The world's fastest man and woman will be crowned this weekend with the women's final slated for Saturday at 3:20 PM EST and the men's final set for Sunday at 3:50 PMEST .
The women's 200 meter final is scheduled for Tuesday at 3:40 PM EST. The men's 200 meter final will take place on Thursday at 2: 30 PM EST.
In this article, we will break down the betting odds for all 4 races and share our best bet for each.
The USA has three sprinters with odds of +2800 or better in the 100 meter dash. This, of course, includes Noah Lyles whose +150 odds just slightly trail favorite Kishane Thompson (+125).
Here are the current 100 meter dash odds from Bet365, who have proven to be the most reliable U.S. bookmaker for the Olympics. They are pricing nearly every event and offer considerably reduced juice when compared to other US sportsbooks.
Kishane Thompson, Jamaica: +125
Noah Lyles, USA: +150
Oblique Seville, Jamaica: +900
Letsile Tebogo, Botswana: +1400
Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Italy: +1600
Fred Kerley, USA: +2200
Akani Simbine, South Africa: +2500
Ferdinand Omanyala, Kenya: +2800
Kenneth Bednarek, USA: +2800
Zharnel Hughes, Great Britain: +3300
One thing to keep in mind with all of our picks in this article, we can only bet on the winner for each event. With that said Kishane Thompson should be priced considerably higher than +125 in the 100 and is easily our best bet to win on Sunday.
If we just look at the numbers, this looks like an open field. 7 runners in this field have run a 9.9 or better, with Thompson's 9.77 coming in as the fastest 100 ran this year.
However, this is truly a two-man race. Kishane Thompson will take an early lead and only Noah Lyles has the top-end speed to chase him down. If this were a 120 meter dash, Lyles would likely be our guy.
That said, we can't ignore the fact that Thompson let up with 20 meters to go in Jamaica's qualifiers and still ran a 9.77. To us, the question isn't who wins, but how low can Thompson go?
We have a much clearer favorite in the women's 100 meter dash, with Sha'Carri Richardson priced at -167. Richardson's 10.71 is the fastest time in the world this season by 6 hundredths of a second.
Here are the current betting odds for Saturday's final:
Sha'Carri Richardson, USA: -167
Shericka Jackson, Jamaica: +400
Julien Alfred, Saint Lucia: +500
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica: +1200
Melissa Jefferson, USA: +1600
Marie-Josee Ta Lou, Cote d'Ivoire: +2000
Dina Asher-Smith, Great Britain: +2000
Tia Clayton, Jamaica: +2500
Twanisha Terry, USA: +2500
It all comes down to the start for Sha'Carri Richardson. She's the fastest woman in the world, there is no debate there, but she had only one good start in the US qualifiers and can't afford to give Jackson too big of a lead early in this race.
Jackson had the fastest time in the world last year, and it's worth noting that the 10.84 she ran in the Jamaican qualifiers came in a slow heat, with a headwind.
This is Jackson's last shot at Olympic gold, and is much less susceptible to mistakes out of the blocks. She will run a perfect race on Saturday, which makes her +400 odds intriguing here.
The US men have dominated the 200 meter dash this season, and this group of American athletes looks like it could potentially sweep the podium.
Here are the current betting odds for next Thursday's men's 200 meter dash final:
Noah Lyles, USA: -350
Kenneth Bednarek, USA: +550
Letsile Tebogo, Boswana: +700
Erriyon Knighton, USA: +1200
Andre de Grasse, Canada: +1800
Zharnel Hughes, Great Britain: +2500
Tarsis Gracious Orogot, Uganda: +4000
Noah Lyles is the heavy betting favorite for a reason. He is, by a considerable margin, the best 200 meter runner in the world. Kung-fu Kenny is certainly his top competition in this field but we've seen the two race enough to know that Lyles is the better 200 runner.
We mentioned that the US dominates this event, and the qualifier tells that story. 5 of the world's 7 fastest times came from the US qualifier, with Lyles, Bednarek, and Knighton earning their trip to Paris.
If Bet365 expands the betting options prior to the start of the race, we like Lyles-Bednarek-Knighton, in that order, to sweep the podium for the USA.
Sha'Carri Richardson failed to qualify for the 200 meter dash, which should tell you something about the US sprinters who did qualify. Like the men, the American women dominate this event, with 14 of the top 17 times in the world coming from the US.
Here are the odds for next Tuesday's 200 meter final:
Gabrielle Thomas, USA: +120
Shericka Jackson, Jamaica: +200
Julien Alfred, Saint Lucia: +500
Mckenzie Long, USA: +700
Dina Asher-Smith, Great Britain: +1200
Brittany Brown, USA: +1500
Marie-Josee Ta Lou, Cote d'Ivoire:+3300
Thomas finds herself in a similar situation to Sha'Carri Richardson. She knows she can beat the American sprinters in this field, but just how in-form is Shericka Jackson?
Looking back at 2023, Jackson had the fastest time in the world (21.41) with Thomas right on her heels (21.60). Fast forward to 2024 and Thomas has the top time in the world at 21.78 but still is not as fast as Jackson's top time from last season.
The difference here is that Jackson's top 200 meter time of 2024 comes in at 22.29, well off Thomas' time from the US qualifiers.
Gabby Thomas has been so strong this year, looking unbeatable at times. We expect her to PR in Paris and win gold.
The best sprinter in the world right now is Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone. She'll run the 400 hurdles and 4x400 for the US, where she has broken her own world record 5 times in her last 5 finals.
Not only will she dominate her event, but has the second-fastest 400 meter time in the world this season (would be the favorite for gold in Paris) and dropped to the 200 meter and beat a loaded field (including Gabby Thomas) this past spring.
She has -500 odds for the 400 hurdles, but parlaying her to win gold with your other track and field wagers is a great way to move the odds even further in your favor.