Greatest sporting upset ever?

Leicester’s seemingly unthinkable Premier League triumph is the greatest sporting upset of the modern era, according to the bookmakers.

The Foxes have defied the longest of feasible odds to lift the trophy, with Sky Bet reporting it is the first time they have ever paid out a single outright bet at 5,000/1.

It has also resulted in their largest ever payout, with £4.6m coughed up to punters, with the industry as a whole paying approximately £20m.

To contextualise their feat, here’s a look at what the bookies consider the greatest professional sporting upsets of the modern era…

Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton winning The Open (both 500/1)

Royal St George’s Golf Club, in the south of England, has produced some of the great Open champions. Bobby Locke, Walter Hagen and Henry Cotton were among those to triumph there in the first part of the 20th century; in the second part, greats like Greg Norman and Sandy Lyle followed suit. But in 2003, an unknown American by the name of Ben Curtis won by a single shot from Vijay Singh and Thomas Bjorn in what at the time was the single biggest upset in the history of golf.

However, if Curtis expected his stay as the most surprising winner of The Open to last, he was mistaken. Just one year later, compatriot Todd Hamilton ensured at least a share of that title as he beat Ernie Els in a play-off for the Claret Jug.

Greece win Euro 2004 (300/1)

Having been placed in the fourth pot for the draw, hosts Portugal were expecting to kick off the competition with a comfortable triumph in their opening match against Otto Rehhagel’s men. However, in the space of 23 days they were embarrassed twice by a Greece …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com