Lewis Hamilton, Stuart Broad and Jordan Henderson make SPOTY shortlist

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, England cricketer Stuart Broad and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson have been named as the first three nominees for the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The BBC is staggering the announcements of the six sportspeople up for the main honour at a show at Media City in Salford on December 20, when Hamilton, Broad and Henderson will be among the contenders.

It was announced on Tuesday morning that Hamilton had tested positive for coronavirus and will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain, but he is favourite with bookmakers to clinch a second SPOTY crown.

Winner in 2014 and a four-time runner-up, including in the last two years, Hamilton clinched his seventh world drivers’ title in Turkey last month, equalling Michael Schumacher’s overall record.

Hamilton was the first to be named on the six-person shortlist on BBC One Breakfast by ‘The Body Coach’ Joe Wicks, who then revealed on Radio One Breakfast with Greg James that England fast bowler Broad was the second contender.

Broad became only the second England bowler, after James Anderson, to reach 500 Test wickets in a summer of rearranged fixtures, played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It has been a remarkable year for Broad, who has taken 38 Test wickets for England at a phenomenal average of 14.76 in 2020 as he became only the seventh bowler in history to reach the special 500 landmark.

Liverpool’s Premier League-winning captain Henderson, meanwhile, was announced as the next nominee on the Radio 1Xtra Yasmin Evans show by Wicks.

Henderson led the Reds to their first top-flight title in 30 years last season, winning the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award in the process for his tireless performances.

The other three hopefuls will be revealed throughout Tuesday on the BBC’s various platforms.