The Olympic Games come around once every four years and it is an event that billions of people tune into all over the world. The last Olympics took place in Tokyo, Japan, and 3.05 billion unique viewers watched some of the action on TV and digital platforms. It goes without saying that many of these people who tuned in also opted to do a spot of Olympic betting, and the Olympic track events are some of the most popular when it comes to betting on the Olympics. In this article, we are going to take a look at the different running events at the Olympics and have a look at the current records.
Olympic 100m
The 100 metres event is considered to be one of the best events at the Olympics, despite the fact that the top male Olympic athletes can finish it in under 10 seconds, while the best female runners can complete it in a little under 11 seconds.
The United States have had the most success at the 100m race, with the men having won 16 golds and the women having picked up 9 golds. However, when it comes to the Olympic Record for both men and women in this event, the quickest times are held by two Jamaicans - Usain Bolt ran 9.63 seconds back in 2012, while Elaine Thompson-Herah ran 10.61 seconds in 2021. The current champions are Marcell Jacobs of Italy and Jamaica’s Thompson-Herah.
Olympic 200m
The 200m race is another prestigious race that fans of the Olympics like to tune into and place bets on, and it is yet another race that is completed in 20-21 seconds, depending on whether you are watching men or women run. Once again, the US has had the most success in this race since they have collected a total of 23 gold medals to date.
When it comes to the records for this event, it will probably not come as much of a surprise to you to find out that Usain Bolt holds the record for the men - he ran this race in a time of 19.30 seconds back in 2008, and it is yet to be beaten. With regard to the women’s 200m, the record is held by the late Florence Griffith-Joyner who ran a time of 21.34 way back in 1988.
Olympic 400m
This race sees the Olympic runners run one lap around the track, and while it is is fair to say that it is not as popular as the two aforementioned races, it is still an entertaining race to watch and put money on. Once again, you will probably not be too surprised to find out that the USA are the most successful nation in this event, with a total of 44 medals, including 21 golds. To give you an idea as to just how dominant the Americans have been over the year, Great Britain are the second most successful nation in this event, with a total of 13 medals to their name.
The current male and female reigning champions are Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Ubo, both from the Bahamas. When it comes to the Olympic Record, Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa set it in 2016 when he ran a time of 43.03, while France’s Marie-José Pérec holds the record in the women’s event with a run time of 48.25 that was set back in 1996.
Olympic 800m
If the 400m is one circuit of the racetrack, then it does not take a mathematically genius to work out that an 800m race will consist of two circuits of the track. We are actually getting tired of saying this, but the United Stares are the most successful nation in this event, having picked up a total of 24 medals, which includes nine golds. Great Britain are the second most success with an overall haul of 12 medals, which includes an impressive eight golds.
Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir and America’s Athing Mu are the current champions in this event. The Olympic Record time for the men is 1:40:91 which was set by David Rudisha in 2012, while the record time for the women is 1:53:43 which was set by Nadiya Olizarenko back in 1980.
Olympic 1500m
When it comes to Olympic running, this event sees the athletes race around 3 and 3⁄4 of the track. A mile is 1600m, so why do they stop at 1500m? Well, the answer to such a question is pretty simple - the majority of the world does not make use of the mile system, so not many people care whether it is one mile or not. We are pleased to be able to tell you that the USA are not the most successful nation in this event - that accolade goes to Kenya, who have seven gold medals under their belt. We are proud to say that Great Britain are right on their tails with six golds.
The current Olympic Champion in the men’s event is Jakob Ingebrigsen from Norway, while the acting Olympic Champion in the women’s event is Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon. Both of these runners also hold the current Olympic record, and both set their record times at the Olympics in Tokyo - Ingebrigsen won with a record time of 3:28:32, while Kipyegon won with a record time of 3:53:11.
Olympic Hurdles
When it comes to hurdles events at the Olympics, there are four different events that you can watch and place bets on, if you so wish. There is he men’s 110m hurdles, the women’s 100m hurdles, and the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles. There is no penalty given for hitting the hurdle, although the runners are not permitted to just smash straight through them - we are not sure why anyone would want to do that though because not only will it hurt, but they will have little chance of winning the race.
Hansle Parchment from Jamaica is the current 110m Hurdles champion, while Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn is the current 100m hurdle champion. The Olympic record for the 110m hurdles was set in 2004 by China’s Liu Xiang, while the record for the 100m hurdles was set by Camacho-Quinn in 2020.
When it comes to the 400m hurdles events, the current men’s champion is Karsten Warholm while the current women’s champion is Sydney McLaughlin. When both athletes won this event in Tokyo, they also managed to set an Olympic Record - the time that Warholm managed was 45.94 seconds, while the time that McLaughlin managed was 51.46 seconds.
Olympic Marathon
If you are the type of person that likes to sit down and watch athletes run for a couple of hours, then a marathon distance race is certainly your cup of tea - this is a race where the participants have to run a little over 42km. When it comes to success, Kenya have been the most successful nation with a total of 15 medals, but Ethiopia have picked up the most golds - six in total.
The current male and female champions both come from Kenya, and these are Eliud Kipchoge and Peres Jepchirchir. When it comes to the Olympic Record, Tiki Gelana holds the record for the women with a time of 2:23:07 set in 2012, while Samuel Wanjiru holds the record for the men with a time of 2:06:32 that he set in 2008.
Olympic Speedwalking
If you are the kind of bettor that likes to watch and place wagers on athletes walking long distances, then you definitely need to check out some Olympic speedwalking. The men have a 20km and 50km event, while the women only have a 20km event available to them. Out of all of the Olympic races, this is the one that has had plenty of issues when it comes to doping, with Russian athletes testing positive in particular.
The current 20km Olympic champion for the men is Massimo Stano from Italy, while the 50km Olympic winner is Dawid Tomala from Poland. When it comes to the women’s 20km Olympic event, the current champion is Antonella Palmisano from Italy. The Olympic records for all three events were set back in 2012 - Cheng Ding ran the 20km event in 1:18:46, Jared Tallent ran the 50km race in 3:36:53, while Qieyang Shenjie ran the 20km women’s event in 1:25:16.