BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 – live updates! | Sport

Adam Peaty is, however, present in person. He has a chat with Gary Lineker and Gabby Logan, and very impressive he is too. Here he is on lockdown:

Probably one of the toughest moments of my life, which is why I get emotional seeing moments like [his Olympics success]. Getting to those lane ropes was almost closing a chapter. The investment of time, love, energy, sport takes everything from you and I give everything. It was so tough, so tough.

With no in-studio audience, a number of sportspeople are virtually attending on a big Zoom-style screen thing. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.

Six minutes in, time for another video montage. This one’s an Olympic special.

The ceremony has officially begun, as it will (probably) end – with a slow-motion video montage. Quite a good one, I must admit.

The Emma Raducanu of the Year award is not the only honour on offer this evening. Tonight’s other awards are:

• Young Emma Raducanu of the Year
• Helen Rollason award
• Unsung Hero
• Lifetime Achievement (Simone Biles is getting this one)
• World Sport Star of the Year (shortlist: Saul Alvarez, Rachael Blackmore, Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Max Verstappen)
• Team of the Year
• Coach of the Year

We kid, obviously. There are other contenders for the Emma Raducanu of the Year award, and they are:

Tom Daley

Tom Daley is nominated for completely Raducanuing the synchronised 10m platform diving, along side Matty Lee, at the Tokyo Olympics, before shedding hot, salty tears of joy at the medal ceremony. And also for knitting.

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury Raducanued the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas in October by fighting Deontay Wilder for the third time and beating him for the second, twice clambering off the canvas before dropping his opponent in the 11th round.

Adam Peaty

Adam Peaty overcame a suspicious moustache to win two gold medals and a bonus silver at the Tokyo Olympics, continuing his ludicrous domination of the 100m breaststroke in the process.

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling was one of England’s outstanding players as they reached the final of 2021’s Euro 2020, scoring three goals in the process, before the team lost on penalties to Italy at Wembley.

Sarah Storey

Storey expanded her ludicrously outsized collection of Paralympic gold medals to 17 – seventeen – with another three in Tokyo, and took her overall medal count to 28 in the process.

Are any of them more deserving of the award than Emma Raducanu? Time alone will tell!

Greetings and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the BBC Emma Raducanu of the Year awards! Who could possibly win this hotly-contested prize? Let’s look at the shortlist:

Emma Raducanu of the Year contender No1: Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu became the first British woman to win a grand slam title since Virginia Wade in 1977, and the first qualifier, when she won the US Open in ludicrously classy style in September.

So, there’s your full list of contenders for the evening’s main prize. Who could possibly win? Don’t miss the next couple of hours of guaranteed uncertainty and drama!