Act of brotherly love could propel Brownlee to SPOTY gong

Months earlier Alistair Brownlee was striding away from his younger brother Jonny to win a second consecutive Olympic gold medal, but in the home straight of the Triathlon World Series in Mexico this weekend, those roles were reversed.

Unlike his elder sibling in Brazil though, Brownlee junior wasn’t able to maintain his pace in the humid conditions as he led the way.

Around a kilometre from the finish line, Jonny almost passed out as he clung to a volunteer on the sidelines.

When Alistair rounded the final corner, in a battle for second with South African Henri Schoeman, he spotted his brother up ahead. What followed was the ultimate act of sportsmanship, never mind brotherly support:

The very definition of brotherly love from Ali to Jonny Brownlee ❤️.

Unbelievable! https://t.co/O5qTi8PDbn https://t.co/GwxpyQtiLS

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 19, 2016

As a result of his stunning display of loyalty, Alistair has seen his odds to win this year’s Sports Personality of the Year cut in our market.

From 66/1 before the race, to 8/1 after it, the two-time Olympic champion is now our fifth-favourite to land the BBC’s prized gong.

There is an Olympic theme throughout the betting. Andy Murray, who defended his tennis title in Brazil, leads the way at 2/1.

Mo Farah is on his tail at a price of 9/4, with velodrome heroin Laura Trott and equestrian star Nick Skelton completing the top four at 5 and 7/1 respectively.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.