Oregon22 World Championships Betting Odds and Pick-Em Game

Editor’s Note: After reading, make sure to join us in a fun pick-em game based on Jason’s Odds. The winner will receive a $100 Running Warehouse gift card and second place will receive a $25 Running Warehouse gift card. Read the rules and complete your entries either in the form at the bottom of this post, or at this link: https://forms.gle/J1GmrAAScW8hwmLN7

*Entries for the pick-em game are now closed. Enjoy the Championships!

With the World Championships starting this week there is no better time for some more hypothetical gambling! Obviously this is the biggest meet of the year and I actually was able to find some betting odds for a few events! Right now it’s just the 100m and high hurdle races but it’s a start and hopefully as we get closer more odds will be available on more platforms.

For the odds below I will list the official odds when available, but I will also include my completely made up and unofficial odds for every event.

I do follow the sport very closely and have worked in sports betting for a long time so I’m not saying my odds are better than the official ones and that they should hire me as their official track and field odds consultant…actually that sounds great.

Of course, making odds is so much easier when I don’t actually have to back mine against real wagers.

Also, some of these sites are going 30+ entries deep for the 100m fields and that just seems exhausting. I’m mainly going to stick with who I think has a chance to win and/or who might randomly show up in a big meet even though they haven’t done anything all year (I’m looking at you Andre Degrasse).

For those unfamiliar with how betting odds work, you will see a lot of minuses and pluses. The minuses are the favorites, and the pluses are the underdogs. The bigger the minus is, the bigger the favorite and the less money you will win. The pluses of course, are the exact opposite.

That sentence was confusing, let’s do an example:

If the odds for a wager are -150, that means you would have to bet $150 to win $100. You would get back a total of $250 because you always get the winnings plus the money back from your wager when you win.

On the other side, if the odds are +130, for every $100 you bet you would win $130 and get back a total of $230.

Men’s 100 Meters

I’ll be honest, the official odds are all over the place on this one but so is the event. In the last World Champs, Kerley was winning the bronze in the 400m and is now rightfully the favorite here after a monster USAs. Jacobs at +350 seems crazy, I know he came out of nowhere last year but if he wins again this year I guess I’ll just stop watching meets from March-June altogether. Outside of the Olympics, Bromell has been the best 100m runner in the world over the last 2 years and the upside of him and Coleman are there with anyone. I’d be a little surprised if Marvin Bracy wins it, but 66/1 for a guy who finished 2nd at USA’s and has run 9.8 a bunch? Sign me up.

Women’s 100 Meters

It’s Jamaica vs the world. Fraser-Pryce is the GOAT. And I mean Usain Bolt level GOAT. She has six individual gold medals at the 100m (same as Bolt) and she’s still going! If she wins this year that will be 15 years between 100m golds! I think she’s good as long as there’s not a two time defending Olympic Champion to go up against…OK, not having Thompson as the favorite after last year terrifies me, but it is a World Championship year. I don’t believe in curses (at least since the Cubs won the World Series in 2016), but the fact that the 2016 and 2020 double Olympic champion has zero World Championship golds and zero 100m medals…maybe she should just find some sort of talisman to wear to the starting line.

Men’s 200 Meters

This is the event I’m most excited about in the entire meet. Noah Lyles is back to top form and Erriyon Knighton might actually be the next Usain Bolt…at least in the 200m. Lyles has been more consistent but Knighton did run 19.49 this year. Also, things got a little spicy post race after USA’s. I do think it comes down to those two guys, BUT with Kerley turning into a 9.7 guy (not to mention a 43-second 400m guy) maybe this is a 3 man race? And what if Fahnbulleh doesn’t lose 10 meters on his start alone? Maybe this is a four man race!? Either way the 200m is back!

Women’s 200 Meters

Shericka Jackson has four individual bronze medals over the last five championships. Any medal is amazing at a championship meet, but I would guess after four straight bronzes you want something a little shinier–running the third best time in history in the 200m is a good progress toward that goal. Just like in the 100m I am terrified not to put Thompson-Herah as the favorite, but even at her best from last year, Thompson-Herah and Jackson are pretty close. Abby Steiner gets the privilege of being the only non-Jamaican to appear on my odds for the women’s 100m and 200m. I’m sure she’ll be honored…but with three times 21.80 or better this year she has a legit shot.

Women’s 800 Meters

Athing Mu hasn’t lost an 800m the last two years and for almost all of them it wasn’t even close…until USA’s. Ajee Wilson even passed her down the homestretch in that race, which I didn’t think was possible. Is Mu getting bored dominating or is she actually vulnerable? Mary Moraa came out of nowhere to beat Hodgkinson and has run a couple 1:57’s but is she too old at 22 to keep up with the two 20 year olds?

Men’s 1500 Meters

Did the Ingebrigtsen v. Cheruiyot rivalry only last one year? And is it over? Cheruiyot hasn’t won a race this year and Jakob hasn’t lost since indoors. I’m not willing to count out Cheruiyot yet but Kipsang has to be Jakob’s biggest threat right now unless he’s too tired from running 15(!) 1500s this year.

Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles

Holloway is the favorite by reputation, but he hasn’t run much this year and he decided not to run the final at USAs. Devon Allen ran 12.84 this year against Holloway, but that time has been an outlier and he barely made the US team. Cunningham has probably been the most consistent hurdler in the world this year and lost for the first time this year against Roberts, (who has only had one great race this season). Oh and Hansle Parchment is the defending Olympic champion and hasn’t lost. Maybe I should have made these odds a lot closer…

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Camacho-Quinn is 16-1 since 2021 but she’s only been really great this year compared to otherworldly. This field is insanely deep so if it doesn’t go 12.3s the whole final could be in play. Harrison had a throwback performance at USA’s but despite her great career she’s never won gold, so let’s see if she can *puts on sunglasses* get over the hurdle.

Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles

I have no idea what to do with these odds. If Warholm is right he doesn’t lose, but if he’s just a little bit off he has the 2nd and 3rd fastest guys in history ready to take his place. A hamstring injury seems less than ideal for a hurdler whose race plan is run as hard as humanly possible from the gun…but I also don’t want to bet against that guy. For all our sakes let’s hope that the vibrations from all his yelling somehow heal his hamstring.

World Records

On the surface this could seem low as there are 4 obvious candidates for world records. It seems every time Mondo rolls out of bed (which I assume is more than 6 meters above the ground) he rebreaks his own record. Sydney basically breaks the world record in every championship meet and Crouser and Rojas have completely rewritten the top 10 list.

At this point I would be surprised if Sydney doesn’t break it so I’m counting that one. Mondo just broke it and he’s still below his indoor record so maybe a coin flip? As with any world record holder, Crouser and Rojas just have to PR, but PR-ing is hard! Outside of those four there are a lot of unlikely but possible records out there. Relays are always on the table especially with the Jamaican women and maybe the US men’s/women’s 4×4.

Personally, I hope this one goes WAY over!

Happy Gambling!

The event is now underway! We are no longer accepting entrants to the game as the men’s 100 meter heats have taken place. Enjoy the Championships!