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- Odds smashed in from 16/1 to 4/1 Favorite following 7th World Title Victory at the Crucible
- He overtakes Tyson Fury in the betting who had been favourite after his win against Whyte last week
- The only Previous SPOTY winner from Snooker was Steve Davis in 1988
- Harry Kane and Emma Raducanu still feature in bookmakers odds
Ronnie O'Sullivan finally achieved the feat of equalling Stephen Hendry's 7 World Championship wins at the Crucible Theatre in emotional scenes in Sheffield last night. As a result, bookmakers have reacted by shortening his price to win Sports Personality of the Year 2022, from 16/1 to 4/1, moving ahead of Tyson Fury and Harry Kane in the betting.
In fighting off a spirited comeback from Judd Trump, O'Sullivan added to titles he already won over the past 20 years in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2020
Only one snooker player has won SPOTY previously, Steve Davis in 1988, whilst O'Sullivans Crucible nemesis Hendry could only manage 2nd place, in 1990, the first year he won it.
Sports Personality of the Year Award Betting Odds
| Sports Person | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Ronnie O Sullivan | 4/1 | 20.00% |
| Tyson Fury | 7/1 | 12.50% |
| Harry Kane | 8/1 | 11.11% |
| Emma Raducanu | 14/1 | 6.67% |
| Eve Muirhead
|
20/1 | 4.76% |
Snooker and SPOTY
Snooker has not been highly featured in BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards betting for many years, despite being a mainline sport that they cover, especially the World Championships in Sheffield each year.
In fact, the last person to feature in the top 3 positions from the sport of snooker was 7-time winner Stephen Hendry who could only finish runner-up, but that came in 1990 when he won his very first world title and that is the last time any snooker player has made the top 3 positions, despite the fact Hendry went on to win a record 7 world titles, completing the feat in 1999 when Lennox Lewis, David Beckham and Colin Jackson filled the 3 spots.
The fate of snooker at SPOTY of the years
The results of Sports personality of the year through the 1980s is a testament to just how popular the sport was and in particular what a huge star Steve David was. If Ronnie O'Sullivan were to win in 2022, it would be the first time for over 30 years Snooker would have got to the top in the annual awards show, and 20} since Hendry first achieved the feat and didn't get a place that year
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Steve Davis | Runner Up |
| 1982 | Alex Higgins | Runner Up |
| 1984 | Steve Davis | 3rd |
| 1987 | Steve Davis | Runner Up |
| 1988 | Steve Davis | Winner |
| 1989 | Steve Davis | Runner Up |
| 1990 | Stephen Hendy | Runner Up |
