Usain Bolt odds-on to claim unprecedented SPOTY award
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While attention for Sports Personality of the Year usually focuses on the main award, quietly going about its business is the Overseas category which has been running for an incredible 55 years.
Some of the biggest names on the planet have claimed the accolade down the years, including Pele in 1970, Seve Ballesteros in 1984 and Brian Lara 10 years later.
The three kings of the Overseas prize however, are Muhammad Ali, Roger Federer, and Usain Bolt, with the trio claiming three wins apiece.
Ali dominated the award in his 1970s heyday with victories in 1973,74 and 78, while Federer’s supreme reign in the early part of the 21st century saw the Swiss star take the accolade three times in four years.
Jamaica’s Bolt however, has the chance to claim a record fourth SPOTY Overseas award and the odds suggest he’ll do just that.
The 29-year-old is the 4/6 favourite with Ladbrokes to snag the gong chosen by a panel of journalists, after claiming three gold medals in dramatic fashion at this year’s Athletics World Championships in Beijing.
His defeat of former doping offender Justin Gatlin in both the 100m and 200m in the Chinese capital was one of the year’s most memorable sporting moments.
Bolt’s closest challenge comes from New Zealand Rugby Union star Dan Carter at 11/4, who led his All Blacks side to a deserved World Cup triumph this Autumn.
Next up comes the year’s king of the court, Novak Djokovic at 5/1, who romped to three Slam titles in 2015 and was a beaten finalist in his only non-success at the French Open.
The Serbian’s near-perfect season also included the most successful Masters 1000 campaign in the sport’s history.
Serena Williams at 10/1 and arguably golf’s biggest star Jordan Spieth at 16/1 are both on the peripheries, but Bolt has the edge for not only how he romped to those gold medals, but what his victory meant for his sport.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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