Olympic Track 2012: 200-Meter Gold-Medal Odds for Usain Bolt and Top Favorites

Usain Bolt is, without question, the heavy favorite to win the men's 200-meter, especially considering how well he performed in the men's 100-meter to win the gold. 

He's not the only sprinter who has a shot to win the race, though. 

With that in mind, I'm giving out gold-medal odds for each of the top-five sprinters in the world. 

Note: These are my own odds. I am not sourcing any outside betting site, though I'm writing them up as if they were betting odds. 

Warren Weir, Jamaica

Odds Warren Weir Wins the Gold: 40/1

Warren Weir is the Jamaican sprinter nobody hears about, due to the incredible prominence of Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt. 

He's no slouch, though, and he's capable of breaking the 20-second barrier. He posted a time of 19.99 seconds in late July, leading up to the Olympics, and if somehow there's a slow race in the final, he could pull off a miracle to win it. 

His chances aren't good, though, and that's the truth. 

Wallace Spearmon Jr., USA

Odds Wallace Spearmon Jr. Wins the Gold: 15/1

Wallace Spearmon Jr. is the one and only American sprinter who can legitimately challenge Usain Bolt. He was the top qualifier in the U.S. Olympic trials, finishing the final with a time of 19.82 seconds. 

That time is only two-hundredths of a second slower than the time Yohan Blake posted at the 2012 Jamaican Olympic trials, and it's one-hundredth of a second faster than the one Bolt posted in the same event. 

That said, Bolt's top time of 19.19 seconds is much faster, and I'm betting the top times in this year's final will be somewhere around the 19.65 mark. 

Christophe Lemaitre, France

Odds Christophe Lemaitre Wins the Gold: 15/1

Christophe Lemaitre—aka "White Lightning"—proves that European runners can still compete with American and Jamaican sprinters (h/t The New York Times). 

Lemaitre is the French national-record holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter, the latter time being 19.80 seconds. 

His best time in 2012 was a 19.91 he posted in mid-July in London, and that might be good enough to earn him a medal in the 2012 Summer Games. 

He'll have to do better than that, though, if he hopes to take home a gold medal. 

Yohan Blake, Jamaica

Odds Yohan Blake Wins the Gold: 15/2

If anyone has a legitimate chance to beat Usain Bolt in 2012, it's Yohan Blake. 

He's already done it at the Jamaican Olympic trials, where he beat out Bolt by three-hundredths of a second. He won the 100-meter then, too, so we know how much that matters now.

Bolt is seemingly healthy now. He wasn't in July. Big difference. 

That said, Blake is really hungry for this gold medal. He wanted to win three of them, according to the Guardian—the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay—but he had to settle for silver in the first one. He has more speed than any other sprinter besides Bolt, and if something should happen to keep Bolt from performing at his best, Blake should win.  

Usain Bolt, Jamaica

Odds Usain Bolt Wins the Gold: 3/2

Usain Bolt is simply the best. 

When he's on his game—healthy and relaxed with his long legs churning—nobody can beat him.

Bolt has another gear that no other sprinter in the world has, and unless he gets injured, he's going to win. 

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