BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012: picking a winner this year is impossible after so much success Victoria Pendleton's absence has not even raised an eyebrow, while Alistair Brownlee, the Olympic triathlon champion, can count himself unlucky not to be included. Carl Froch, the IBF super-middleweight world champion, showed all his courage in winning the title with a cracked rib. Tom Daley "only" secured a bronze at London 2012, but the pressure he was under and what he has endured since Beijing at such a young age, particularly the death of his father, proves his depth of personality, regardless of your definition. Moving on to the shortlist and picking a potential winner, in any other year nobody would think it was a bad decision whoever wins from this collection of sporting giants. But this is not any other year. BEN AINSLIE Ferociously competitive, our most successful Olympic sailor and endorsed by Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, as our greatest Olympian. I don't think he will want it until he has won the America's Cup and nobody should doubt his ability to do that. NICOLA ADAMS The first British woman to win an Olympic boxing title when she took flyweight gold. Arguably the most controversial of the 26 sports at the summer Games, but it could not want for a more open and effervescent performer and ambassador. JESSICA ENNIS It is hard enough to win an Olympic title, and even more so when yours is the first face rivals see on billboards when they arrive in London. But she coped with that pressure, delivering metronomic personal bests with Daley Thompson-like timing, and still managing to smile throughout. MO FARAH No European won a medal on the track in Beijing, but that did not stop Farah believing he could deliver two. He went to train in the United States to ensure he gave himself the best chance, a reminder of the sacrifice Olympic athletes and their families make. Unlike most Olympians he does not seem to be that grumpy, which must be a bonus. KATHERINE GRAINGER The first woman to win a medal at four successive Olympics. How did she manage not to let her self-belief be diminished? After claiming silver in Sydney, Athens and Beijing, gold in the women's double scull at London must have tasted so much sweeter. SIR CHRIS HOY Conversely, Grainger's fellow Scot now has enough bullion to pay off our national debt, with six career Olympic golds. It is not annoying that he has won more than that Redgrave bloke; just that he seems so unaffected by it all. SARAH STOREY Not only has Storey accumulated the same number of Games medals as Michael Phelps - 22 - but she has done it in two sports. Before hopping on a bike she won five golds in the pool. She also nearly made the Olympic team pursuit squad, only missing out because she cannot grasp the bars with two hands, reducing her ability to accelerate. Once up to speed she shows anyone a clean pair of wheels. DAVID WEIR It is the attitude he takes in to competition, not just his name, that has earned him the moniker "Weirwolf." His clean sweep of golds in the T54 and the range of distances in which he powers his wheelchair, from 800m up to the marathon, make him stand out. RORY McILROY The world No1 would be a shoo-in most years. But this is not a normal year, and Mcllroy is not a normal golfer. He will win this award sooner or later. ELLIE SIMMONDS Like David Weir she transcends Paralympic sport, not because of her aggressive attitude but the positive way in which she takes on obstacles in life and racing. Her ability to be satisfied in a result, in the knowledge she has given everything, is an example to all. ANDY MURRAY In marketing speak, Murray's had a decent ROI - Return On Investment - in winning the US Open along with Olympic gold and silver. He is not universally popular and gets grumpy when he loses, but that is not unusual among sporting types - just ask any mother. What is hard is being a standard-bearer, and Murray has British men's tennis on his shoulders. BRADLEY WIGGINS My winner - the first cyclist to win the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the same year and the first Brit ever to win Le Tour. In 2008, having won two golds in the velodrome, he weighed 82kg and his best finish in the Tour was 124th. Four years later he arrived in Paris wearing yellow and weighing 68kg. He had done it the hard way, shedding the weight by training on a calorific deficit, eliciting unbelievable determination and belief. But he should win for his address on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, starting with the announcement that he was about to "draw the raffle" and ending with "have a safe journey home and don't get too drunk."