We’re back, and we’re hitting the ground running. We’ll be focusing heavily on football for the next while, but before we do I want to take a look at the Olympics before it is too late. I have very much enjoyed watching these games, and attempting to find attractive bets despite a level of knowledge that falls well below that I have for other sports. That’s right I’ll admit it – I know football better than table tennis. As we speed into and through the second and final week of the games, here are five spots that I’ll be paying attention to and may consider pointing part of my bankroll towards:
1. Women’s 4x100m relay – You probably know that I don’t like low payoffs. That being said, the Jamaicans arguably represent value despite being at just 1/3. The team swept the top three spots in the 100m, and they are clearly in form. The Americans can’t match them in depth or confidence. If you like this bet then you’ll want to make it now, because it’s not going to get any better as the race gets closer.
2. Men’s soccer – The Brazilians are hungry for Olympic gold – something which, incredibly, they have never won. They have been thoroughly dominant so far, they have a deep, complete team. They will certainly be up for their next game against rivals Argentina. They are at 3/2. That’s not a terrible price if you like the team.
3. Men’s flatwater kayak – K1 doesn’t get much attention. If it did then Adam Van Koeverden would be a mega-star. The Canadian is the defending gold medal winner in the 500m K1 race. He’s also the world record holder, and he hasn’t lost a race in two seasons. In the qualifiers for the 1000m event he was dominant, so he is clearly in form. You can get a reasonable -132 price to bet that he will win gold. That’s not bad.
4. Men’s 200m – If you don’t like Usain Bolt’s chances of winning this race, his specialty, after his showing in the 100m then you just haven’t been paying attention. He was ridiculously fast, and is in pretty much perfect form. There is absolutely no value in betting on him to win the race. Where it gets interesting, though, is if you bet on whether the world record will be broken. The mark of 19.32 seconds was set in 1996 by Michael Johnson, and it hasn’t been touched since. Bolt has some owrk to do before he can go that fast, but if anyone can do it then it is him. It’s worth a shot at the +200 price that the record will be broken.
5. Men’s triathlon – This event can be unpredictable, but the women’s race went pretty much exactly to form at the front, so it could be worth a bet that the men’s will do the same. If that happens then Gomez will win by a mile. He has won 11 of his last 13 races dating back to last June. In the other two he was second and seventh, so he is never out of it completely. He’s the world champion, so he knows what pressure is and how to cope with it. The heat won’t be a problem for him, and he already has a win on this course. Pinnacle is offering a price of +122 if you bet that he will win the race. I like that.
