The most electric event at the summer Olympics is the 100 meter dash. The fastest sprinters in the world will compete for the Olympic gold and now that Usain Bolt is no longer around, the gold medal is up in the air and there are a number of runners who can claim it.
Many people expected Noah Lyles, the top sprinter from the United States to be the betting favorite, but he finds himself second on the list behind Kishane Thompson from Jamaica.
Let’s take a look at the latest odds list, just days before the Opening Ceremony.
Men’s 100m Gold Medal odds
Odds below are via FanDuel Sportsbook
Kishane Thompson (JAM) +130
Noah Lyles (USA) +165
Oblique Seville (JAM) +750
Fred Kerley (USA) +1500
Letsile Tebogo (BOT) +1900
Akani Simbine (RSA) +1900
Lamon Marcell Jacobs (ITA) +2300
Kenny Bednarek (USA) +2700
Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN) +3400
Zharnel Hughes (GBR) +5000
Ackeem Blake (JAM) +5500
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (JPN) +6500
Favour Ashe (NGR) +6500
Isaac Botsio (GHA) +8000
Hiroki Yanagita (JPN) +8000
Pablo Mateo (FRA) +12000
Emmenual Matadi (LBR) +12000
Raphael Bouju (FRA) +19000
Henrik Larsson (SWE) +19000
Rikkoi Brathwaite (IVB) +19000
Rohan Browning (AUS) +32000
Malachi Murray (CAN) +32000
Thompson is set as the betting favorite at +130 odds, which translates to an implied probability of 43.48%.
The Jamaica vs. USA 100m Rivalry Continues
Jamaica vs. the United States have long had a rivalry in the sprinting events at the Olympics. Prior to the 2020 Games, an Jamaican or an American had won the men’s 100m sprint in five straight editions of the Games.
Now, instead of the rivalry being Justin Gatlin vs. Usain Bolt, it’s Thompson vs. Lyles.
At the 2023 World Championships, Lyles won the gold medal with a time of 9.83. At that point in time, Lyles seemed like a shoo in to win the Olympic gold this year, but Thompson has gained significant ground on him since. The Jamaican opted to not compete at the World Championships, citing the need for a reduced schedule to heal from injuries in order to prepare for this year’s Olympics.
Just last month at the Jamaican Olympic trials, Thompson ran a time of 9.82 in the opening round and then ran a blistering 9.77 in the final to win the Jamaican national title. Both those times The latter was 0.04 seconds faster than Lyles’ personal best, which was a 9.81 in London last month.
The only other true contender for the Gold medal is another Jamaican, Oblique Seville. He set a new personal best with a time of 9.82 in June at the Racers Grand Prix, beating Lyles who finished second.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how these sprinters look in the heats, leading up to the final on Sunday, August 4.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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