Amy Hunt has gone from a 25/1 outsider to 4/7 favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year, according to William Hill, after her four-gold haul at the European Championships in Birmingham sent the betting market into what the bookmaker describes as "meltdown."

It has been quite a fortnight for Amy Hunt's SPOTY odds. William Hill now make the 24-year-old sprinter the odds on favourite to win this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year award at 4/7, a dramatic collapse in price from the 25/1 she was trading at when she first entered the market.

The shift follows Hunt's remarkable four-gold haul at the European Championships in Birmingham, where she won the 100m, 200m, women's 4x100m and mixed 4x100m – a medal sweep that made her the first athlete in the championships' history to win four golds at a single edition.

GB team-mate Josh Kerr, who broke the world mile record last month, remains the nearest challenger at 9/2, with darts player Luke Littler next at 8/1 and footballer Harry Kane and skeleton racer Matt Weston both at 9/1.

William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said the scale of the move in the betting was unlike anything the firm had seen in the market this year. "Amy Hunt's four gold medals at the European Athletics Championships has sent our BBC Sports Personality of the Year betting market into meltdown, as she's come sprinting into 4/7 from 25/1 in the space of a week - the most significant move we've seen in the market to date," he said.

"Josh Kerr (9/2), Luke Littler (8/1), Harry Kane (9/1), and Matt Weston (9/1) remain in the conversation, but it would take a huge turnaround from the chasing pack to stop Hunt lifting the award in December after those outstanding performances at the European Championships over the weekend."

It continues a trend AW readers will recognise from earlier in the championships, when Hunt's odds first began shortening dramatically after her opening sprint double. With two further relay golds added to that tally since, and a genuinely historic performance now behind her, the betting suggests the rest of the SPOTY field has some serious ground to make up between now and December.

Odds correct as of August 17 and courtesy of William Hill - BBC Sports Personality of the Year outright betting.