Phelps value against Lochte in swimming showdown

With no London 2012 Olympic Games gold medals up for grabs on Friday 27 July, what with the Opening Ceremony dominating proceedings, it is a good time to look ahead to some of the dozen events that will be decided on Saturday 28 July, the first official day of sports competition in Great Britain.

Aquatics (swimming) and cycling are the headline sports as the London 2012 Olympic Games get into full swing, with four swimming golds and the men`s road race title on the agenda.

London 2012 Olympic Games organisers have come up with a ripper of first day in the pool, the highlight of which is the all-American showdown between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps in the men`s 400 metres individual medley.

The gap between Lochte and Phelps in the betting is closing but bookmakers continue to favour the former at around 4-5, with the latter available at around 5-4. Lochte edged out Phelps in the eight-lap medley race at last month`s Olympic trials in Omaha, beating the winningmost Olympian of all time by 83 hundredths of a second, but it is difficult to pass up the opportunity to punt on someone with 14 gold medals at odds against. Phelps looks like the value.

Yang Sun of China should take a lot of beating in the London 2012 Olympic Games men`s 400m freestyle, with his best time since the beginning of 2011 being nearly two seconds faster than everyone else, including Asian adversary Tae Hwan Park. Sun is available at evens. Those odds are absolutely huge.

Reigning world women`s 400m individual medley champion Elizabeth Beisel is another swimmer who, at around evens, looks worth an investment. The American was more than two seconds too good for her London 2012 Olympic Games rivals this time last year and, although Rongrong Zheng, Hannah Miley and others have closed in on Beisel`s best time, she remains clear on the rankings and should be odds on to win.

The women`s 4x100m freestyle relay is the other London 2012 Olympic Games swimming gold medal on offer on Saturday 28 July. It shapes as a match race between the Netherlands and the United States of America, with the Dutch having beaten the Americans by 51 hundredths of a second in Shanghai 12 months ago. Back the ladies in orange swim caps to uphold the form, again at around the even-money mark.

The London 2012 Olympic Games men`s road race is all about Mark Cavendish and whether you think the Manx Missile is a fair bet at around evens. Based on the result of Stage 18 of the recently concluded Tour de France, Cavendish has what it takes to stay in touch on the climbs that feature on the London course and take out what is likely to be a bunch sprint at the finish. Therefore, he is a fair bet.

Cavendish, for whom London 2012 Olympic Games gold has become something of an obsession, has ridden the London circuit time after time after time during training and the best sprinter on the road has the services of the best lead-out train as well. Everything is in his favour.

Go To bet365

#Ad

27/07/2012     © Frixo 2024