hes a global star and to have him there at the end made it even more incredible.

How did it feel to break Jonathan Richards 42-year-old 3000m championships record this summer and then push Mo Farah down the all-time rankings?

Breaking it was a surprise! It was late in the season and I was tired. I went into it wanting a slow race then a last-lap burn-up. I got the burn-up but definitely not the slow race it was a painful one. Pushing Mo Farah down to sixth was honestly something I knew I had in me. It was my first 3000m in a very long time so my coach was expecting a sub-8:30, however I silently knew I was capable of a lot moreand I still do!

Do you prefer track, road or cross country running? And why?

Track will always be my favourite. You run the fastest on the track and thats what I like. I also like the warmer weather and its much more enjoyable than the freezing cold cross-country season. However, by the end of the summer, you do get a bit bored of running in circles, so I like to do a few road races. My first ever races were cross-country so I still enjoy them and they will always hold something special, but track is my favourite.

Who is you athletics hero?

David Rudisha. He is a true great of the sport. I think I have watched his London 2012 800m final about 100 times and I still get chills.

Who has supported you throughout your journey so far?

Ive had two coaches so far in my career who both had an impact on me. My first [Bob Kimber] inspired me to go on to what I am doing now. He introduced me to athletics and I am forever grateful for that. My current coach Mark Goddard, who Ive been with for the last three to four years, is the reason I have achieved what I have this summer.

We work really hard in training and on getting the mileage right to maximise training. I cant forget my osteopath, Austen Spooner, who runs The Willow Health Clinic in Essex. He helps me with any issues I have and is vital when it comes to me staying injury-free. I also have my parents to thank. They have to drive me everywhere!

How do you find balancing all your training with education and having a teenage life too?

I train at my school [Woodbridge School] and have a great running club there so getting to training after school is not an issue so I can manage my time well. It means much less travelling all over the place. I also love watching the football as I still love the game so thats my distraction from schoolwork and running.

READ MORE: Mini London Marathon 2022

What is the ultimate dream?

The ultimate dream is to keep running! Im excited to see where it takes me and I am just enjoying the process.

Can you sum up your journey so far in a short sentence?

The hard work pays off. 

Tonbridge dominate mens team event while Belgrave win a poorly-supported womens event in the last championships race of 2022

SOUTH OF THE THAMES CHAMPIONSHIP, Aldershot Hampshire, December 17

On a day when winter was at its most biting, a smaller than is usual field returned to Wellesley Woods and saw a close race in the mens division as Georgie Bruinvels added the 7-mile title to the 5-miler than she had won three weeks earlier, Martin Duff reports.

Local organiser and current South of the Thames Association president, Mike Boucher gave his reasons for the lower turn out. He said: It was probably a combination of train strikes, the weather, a venue out of South London and the fast 5-mile race in Battersea Park the night before.

The lower numbers did not prevent a close battle at the front of the mens section as first across the line, Peter Chambers, Brightons Josh Hobbs and eventual winner Ben Cole were battling things out with Chambers and Cole taking turns to lead.

Eventually it was Highgate Harrier Chambers who won by about 40 metres as Cole took the championship ahead of Howard and also led Tonbridge to both the six-to-score and 12-to-score team trophies.

This race was previously entitled the Senior championship of the Association and leading medals were given to the top veterans in each 10-year category. These went to Jeff Cunningham (M40), Ben Paviour, who had won the South of England M50 title the previous week, Mick Lane (M60) and Mike Mann (M70).

Women cross-country runners only rarely get a chance to race over a distance as long as seven miles but here they did and Bruinvels took her third Association title but her first over the longer senior distance.

The 34-year-old was never seriously challenged and ran out a comfortable womens section winner, with a minute to spare over Serena Carter. A similar distance further back, Naomi Lenane led Belgrave to a womens team victory in their rare six-to-score team championship.

Their veteran medals went to Suzanne Swaine (W40), Sophie Biggs (W50) and Ange Norris (W60).

Overall:

1 P Chambers (High, gst) 38:20; 2 B Cole (Ton) 38:30; 3 A Howard (Ton) 38:37; 4 J Hobbs (B&H, U20) 38:39; 5 J Sanderson(G&G) 38:58; 6 S Strange (Ton) 39:16; 7 C Dockerill (Kent) 39:32; 8 C DeAth (Ton) 39:28; 9 M Costley (Soton) 39:29; 10 J OConnell (AFD, U20) 39:33; 11 S Molloy (Ton) 39:36; 12 J OHara (Soton) 39:38; 13 K Barnes (Craw) 39:43; 14 T Foster (G&G) 40:04; 15 J Van Deventer (G&G) 40:07; 16 K Bowling (AFD) 40:10; 17 M Dubery (Ton) 40:20; 18 E Dixon (G&G) 40:21; 19 J Neville (Belg) 40:25; 20 J Bryant (Ton) 40:29; 21 L White (Tun W) 40:37; 22 D Debaba (Kent) 40:40; 23 F Dyer (Belg) 40:44; 24 C McNally (Belg) 41:04; 25 E Brady (THH) 41:13

M40: 1 J Cunningham (Herne H) 41:49; 2 N Phillips (Kent) 41:57; 3 C Chessell (Swin) 42;40

M45: 1 O Gosden (G&G) 43:15; 2 N Henderson (E&E) 43:48

M50: 1 B Paviour (Herne H) 42:53; 2 N Tearle (G&G) 43:57

M55: 1 N Tennyson (G&G) 44:55

M60: 1 M Lane (Rane) 51:40

M65: 1 J Foss (S Lon) 54:32

M70: 1 M Mann (Dulw R) 62:31

TEAM (6 to score): 1 Tonbridge 47; 2 Guildford & G 127; 3 Kent 173; 4 AFD 209; 5 Tonbridge B 265; 6 Herne h 273; 7 G&G B 358; 8 Stragglers 475

TEAM (12 to score): 1 Tonbridge 312; 2 G&G 485

Women:

1 G Bruinvels (AFD) 44:50; 2 S Carter (THH) 45:56; 3 N Lenane (Belg) 46:49; 4 E Stevens (AFD) 47:08; 5 O Papaioannou (Belg) 47:39; 6 N Beadle (Belg) 48:47; 7 S Riceman (Belg) 49:03; 8 J Nandi (Herne H) 49:23; 9 S Biggs (Strag, W50) 49:32; 10 K Ellison (Herne H) 49:50

W40: 1 S Swaine (Herne H) 50:28

W45: 1 S Winter (Strag) 51:13

W50:  2 N Cahusac (G&G) 51:24

W55: 1 S Harrison (G&G) 55:13; 2 O Balme (Dulw R) 55:34

W60: 1 A Norris (Dulw R) 65:18; 2 G Wheeldon (Herne H) 66:00

Women TEAM: 1 Belgrave 50; 2 Herne H 116

BERKSHIRE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Cookham, Berkshire, December 18

In his first outing in his county championships for 10 years, the 2019 world steeplechaser finalist Zak Seddon returned to his roots to win the senior mens title to go with his under-20 gold back in 2012, Martin Duff reports.

A podium placer in British steeplechase championships for the past four runnings of the event, Seddon also won the Inter-counties junior title in 2012.

Backed up by younger brother Matthews third place, the 28-year-old led Bracknell to the team gold medals but the brothers were split by Sam Hart. The Newham & Essex Beagles runner has returned to action this winter and here backed up his third spot in the December fixture of the Met League.

The last time that Elena Carey ran in the Berkshire cross-country championships was in 2019 when she was third in the under-20 event but here dominated the senior womens race, winning by well over three minutes. Second woman home was top W35 Charlotte Firth, herself a senior winner back in 2016.

Sam Hodgson retained his county under-20 title to make it three local championships in a row, having previously taken the under-17 event before the pandemic struck.

English Schools fifth-placed steeplechaser Josh Minoia moved up from fourth last year to win the under-17 gold medal.

Men:

1 Z Seddon (Brack) 30:24; 2 S Hart (NEB) 30:50; 3 M Seddon (Brack) 31:37; 4 J Rennie (Read) 31:44: 5 A Sutton (Mhead) 33:02; 6 R Brooks (Read) 33:08; 7 C Craik (Newb) 33:10; 8 H Razzaq (Read) 33:32; 9 C ONeill (Newb) 33:35; 10 M Clutterbuck (WSEH) 33:46

TEAM: 1 Bracknell 15; 2 Reading 18; 3 Newbury 28; 4 Bracknell B 43; 5 Reading RR 52

M35: 1 R Baylis (Datch, M40) 35:37; 2 T Easten (Mhead, M45) 35:40; 3 B Gerrard (Newb, M40) 36:06; 4 C Madelaine (Read, M40) 36:06; 5 C Burt (Read RR) 36:09; 6 M Robbins (Newb) 36:19

M45: 2 C West (Mhead) 38:08

M50: 1 F Donnelly (Read RR) 38:03; 2 M Ferguson (Datch) 38:14; 3 J Quinn (Read)30:05

M55: 1 P Branston (WSEH) 39:30; 2 A Colling (T Kennet) 40:26; 3 M Rodda (Read) 43:24

M60: 1 S Watson (Read) 45:58

TEAM: 1 Newbury 16; 2 Maidenhead 24; 3 Read RR 26; 4 Reading 41; 5 Newbury B 47

U20: 1 S Hodgson (WSEH) 26:08; 2 F McGrath (WSEH) 26:26; 3 W Goddard (WSEH) 27:12; 4 C Parker (Read) 27:22; 5 J Atwell (Read RR) 27:43; 6 J Campbell (WSEH) 28:22

TEAM: 1 WSEH 6; 2 WSEH B 25

U17: 1 J Mingoia (WSEH) 16:49; 2 G Thomas (WSEH) 17:21; 3 C Welch (WSEH) 17:38; 4 B Dewar (WSEH) 17:43: 5 N Thomas (BMH) 18:23; 6 E Lewis (Read) 18:32

TEAM: 1 WSEH 6; 2 WSEH B 20

U15: 1 G Branston (WSEH) 15:04; 2 J Tilmas (Read) 15:21; 3 J Norton (Newb) 15:39; 4 J Glendenning (Newb) 15:47; 5 T Silvey (WSEH) 15:50; 6 W Humm (Brack) 15:52; 7 D Lewis (Brack) 15:58; 8 M Stylo (Mhead) 16:04; 9 N Tyers (Read) 16:15; 10 D Weller (Brack) 16:18

TEAM: 1 Newbury 19; 2 WSEH 20; 3 Bracknell 23

U13: 1 S Weeks (Read) 11:58; 2 B Lucas (Brack)12:13; 3 X Lee (Newb) 12:21; 4 J Legge (Brack) 12:28; 5 G Hilliar (WSEH) 12:34; 6 H Hunter (Read) 12:38; 7 A Charles (WSEH) 12:39; 8 E Langley-Aybar (Brack) 12:41; 9 J Brooker (WSEH) 12:42; 10 D Wisinski (Read) 14:16

TEAM: 1 Bracknell 14; 2 Reading 17; 3 WSEH 21

Women: 1 E Carey (Brack) 28:30; 2 L Tolson (Read) nt; 3 L Marlow (Read) 32:22 4 N Harris (Read) 32:42; 5 A Clarke (WSEH) 33:01: 6 L Blythe (Read) 33:14

TEAM: 1 Reading 9

W35: 1 C Firth (WSEH) 31:31; 2 L Baylis (Datch, W40) 35L:01; 3 H Pool (Read RR, W45) 35:52; 4 C Welch (Brack RR, W45) 35:56; 5 S Francis (Read, W50) 36:30; 6 S Simms (Mhead, W40) 37:34

W50: 2 C Shrimpton (Mhead) 38:25

TEAM: 1 Maidenhead 22; 2 Maidenhead B 33

U20: 1 J Ridley (WSEH) 22:20; 2 A Baines (Brack) 23:02; 3 J Hatch (WSEH) 24:13

TEAM: 1 WSEH 8

U17: 1 H Haldane (Read) 18:42; 2 E Davey (WSEH) 18:59: 3 J Robertson (Newb) 19:09; 4 J Heller (WSEH) 19:35; 5 E Bartlett (WSEH) 19:39; 6 K Flockhart (Brack) 20:21

TEAM: 1 WSEH 11

U15: 1 A Farley (WSEH) 16:33; 2 G Langdon (Read) 16:51; 3 M Sichoya (Brack) 16:57; 4 M Fieldsend (Brack) 17:07: 5 K Burgess (Newb) 17:12; 6 A Marden (Read) 17:24: 7 E James (Read) 17:41; 8 A Passos (WSEH) 17:48; 9 L Rennie (Read) 18:48; 10 F Gilbert (Brack) 19:11

TEAM: 1 Reading 15; 2 Bracknell 17; 3 WSEH 22

U13: 1 Z Allen (WSEH) 12:24; 2 T Ferguson (WSEH) 12:36; 3 E Dias (WSEH) 13:16; 4 Q Bookless (WSEH) 13:23: 5 A Thomas (BMH) 13:49: 6 C Bailey (T Kennet) 14:13; 7 K McCrabbe (M;head) 14:22; 8 Z Davey (WSEH) 14:50; 9 I Nation (Brack) 14:53; 10 C Bullock (Cookham) 14:53

TEAM: 1 WSE 6; 2 WSEH 25; 3 T Kennet Tri 29