FanDuel Sportsbook has released the first betting odds for swimming at the Paris Olympics next month, featuring China’s Pan Zhanle (-180) and Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan (+105) as the favorites in the men’s and women’s 100-meter freestyle, respectively.
Pan blasted a world record of 46.80 leading off China’s 4×100 free relay at February’s World Championships, where also won the 2024 world title in 47.53. The 19-year-old followed up that performance with an impressive 46.97 at the Chinese Olympic Trials in April.
There could be some strong value in selecting an “underdog” to upset Pan in the men’s 100 free. Rio 2016 Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers is listed at +300 odds, meaning one would triple their money with an accurate prediction. The 26-year-old Australian is ranked 11th this season with a 47.63 from April, but he won the 2023 world title in 47.15 — just off his personal-best 47.08 from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
David Popovici might also be a smart pick at +340 odds after the 19-year-old Romanian ripped a 46.86 at the European Championships earlier this month, making him the second-fastest man in the world this season behind Pan. The self-proclaimed “Skinny Legend” won the 2022 world title in 47.58, broke the world record at the 2022 European Championships with a 46.86, and placed 6th at the 2023 World Championships with a 47.83.
The American duo of Chris Guiliano (+1300) and Jack Alexy (+750) are also dark horse contenders after finishing 1-2 at U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this month. Alexy clocked a U.S. Open record of 47.08 in prelims before placing 2nd in the final (47.47) behind Guiliano (47.38 after 47.25 in semifinals).
French national champion Maxime Grousset is listed at +1800 odds, meaning a $5 bet would net $90. The 25-year-old is ranked 5th in the world this season at 47.33 from French Trials earlier this month.
Other contenders include Great Britain’s Matthew Richards (+2300), Italy’s Alessandro Miressi (+3500), Canada’s Josh Liendo (+5000), and Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth (+5000). Richards is ranked 13th this season (47.82 from February), Miressi is ranked 10th (47.61 from November), Liendo is ranked 8th (47.55 from May), and Nemeth is ranked 6th (47.49 from earlier this month).
Unless FanDuel is holding onto some inside info, don’t take the bait on Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov being listed at +6500 odds. He ruled out competing at the Paris Olympics as a neutral athlete back in December.
On the women’s side, O’Callaghan should have tough competition for the title with Hong Kong standout Siobhan Haughey (+270) and Dutch freestyler Marrit Steenbergen (+500) also in the mix. Last year, O’Callaghan won the 2023 world title in 52.16 ahead of Haughey (52.49) and Steenbergen (52.71). In February, Steenbergen (52.56) held off Haughey (52.56) for the 2024 world title as O’Callaghan skipped the event altogether.
Shayna Jack is listed at +600 odds after earning the second Australian spot behind O’Callaghan. Her 52.65 from earlier this month ranks 7th in the world this season.
Other dark horse contenders include Kate Douglass (+1000), Yang Junxuan (+2900 odds), and Torri Huske (+4200). Douglass ranks 5th in the world this season with her personal-best 52.56 from earlier this month, Yang ranks 8th with her personal-best 52.68 from April, and Huske ranks 9th with her personal-best 52.90 from earlier this month.
