There aren’t many sports fans that specifically tune into the Olympics for shot put or hurdles. However, as the Olympics move forward in full swing, it seems that betting on track & field events just may be where the money is at.
The track and field events are always filled with variety and the competitive spirit is especially high. Despite the incredibly close finishes often seen during the events, Bovada’s odds between contenders are extremely far apart.
Victory at the Vault
For example, the moneyline odds for men’s pole-vaulting sets USA’s Sam Kendricks nearly 1000 points behind Sweden’s Armand Duplantis. In the past two years, Duplantis has earned first place at each of his four international competitions.
Even so, the last time Duplantis faced off against the American vaulter, Kendricks outshined the Swede and brought home the gold at the World Championships in Qatar. Despite this win having been completed in 2019, it seems that Kendricks has a better shot at gold than bookmakers had thought.
Women’s pole vaulting has much closer odds between the frontrunners, with USA’s Katie Nageotte leading the betting lines only 50 points in front of Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova. A moneyline wager on either of these athletes stands to succeed. Plus, the event should be fun to watch!
Hammer It Home
There are also some interesting lines for the Men’s Hammer and Men’s Long Jump events. For Men’s Hammer, Pawel Fajdek will more than likely win the gold medal for Poland. His moneyline odds are still listed in the positive, meaning you can make a pretty decent profit off a pretty easy win.
Rudy Winkler will certainly be one to watch during the Men’s Hammer, but we don’t have much faith that he’ll be able to undertake the four-time World Champion.
Men’s Long Jump has similarly tight odds. JuVaughn Harrison and Miltiadis Tentoglou have tied odds for the event at +350.
If you were to bet $5 on each of these contenders, you would still stand to make a profit of nearly $8 no matter who wins. Betting lines set up like this are the most favorable to bet on as a loss remains a win.
Where To Bet
Quite honestly, the Olympic track events offer bettors less to gain. The betting lines appear to be decisive as to who they think will win. And we have reason to believe them, as the US has historically dominated in track events.
As with all sports betting, it’s important to shop the odds before placing a wager. This article was written in reference to betting lines posted on Bovada, but most of these events have odds listed on nearly every online sportsbook.
For resources on picking out the best online sportsbook, be sure to browse our site or click here for the basics.