Rowing betting is something few of us will do outside of the Olympics – but thankfully rowing at the Games is worth betting on when the events do come around!
Of course, it helps that Great Britain are actually good at rowing. It’s always better when you have someone to cheer on, even if you haven’t bet on them.
From following the Men’s single sculls to the Women’s eight, there are plenty of events to bet on over the course of the Games.
This quick guide will explain how rowing betting works, what you can bet on during the Olympics, and the three biggest events to look out for.
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How to bet on Olympics rowing
Betting on rowing focuses on who wins each race. Just like with athletics betting, rowing focuses primarily on race winners. You might get each way odds for rowers or teams finishing second, but generally it’s all about that gold medal.
Paddy Power offers odds on every rowing race at the Olympics. To bet, you’ll need to join Paddy Power and fund your account, before heading over to our rowing odds page.
Here, you can select the race you want to follow and click on the rower or team you plan to back. Just enter your stake in the bet slip and hit ‘Place Bet’ to complete the process.
For UK viewers, all rowing races are on TV each Olympics, so you can follow the action live and cheer on your bet.
Now, let’s look at three rowing events at the Games that are worth following…
Olympics Rowing best bets
There are currently 14 Olympics rowing events, split seven apiece between men and women. The rowing schedule usually takes no longer than seven days to complete, from heats to finals.
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Here are your three rowing tips to keep in mind heading into the next Games…
Women’s Eight: North Americans Dominate
The United States and Canada are usually the smart bets to compete for gold in the women’s eight each Olympics. USA won gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016, while Canada won in 2020. The Netherlands and Romania are often considered medal contenders but the reality is two North American countries rule this event.
Both programmes are pretty relentless and it’s not easy to stay on the team past one Olympics. The sheer scale of competition to get into the eight boat is why USA and Canada do so well.
It wasn’t always like this. Romania is still the historic powerhouse of women’s rowing across so many disciplines, and they’re usually priced among the favourites in the women’s eight odds every four years.
But the recent spike in results for New Zealand and China means the competition for silver and bronze has never been so fierce, even if gold is beyond the reach of all-but two nations.
Use World Rowing Championships as men’s single sculls guide
The men’s single sculls (M1x) is a straight-up race between the speedsters of the rowing world. There’s nothing to do here but row as hard as you can.
Betting on the men’s single sculls is easier than most other rowing events because the results follow a general pattern from the previous year’s World Rowing Championships. In fact, the reigning men’s single skulls world champion has won an Olympic medal the subsequent year in all Games stretching back to 2000.
So, when betting on rowing, look at the existing M1x world champion and use that as a guide when betting on the Olympics race equivalent. They’re almost certain to finish on the podium.
Older rowers fare better
This is a little strange, but stay with us. The general trend in rowing since the 1970s has seen the average age of scullers in the Olympic final rise from 24 to 31. More successful rowers are coming from the 30s age bracket, rather than younger.
The reason for this might be to do with how our hearts pump less rapidly as we age, but compensate for this by increasing the volume of oxygen per pump around the body. Effectively, rowers’ bodies become more efficient into their 30s.
So, when you look at the latest rowing odds, it’s worth seeing what age each of the few favourites are. If there are three 30-somethings at a 21-year-old in the mix, it’s possible that the 21-year-old could lose out purely on their physicality.
This isn’t a fool-proof formula but it shows that you shouldn’t write someone off simply because they’re past their mid-30s. It also helps to explain how those who achieve success in the 20s become Olympic icons following a decade of glory at the Games.
Olympics betting guides
- Olympics Tips: Paddy’s guide to betting on Olympics every four years
- How do Olympics odds work?
- What is Olympics betting and how does it work?
- Olympics Tips: How to bet on swimming
- Olympics Tips: Betting on athletics at the Games
- Olympics Tips: How to bet on the medals table when USA will probably win