July 28th Olympics Odds and Picks – Swimming, Cycling and More

• The Tokyo Olympics continue on Wednesday, July 28th with more medals up for grabs
• USA’s Katie Ledecky looks to avenge her loss in the 400 meter freestyle to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus by winning the 200 meter freestyle
• Read below for odds, analysis and best bets

Tuesday proved to be a day full of podium finishes for the United States, and the Americans have now opened up a lead atop the overall medal standings. USA has captured 25 medals so far, four more than any other nation, however they still rank behind Japan in the gold medal category.

Katie Ledecky is out to change that on Wednesday (July 28th), as she will have two chances to add to USA’s gold medal haul. The most decorated women’s swimmer of all-time is a virtual lock to claim first in the 1500 meter Freestyle, but she’ll first face-off against her new nemesis in the 200 meter Freestyle.

Women’s 200 Meter Freestyle Odds

Odds as of July 27th at DraftKings.

Australia’s Ariarne Titmus defeated Ledecky a few days ago in the 400 meter Freestyle, handing the American her first ever defeat at the Olympics. Ledecky swam the fourth fastest 400 meter time ever recorded, but it still wasn’t enough to beat the Australian.

If Katie Ledecky had to be beat by Ariarne Titmus in the 400m free, at least we got this out of it. 😂 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/mpfd7ONu7B

— Mandi Bierly (@MandiBierly) July 26, 2021

Now the two will race again, and the odds have moved sharply in Titmus’ favor. The Aussie is a -300 favorite, after opening in the -200 to -250 range. She swam the fastest qualifying time to reach the final, more than half a second quicker than Ledecky. If you believe in Ledecky you’ll never get a better price, however I’m inclined to trust the line move here.

Ledecky will have her moment in the 1500 meter Freestyle, but the shorter race will belong to the “Terminator”.

Pick: Ariarne Titmus (-300)

Men’s Cycling Time Trial Odds

The final road events in men’s and women’s cycling take place on Wednesday with the Time Trials. On the men’s side, Wout Van Aert is the favorite, fresh off a silver medal performance in Saturday’s road race. Van Aert won three stages at the Tour de France, including the Individual Time Trial, but it’s fair to wonder how fresh he’ll be after this past weekend’s gruelling test.

The Australian Olympic Committee has confirmed that Rohan Dennis will skip Saturday's #Tokyo2020 road race to focus on next week's individual time trial.

— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) July 23, 2021

For that reason, other riders present better value, including Australian Rohan Dennis. The two-time world champ skipped Saturday’s Road Race to focus solely on this event. Dennis was in line for a podium finish at the 2016 Rio Games before a mechanical issue ruined his chances in the final 15 kilometers, and this represents possibly his last chance at redemption.

Pick: Rohan Dennis (+500)

Men’s Weightlifting 73 kg Odds

You won’t find too many bigger favorites than Chinese weightlifter Shi Zhiyoung in the 73 kg category. Zhiyoung is the world record holder in both the snatch (169 kg), and clean and jerk (198 kg), as well as the overall total (363 kg).

His total is 17 kg more than anything Bozhidar Andreev, the man with the second shortest odds, has ever posted competitively, and 28 kg more than the personal best of Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto.

Zhiyoung won gold at the 2016 Rio Games in 69 kg category, and is a virtual lock to win another gold medal on Wednesday, this time in a heavier weight class.

Pick: Shi Zhiyoung (-1400)