UK Eurovision star Sam Ryder in running to win as Spaceman singer becomes a favourite

dailystar.co.uk:

Eurovision contestant Sam Ryder has become one of the favourites to win the song contest, after bookmakers placed the Spaceman singer in the running to potentially take the title.The 32-year-old quickly became a TikTok sensation during the coronavirus pandemic, winning famous fans from the likes of Sia and Justin Bieber and gaining more than 12million followers – but he is now prepared to take on his biggest career move yet at Eurovision.The star, who will represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest on May 14, 2022 in Turin, Italy, is currently in the running to win, with bookmakers Ladbrokes placing his odds at 10/1.That means Sam Ryder is currently placed fourth out of eight of the bookmakers favourites to win, with the singer describing the experience as "bonkers", adding: "It’s incredible and beautiful."After the UK's upbeat entry Embers by James Newman did not manage to secure any points from the public or the jury in 2021, despite the song proving popular with fans, Sam Ryder is the UK's latest entrant hoping to secure votes as the final gets underway next week.However, he faces tough competition from other artists in the song contest this year, including Sweden's entry Cornelia Jakobs and song Hold Me Closer, which is placed third to win with odds of 6/1.Taking second position in the bookmaker's favourites is 2021 Eurovision Song Contest winners Italy, with their act Mahmood and Blanco and song Brividi with odds of 4/1.However, the bookmaker's favourites to win is Ukraine, who are placed at the top of the table with odds of 8/11, with the Kalush Orchestra representing the country with their entry Stefania.Speaking about Ukraine being the favourites to win the competition, Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "Ukraine.