Cyclist Jason Kenny hits front in race for BBC Sports Personality of the Year

A dazzling ride in the men's keirin final gave Jason Kenny a British record seventh Olympic gold medal and also propelled the 33-year-old cyclist to the head of the betting for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Kenny had experienced mixed fortunes at the Tokyo Games, winning silver in the men's team sprint and going out at the quarter-final stage of the individual sprint, but he roared back with a brilliant performance to retain the keirin title he won in Rio in 2016.

He is 2-1 to be named Sports Personality of the Year in December although, as ever in an Olympic year, it remains a competitive heat.

Diver Tom Daley, who won his first gold medal in Tokyo at his fourth Olympic Games, is Kenny's closest rival in the betting at 3-1 and the ace cyclist's wife Laura is a 10-1 chance.

She took her tally of Olympic gold medals to five by winning the madison alongside Katie Archibald earlier in the Games although a crash cost her a chance of claiming a third omnium title in a row.

Daley and the Kennys played their part in another successful Olympics for Team GB, who matched their total medal haul of 65 from the 2012 London Games.

Middleweight boxer Lauren Price's victory on Sunday was Team GB's 22nd gold medal, meaning they comfortably exceeded bookmakers' lines of 14.5 golds at the start of the Games.

Going into the Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dina Asher-Smith had been favourite to win Sports Personality of the Year.

The sprinter traded as short at 9-4 for the award but a hamstring injury meant she failed to qualify for the 100m final and was forced to pull out of the 200m.

Her fellow Olympians dominate the betting for the BBC award with Adam Peaty, who became the first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic title, 8-1 and gymnast Max Whitlock 20-1.

Mark Cavendish, who equalled Eddy Merckx's long-standing record of 34 stage victories at the Tour de France this year, is also a contender at 12-1 while 20-1 shot Lewis Hamilton is involved in a compelling battle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen as he chases a record eighth Formula One world drivers championship.

Team GB's Olympic success is expected to overshadow England's run to the Euro 2020 final when it comes to Sports Personality of the Year as Raheem Sterling (50-1), Marcus Rashford (66-1) and Harry Kane (100-1) are the shortest-priced footballers in the market.

British and Irish Lions legend Alun Wyn Jones's hopes were dashed by their series decider defeat to South Africa and Paddy Power pushed him out from 18-1 to 150-1 for the award.

And England's T20 World Cup campaign is not expected to capture the public imagination. They are 4-1 second-favourites to win the final in November but bet365 rate skipper Eoin Morgan a 50-1 shot for Sports Personality.

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