Lavillenie is the pole vaulter for the big occasion

Renaud Lavillenie has been the athlete for the big occasion this season and, at around evens, the Frenchman is a good bet to win the London 2012 Olympic Games men`s pole vault.

Steve Hooker is back to defend the daredevil title that he won in Beijing four years ago but the Australian has only just returned to competition after overcoming pole vault`s equivalent of the yips. It would be one of the stories of the London 2012 Olympic Games if Hooker was to go back to back but one would want longer odds than around 20-1.

Lavillenie merits favouritism. A star on the international scene since 2009, the 25-year-old from France`s south west is unbeaten in major championships in 2012, winning world indoor gold in Istanbul and European gold in Helsinki, the latter with this year`s best mark of 5.97 metres.

Responsible for six of the finest 10 men`s pole vaults in 2012 and five centimetres clear of his nearest challenger, Germany`s evergreen Bjorn Otto, Lavillenie has what it takes to win the gold medal in what looks like one of the weakest events on the London 2012 Olympic Games athletics program.

Sticking with London 2012 Olympic Games athletics events for men, the 5,000m shapes as an absolute cracker, with Great Britain`s Mo Farah looking to build on his 10,000m victory.

Before the London 2012 Olympic Games got under way, most people would have said that the 5,000m represented Farah`s best chance of winning gold for the host nation, with the 10,000m more problematic for the Somalia-born runner.

So impressive was Farah in racing away from his rivals on the 25th and final lap of the London 2012 Olympic Games men`s 10,000m, that Organising Committee Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe is tipping his compatriot to do the double.

Bookmakers have got Farah as around the 5-4 favourite and, having won the hot 5,000m race in Eugene two months ago, he has the form in the bank to warrant being such short odds.

The London 2012 Olympic Games men`s decathlon competition is a fait accompli - 1-6 favourite and world record holder Ashton Easton will win, probably by more than 500 points, provided that he does not suffer major misfortune - while the men`s javelin is a raffle on which it is hard to bet.

It is 14-1 bar the two favourites in the London 2012 Olympic Games women`s high jump and that does not look right. Sure, Anna Chicherova (around 11-10) and Chaunte Lowe (around 9-4) deserve to be at the head of affairs but there is little to choose between half a dozen of the competitors. Either have a small bet on Brigetta Barrett at around 16-1 or swerve it.

The London 2012 Olympic Games women`s 800m is likely to be one of the highlights of the athletics program. Four years ago in Beijing, Pamela Jelimo destroyed a quality field to become an Olympic champion at the tender age of 18.

Jelimo lost her way for a couple of seasons but she is back with a bang, recording the two fastest times in the world this year and having the best of the races on the Diamond League circuit. Back the Kenyan star at around 9-4.

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06/08/2012     © Frixo 2024