Is Bolt a Lock For Gold?

It has been dubbed by some as ‘the friendliest deadliest rivalry in Sport’. In one corner you have Usain Bolt, the fastest man ever, the winner of three Olympic Gold medals and five World Championship medals. The most naturally talented sprinter the world has ever seen. In the other corner you have Yohan Blake, the 2011 World Champion and the number one sprinter in the World this year. If Bolt is the Thoroughbred, then Blake is the workhorse, The man who puts the hours in on the track and gym. It promises to be one of, if not the, most fascinating battles in the Olympics as these two meet over the 100 and 200 metres. So who will win?

Bookmakers make Bolt the 3/4 (You Win) favourite to land the 100m title at the Olympics. It is understandable why (other than a disqualification in the 2011 World Championship 100m final) Bolt has answered every question put in front of him. He oozes class and talent, he is the ultimate big tournament runner who will do the business when it matters. Those in the Blake camp will point to the fact that he is the World Champion and that he beat Bolt twice in the Jamaican trials. Blake is a 9/5 (You Win) shot to beat Bolt in the Olympic 100 metres. The question is who has the advantage, former sprinter Maurice Greene thinks that for once Bolt does not have the psychological advantage. He told a recent Vanity Fair interviewer “The trials shifted the balance of power. Bolt knows, one, my shenanigans and antics don’t faze Blake one bit, and two, I’ve got a little doubt in my mind as to whether I can beat this guy.”

It promises to be a fascinating battle and one that will split punters down the middle, if you can not decide on which camp you are in then perhaps you might want to consider a bet on ‘winning nationality’ with paddy Power offering 1/18 that any Jamaican wins the race. Bearing in mind the dominance of the two Jamaicans (and the fact that you also get a cover on Asafa Powell) this might appeal to some heavy hitters. If you think these two can push each to a world record then you can get 3/1 (Coral) that a new World record is set, it is 1/4 (ladbrokes) that the existing 100m record remains intact.

Another betting angle to this race is ‘the to win a medal’ market that some bookmakers are offering. The battle for Bronze (behind Bolt and Blake) seems to be between Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. Gatlin and Powell are 5/2 (Totesport & betfred) while Gay is the 5/4 (Totesport/betfred) favourite. Powell has probably seen better days and often does not run his best at a big tournament due to a pre-race anxiety he suffers from. This leaves it down to the two American runners who are both former World Champions and Justin Gatlin looks the value bet. There seems to be little between these two and at the price take Gatlin who beat Gay in the US trials.

Over in the 200m Usain Bolt is 8/13 (boylesports/Sporting Bet/Bodog) while Yohan Blake is 7/4 (bet365/Coral/You Win), once more this looks a tough call. Look for prices nearer the time on the ‘to win a medal market’. Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, who has been running very well recently and is only behind Blake and Bolt in 200m times this year, is expected to offer some value.

One final price to note is that the star-studded Jamaicans are 4/9 (Bodog) to clinch the 4x100m relay.

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22/07/2012     © Frixo 2024