The 100-meter dash is the most prominent and most-watched competition in the Summer Olympics. Usain Bolt has hung it up, leaving Americans Trayvon Bromell and Ronnie Baker, and Canadian Andre De Grasse to compete for the 2020 men's gold medal.
Men’s Olympic 100-meter dash
Team USA’s Trayvon Bromell is the odds-on favorite to capture gold in Tokyo and has the lowest men’s Olympic odds to win gold at -120. At that price, he is in a tier all by himself. Following Bromell is where it gets interesting. Ronnie Baker (+500) and South Africa’s Akani Simbine (+700) have similar odds as the next best before the table falls to +1,000 with De Grasse.
Men’s 100m odds to win gold
| Athlete | Country | Odds |
| Trayvon Bromell | United States | -120 |
| Ronnie Baker | United States | +500 |
| Akani Simbine | South Africa | +700 |
| Andre De Grasse | Canada | +1,000 |
| Fred Kerley | United States | +1,600 |
| Zharnel Hughes | United Kingdom | +2,500 |
| Marcell Jacobs | Italy | +2,500 |
| Yohan Blake | Jamaica | +2,500 |
| Su Bingtian | China | +3,000 |
| Reece Prescod | United Kingdom | +3,300 |
Odds via bet365 as of July 30, 2021
Bromell has best odds for Tokyo
Trayvon Bromell (-120) is the man to beat in Tokyo. He has won six of his seven 100-meter races this year, including a very recent Müller British Grand Prix, which he won with a sub-10 second time of 9.98. He has recorded the fastest 100-meter time in 2021 with a 9.77.
Team USA hunting for 100-meter sweep
On top of Bromell, the U.S. also has Ronnie Baker (+500) and Fred Kerley (+1,600), who have run sub-10’s already this year. There is a real chance that the American’s take all three spots on the podium in the men’s 100m.
Canada has medal chance in De Grasse
Following his silver-medal 200m win in Rio and brief bromance with Usain Bolt, Canada’s Andre De Grasse has his sights set on the 100-meter gold in Tokyo. He has the best shot at stopping the Americans from sweeping the board. De Grasse’s personal best time was recorded at the 2019 World Championships, where he ran a 9.90 and finished second. He has yet to run better than a 9.99 this year and comes into the Olympics having finished fourth in back-to-back Diamond League events.
Our best bet: Ronnie Baker (+350)
Bromell looks like a square pick at +100, but fellow countryman Ronnie Baker holds better value at +350 and has a 2021 best time of 9.85 seconds. Baker recently won 100 meters at Monaco Diamond League on July 9 with a time of 9.91 seconds. He bested Akani Simbine (second), Marcell Jacobs (third), De Grasse (fourth), and Bromell, who stumbled out of the blocks to finish fifth. If there is someone to push Bromell for the gold, it should be Baker.
(Pick made July 12, 2021)
Women’s Olympic 100-meter dash odds
Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (-110) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (+175) have the best medal odds for the women’s 100 meters and are alone in the first tier. Following them are Côte d'Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou (+500), Brit Dina Asher-Smith (+1,000), Jamaican Shericka Jackson (+2,500), and Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare (+5,000) with odds below the 50/1 mark.
Women’s 100m odds to win gold
| Athlete | Country | Odds |
| Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica | -110 |
| Elaine Thompson-Herah | Jamaica | +175 |
| Marie-Josée Ta Lou | Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | +500 |
| Dina Asher-Smith | Great Britain | +1,000 |
| Shericka Jackson | Jamaica | +2,500 |
| Blessing Okagbare | Nigeria | +5,000 |
| Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha | Nigeria | +10,000 |
| Mujinga Kambundji | Switzerland | +10,000 |
| Teahna Daniels | United States | +15,000 |
| Javianne Oliver | United States | +20,000 |
| Michelle-Lee Ahye | Trinidad and Tobago | +20,000 |
| Ajla del Ponte | Switzerland | +20,000 |
| Daryll Neita | Great Britain | +20,000 |
Odds via bet365 as of July 30, 2021
Jamaica continues 100-meter dominance with Fraser-Pryce, Thompson-Herah
Though Usain Bolt overshadowed them at recent Olympics, fellow Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah have also been racking up gold medals. The Jamaican duo has combined to finish first in three straight Olympics, capturing five total medals in the process.
Although Fraser-Pryce (-110) is the older of the two, she ran the 100 meters at 10.63 last month. That was the fastest time any female sprinter has recorded in 33 years — Griffith Joyner’s 10.49 word record set in 1988 is nearly impossible to beat.
Thompson-Herah (+175) won gold in Rio in 2016 for the 100-meter dash and the 200 meters. Tokyo will be her second Olympic competition.
100-meter medal odds vanish for US with Richardson suspension
Sha’Carri Richardson was Team USA’s best chance at winning gold in Tokyo, but a one-month ban in competing for testing positive for cannabis will force her to miss the competition. She holds the NCAA record for the women’s 100-meter dash with a time of 10.75 and has a personal best of 10.71 seconds. Teahna Daniels and Javianne Oliver are running for the United States but have long odds at +15,000 and +20,000, respectively.
No Canadian women running the 100 meters
The Canadians will not be represented in the women’s 100-meter dash race in Tokyo this summer.
Asher-Smith a threat to capture 100-meter medal for Great Britain
British runner Dina Asher-Smith sits at No. 4 on the odds board at +1,000 and stands among the best with a chance at beating the Jamaican runners
Our best bet: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (-110)
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (-110) is five years older than her countrymate Elaine Thompson-Herah (+60). Still, she just recently ran a 10.63, which is an unbelievable mark and a personal best. She followed that up with a 10.71 in the Jamaican Olympic Trials. She beat Thompson-Herah, who usually sits in the 10.8’s. She won gold in 2008 and 2012 and bronze in Rio with a time of 10.86. Fraser-Pryce is currently the fastest woman on the planet.
(Pick made July 19, 2021)
How to bet on the Olympics
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Where to bet on the Olympics
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Olympic 100-meter dash FAQs
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (-110) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (+160) are both the favorites for gold in the women’s 100m in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Team USA’s Trayvon Bromell is the big favorite (+100) to win the men’s 100 meters in Tokyo this summer.
Yes. The 100-meter dash is one of the more popular events in the Olympics and will have heavy betting action in 2021.
