Para-cyclist Kadeena Cox plus Jason and Laura Kenny in list of 16
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Bradley Wiggins on the track(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Laura Trott and Jason Kenny show off their gold medals
Six-time Olympic Games gold medallist Jason Kenny (Great Britain)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A happy Chris Froome only needs to finish Sunday in Paris to win his third Tour de France.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
World champion Bradley Wiggins signs on at the 2016 Gent Six Day(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tour de France champion Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins have been omitted from the shortlist of 16 contenders for the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, although Para-cyclist Kadeena Cox and Olympians Jason and Laura Kenny have made the cut.
Wiggins won gold in the team pursuit in Rio to become Britain's most decorated Olympian. He perhaps missed out on the SPOTY shortlist due to the controversy that has raged since his use of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) was revealed.
Froome can perhaps feel more aggrieved to have missed out, having won his third Tour de France title and Olympic bronze in the time trial. He dominated cycling's biggest event in July, ensuring his place in the pantheon of the sport by becoming one of only eight riders to win the Tour on three or more occasions.
SPOTY shortlists are often dominated by Olympic stars in Olympic years and The Kenny's were the driving force of Britain's success on the track in Rio, with five gold medals between them. The award is not exclusively based on results, and the pair have captured the imagination of the British public, marrying in the wake of Rio after their relationship became public at London 2012. They are often now referred to as British sport's 'golden couple'.
Jason Kenny's triple gold medal haul in Rio took him level with Chris Hoy's British record of six career golds. The 28-year-old kicked off the track cycling programme at the Games with a third straight victory in the team sprint, and he went on to win the individual sprint and then the keirin.
Laura Kenny, 24, was faultless once again, backing up the gold medals she had won in London in the team pursuit and the omnium - breaking the world record in the former.
Both riders had signalled their form at the Track World Championships in London in March, with Laura taking two gold medals (omnium and scratch race), and Jason one (individual sprint).
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Kadeena Cox is the third and final cyclist on the 16-strong shortlist. The 25-year-old, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago, won the C4-5 time trial at the Paralympics, where she also picked up three medals on the athletics track. Earlier in the year she had won the 500m time trial at the para-cycling track World Championships in Montichiari.
Tennis player Andy Murray is the bookmaker's favourite to scoop the award for a third time after he won Wimbledon and Olympic gold and ended the year as the number one ranked player in the world.
