Swimming is one of the most recognisable sports at the Olympics – but we’ll be the first to admit swimming betting isn’t the most popular market at Paddy Power.
Most punters who bet on swimming do so once every four years when the Olympics dominate our lives for all of three weeks.
During the Games sports like swimming suddenly take on major significance. Out of nowhere we become experts in each stroke, learn the names of the dominant athletes and some of us even join our local pool after being inspired to give the sport a try.
For those who bet on the Olympics, swimming can be a dream sport. That’s because swimming rarely goes against the odds – and that means you can place hefty bets on the favourites with reasonable expectation that they’ll pay out.
This guide will talk you through the intricacies of betting on swimming at the Olympics. We’ll look at what bets are available, the top races to bet on, and how to get started.
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HOW TO BET ON SWIMMING
Betting on swimming at the Olympics – or indeed, at any other time of year – focuses on one big outcome: who will win gold? The swimming odds aren’t as intricate as horse racing, for example, and so you rarely get the chance to back an athlete to finish on the podium.
Instead, swimming betting is all about backing the person you think will win a race.
This is ideal for many punters because most of us don’t have the in-depth knowledge of swimming required to predict who might snatch a bronze in the final strokes of the 100m freestyle.
To bet on swimming, simply sign up to Paddy Power and make a deposit before heading to our swimming betting page. You’ll see all the latest odds for upcoming races. Click on the athlete you want to back in a race, enter your stake in the bet slip, and place your bet.
That’s pretty much as easy as it gets for betting on any sport. However, it’s worth knowing the best races to bet on before you start making your selections.
BEST SWIMMING RACES TO BET ON
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The Olympics features 37 swimming events split evenly between men and women. There are 16 events per gender, one mixed race, and two open-water swimming events. That’s a lot of action to bet on.
It means punters have plenty of flexibility to pick and choose their ideal races, rather than feeling the need to dive on just one.
Below are three of the top events worth betting on each Olympics:
Men’s 100m breaststroke
The breaststroke is the one we all learn as kids but it’s not one of the glamorous races at the Olympics. So why should you bet on it? Well, because the breaststroke isn’t as competitive as other events.
Usually there are only one or two real favourites for the breaststroke, which makes betting on the winner an easier choice. Adam Peaty won 100m men’s gold in 2016 and 2021, Kosuke Kitajima nailed the gold in 2004 and 2008, and 2012 winner Cameron van der Burgh came second in 2016.
If you want a straightforward bet then the men’s 100m breaststroke is a good place to start.
Women’s 400m freestyle
No swimmer has defended their women’s 400m freestyle gold since Martha Norelius back in 1928 in Amsterdam. The 400m women’s freestyle is notoriously difficult to predict ahead of the Games but it becomes more apparent who will challenge for podium places as the heats play out.
This event is usually a contest between British, American, French and Australian swimmers. You can usually bet on whoever won it last year not getting close this time around.
As for who to bet on during the next Olympics, it’s worth looking at the previous year’s World Aquatics Championships results in the 400m freestyle. Podium finishers will almost certainly challenge for gold, although it’s only over the past decade that world champions have gone on to consistently win the Olympics event here.
Men’s 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
Swimming relays are far more exciting to watch than athletics because the variables in speed across a team is remarkable. Punters like a bit of predictability, which the men’s 4x200m freestyle gives you because usually the Americans win.
However, there is always a challenger, which means you can get good odds on the second-favourite to take gold. In 2021 that was Great Britain, who beat Russia (the ROC) and Australia to clinch victory. America finished fourth.
Betting on relay swimming in any form requires a little bit of research into the strengths and weaknesses of each team. However, in this particular event you can be sure the US will be challenging for medals.
> Check out the latest swimming betting odds with Paddy Power today
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: Betting on athletics at the Games
- Olympics Tips: How to bet on rowing
- Olympics Tips: How to bet on the medals table when USA will probably win