William Hill have made Amy Hunt the new second favourite for BBC Sports Personality of the Year after her European sprint double, with Josh Kerr still out in front and Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham left playing catch-up.

Football may still dominate the back pages most weeks of the year, but when it comes to the BBC's biggest individual award, it's athletics doing the talking once again.

Amy Hunt has surged into second place in the betting for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, according to William Hill, after her 100m and 200m gold medal double at the European Championships in Birmingham.

Hunt was only added to the market at the start of the week at a rank outsider's 25/1 – but back-to-back European titles have seen her price tumble all the way to 7/2, second only to fellow athlete Josh Kerr, who remains favourite at 2/1 following his world record mile last month and Commonwealth Games mile victory.

That means two track and field athletes now occupy the top two spots in the betting, ahead of a chasing pack that includes footballers Harry Kane (6/1) and Jude Bellingham (7/1), plus darts player Luke Littler (8/1) and cricketer Matt Weston (8/1).

William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: "Amy Hunt has arguably been the biggest British story of the European Athletics Championships so far and she's now in serious contention for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. Hunt's 100m and 200m gold medal double has shot her up the betting, with her opening price of 25/1 now long gone as she's our 7/2 second-favourite. Only Josh Kerr stands ahead of her in the betting at 2/1 after his incredible record-breaking one-mile effort last month."

It continues a familiar pattern for a sport that so often gets treated as an afterthought outside of championship summers. Kane and Bellingham will have their own chances to move the needle before the year is out, but for now it's the track that's setting the pace – and with Hunt still competing at Alexander Stadium this week, in the mixed and 4x100m relays where more medals, and perhaps more momentum in the betting, could yet follow, the footballers have some catching up to do.

Odds correct as of August 14 and courtesy of William Hill – BBC Sports Personality of the Year outright betting.