Surrey sledger Matt Weston has overhauled Cheshire darts prodigy Luke Littler in the betting for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year, with 97% of bets placed on the annual Salford ceremony going his way to previous leader Littler’s 2% in the 24 hours since his Olympic double gold at the weekend.
Despite only taking up Skeleton racing in 2017, Team GB athlete Weston, something of an all-rounder who has also competed at a high level in both taekwando and rugby previously, picked up two gold medals in sensational fashion at the Milan Cortina winter games over the weekend, adding to the UK’s highest ever gold medal tally at the winter event, alongside a third gold in the team snowboarding event.
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The 28-year-old’s odds to win the Sports Personality of The Year award have been decimated in the wake of his gold medal haul from 25/1 to 9/2, making him the new favourite for the award, according to online gaming aggregator Oddschecker.
A whopping 97% of bets placed over the last 24 hours backed Weston to scoop the famous award, dwarfing previous favourite Littler with 2% and 2025 winner, golfer Rory McIlroy, who didn’t even manage one per cent of bets in the 24 hours since Weston’s double win.
Littler, who previously ruled himself out of 2025’s award despite becoming the youngest world darts champion ever, currently sits at 10/1 in the race for this year’s awards, level as second favourite with England captain and Bayern Munich centre forward Harry Kane and Lincolnshire F1 arriviste George Russell.
Oddschecker spokesman Chris Rogers said: “Incredible displays from Matt Weston in the men’s and mixed Skeleton resulted in Great Britain’s greatest day in Winter Olympic history. Weston is now 9/2, slashed from 25/1 to win the Sports Personality of the Year award. Punters have piled in on the 28-year-old over the last 24 hours with a colossal 97% of bets backing Weston to beat a host of star names the award.”
Pic courtesy Team GB
