Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Swimming Odds

Some of the most popular events at every Summer Olympics take place in the pool. The Tokyo 2020 Games are no different, with several highly anticipated events on the schedule at the Tokyo Aquatic Center over the first half of the Games.

Not only are these events fun to watch, but they’re also fun to bet on. Most races don’t take more than a couple of minutes to complete, the swims are back to back with new races every few minutes and there are a ton of different events to wager on.

Online sportsbook [Sportsbook not available for your region] has Tokyo 2020 Olympics swimming odds on all the events at the Summer Games. Men’s and women’s freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, individual medley and relay are all available to wager on at various distances. 

Here’s a look at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics swimming odds with some of our best bets and predictions:

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Olympic Swimming Odds

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Women’s 50m Freestyle

Odds as of July 27 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

One of the most exciting races of the Olympic Games, the 50-meter freestyle is also one of the hardest to handicap.

Every swimmer has a legitimate chance at the gold medal with only one length of the pool to swim, and that uncertainty creates a ton of betting value. 

Kromowidjojo won the gold in this event in 2012, Blume won in 2016 and Sjostrom is the world record holder (set in 2017). But it’s the two Aussies who sit atop this chart with the best Olympic swimming odds for the women’s 50m freestyle.

Campbell and McKeon are the only two women to break 24 seconds in this event in 2021 and both are legitimate selections to take home the top prize. 

Best Bet: Emma McKeon (+300)

With better odds than her Australian teammate, McKeon is a great bet after dominating the Australian trials and being the first woman to break 24 seconds this year. 

Kromowidjojo and Blume are worth sprinkling a bit of cash on because of their experience while Manuel at +1200 is a good long-shot bet after winning the gold at the 2019 world championships. 

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Men’s 50m Freestyle

Odds as of July 30 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Women’s 800m Freestyle

Odds as of July 30 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Men’s 1500m Freestyle

Odds as of July 26 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Women’s 200m Backstroke

Odds as of July 30 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Men’s 100m Butterfly

Odds as of July 30 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

The Hungarian Milak absolutely dominated the 200m butterfly on Day 5 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing multiple body lengths ahead of the silver medalist in that race. He broke the Olympic record with that race and frankly looked disappointed with his gold-medal performance that came up just short of a world record. 

However, with this race being half the length of the one Milak dominated earlier in the week, there are questions about whether Milak has the speed in the first length of the pool to keep up with world record holder Caeleb Dressel.

Dressel broke Michael Phelps' world record in 2018, and has seven of the ten fastest times ever in this event. He posted the third fastest time ever during the US Olympic trials earlier this year.

Best Bet: Dressel -800

Milak looked like he wasn't even trying in the 200m before pulling away in the last 75m and winning easily, so it's tempting to take him at +500.

But this race doesn't require the stamina needed in the 200m, so we have to give the big edge to Dressel who is known for his quick starts.

The odds aren't great, and we would recommend sprinkling a little bit of cash on Milak for good measure, but it's hard to deny how dominant Dressel is.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Swimming Odds: Women’s 4x200 Freestyle Relay

Odds as of July 27 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]