As the XXXII Summer Olympiad finally gets under way on Friday, Tokyo 2020 is set to be a vastly different Olympic Games.Team GB’s hopes of another Gold rush in Japan remain strong however, but which bookmaker do we turn to for Olympic bets?
The choice is not overwhelming, but SkyBet, PaddyPower and Bet365 look by far the best choice for punters. In the pool, Adam Peaty has ruled the waves in men’s breaststroke for some six years now and as defending Olympic champion over 100m, is the outstanding favourite to hold on to his title.
Jade Jones is a similarly red-hot favourite in taekwondo as current world champion, having also won the 57kg division gold for the last two Games on the bounce. Like the 28-year-old from Wales, Sunderland boxer Pat McCormack comes into the games as amateur world champ and is odds-on for welterweight gold – what would be GB’s sixth in the ring during the last three Games.
Whilst all three are strong favourites and surely too short to back alone, for all three to claim gold however, SkyBet are carrying a boosted offer of 4/1 for a unique triple.
In the Olympic Stadium meanwhile, British hopes rest with Dina Asher-Smith. World champion over 200m currently, the Orpington sprinter has her work cut out against Shaunae Miller-Uibo in Tokyo though, and 100m glory may yet be her best shot.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will again be her main rival for the top step of the podium, but for Dina to seize a moment in history, Bet365 will give you 5/1 odds for a sensational GB gold, or if you want to hedge, PaddyPower are offering 3/1 for Asher-Smith to win either event.
Tokyo 2020 could again be a female-inspired Games for British athletes, and all three of Helen Glover, Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Kenny – like Jade Jones – can win gold in the same event for the third Olympics running. Whilst the trio of women are perhaps not at the top of their game, their odds nevertheless are enticing.
Whilst Dujardin is 13/2 to win the Individual dressage title and Kenny is 6/4 to win the team pursuit crown, Glover is perhaps the longest shot at another gold in the women’s coxless pair. Having only recently made a winning comeback from retirement, the Cornish rower has also not been defeated at the Olympics over nine years, and with a boosted 6/1 price to win with new partner Polly Swann, Glover could again return to the top in Tokyo.
If it’s an alternative bet you want, PaddyPower have some intriguing medal bets to ponder. Team GB have been set an unofficial target of between 45-70 medals in Tokyo, picking up 29 golds in London and 27 in Rio last time out. For GB to reach just 16 in Tokyo, PaddyPower are offering evens, but to win 21 or more, you will get a potentially profitable 6/1 price.
