Can Any Swimming Favorite Be Overtaken On Olympic Sportsbooks?

• Adam Peaty is a massive -1000 favorite in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
• The United States has -125 odds to win the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay event.
• Torri Huske of team USA is the +150 betting favorite on the women’s 100m butterfly.
• Ariarne Titmus is the -190 favorite over Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400m freestyle.

TOKYO – The first swimming medals are set to be given out on Sunday to the winners of the men’s 100m breaststroke, men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, women’s 100m butterfly and the women’s 400m freestyle.

Most events have big favorites, but there’s still betting value in an underdog to be found.

Swimming’s First Set Of Gold Medal Matches

Men’s 100m Breaststroke

In 2016 Adam Peaty set a world record time of 57.13 seconds and took home the gold medal while doing so. Interestingly enough, Peaty has broken that world record multiple times  since 2016.  Legal sports betting sites are giving Peaty the label of an overwhelming favorite to repeat as Olympic champion.

Tokyo 2021 – Men’s 100m Breaststroke

• Adam Peaty (GBR) -1000
• Arno Kamminga (NED) +1000
• Michael Andrew (USA) +1400
• Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) +2000
• Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) +2000
• Yan Zibei (CHN) +2500

Betting against the world record holder is a bold strategy, especially when he is far from out of his prime. Peaty is just 26-years-old and is rightfully listed as the top option in the event.

Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay

The United States won this event in 2016 and are favored to do so again in Tokyo. The team looks different than it did five years ago, but Caeleb Dressel has since gone from underperforming by critics to one of the best in the world. Sports betting sites show little doubt in the new-look USA team.

Tokyo 2021 – Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay

• United States (USA) -125
• Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) +138
• Australia (AUS) +1000
• Great Britain (GBR) +1600

Bettors may be interested in taking a shot on the Russian team as they have some very talented swimmers who are projected to win some individual events, but aside from the two top options, it’s tough to predict a scenario where a team has a chance.

Women’s 100m Butterfly

This event is projected to be one of the closest of the weekend.

Between Torri Huske, Zhang Yufei, Maggie MacNeil and Emma McKeon, it’s a wide-open event. However, the odds do suggest that Huske and Yufei are a bit ahead of the rest of the pack.

Tokyo 2021 – Women’s 100m Butterfly

• Torri Huske (USA) +150
• Zhang Yufei (CHN) +200
• Maggie MacNeil (CAN) +325
• Emma McKeon (AUS) +650

Of this group, only McKeon has Olympic experience in this event after placing sixth in 2016. Huske is just 18-years old but has already set the record in this event for fastest American time, doing so twice in Olympic qualifiers.

Whether she can keep improving and if she’s worth betting on is up to the individual, but the Olympic betting odds seem to suggest it was no fluke.

Women’s 400m Freestyle

Katie Ledecky has a breakout performance at the 2016 Olympics. One of the events she won was the 400m freestyle, setting a world record on her way. However, she is not the betting favorite this time around.

Tokyo 2021 – Women’s 400m Freestyle

• Ariarne Titmus (AUS) -190
• Katie Ledecky (USA) +120
• Li Bingjie (CHN) +1200
• Paige Madden (USA) +4000

This is likely because the 20-year-old Australian beat Ledecky by a full second in the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in the event. Ariarne Titmus is, obviously, very talented, but if people were told that Ledecky would be available at plus money it would be a line the people would jump on.

Ledecky is worth the risk at +120 as a proven Olympic champion.

News tags: Adam Peaty | Ariarne Titmus | Katie Ledecky | Olympics | Swimming | Torri Huske | United States