Hurdles no Obstacle to Betting Gold

For many people the Olympics pretty much reads as Athletics & we have to say that the classic running, jumping & throwing events are the ones that we want to see, not many remember the general Joes who win sailing or shooting golds but everyone knows the 100m winner. We're starting out with the hurdles where we reckon there is gold to be made from gambling.

(Aries Merritt getting the better of Xiang in the World Indoor Championships earlier this year)

The 110m hurdles has been just about the most fiercely competitive event over the last few years in men's athletics & the two fastest men of all time & the previous two Olympic champions Liu Xiang (2004) & Dayron Robles (2008) are both up for the race this time. Team GB also have a contender here as Andy Turner won bronze in last year's controversial World Championship race where first past the post Dayron Robles was disqualified after holding the Chinese athlete Xiang back. Turner really would have to up his pace to go with these guys though & it may be that the two USA hurdlers, World Champion Jason Richardson & the new boss in town Aries Merritt are the two men to beat here.

Merritt & Richardson look to be the two competitors on their way up & with Merritt having set the three fastest times this year (all at 12.93s) all in the last month he is peaking absolutley perfectly & rates our best bet of the games. Colin Jackson's world record of 12.91 seconds stood for 13 years & still only 4 men have bettered it & that shows just how outstandingly Merritt is hurdling at the moment to have consistently pushed that mark, we think that if conditions are right then he could make a real push for Robles' record of 12.87s. Robles hasn't been at his imperious best this year & Liu Xiang has had injury problems for a long time now, it is 8 years since his Athens gold & he didn't even end up taking his chance in the first round heat when posterboy for the Beijing Olympics. Xiang is still capable of running lightning quick times but his consistency is shot to pieces & his best days are behind him, he won his heat in the competition at Crystal Palace recently, in a somewhat slower time than Aries Merritt & then didn't compete in the final, he also recently moved his training camp to France from the UK after complaining of the cold weather, we think that if there is money to lay on the exchanges at short odds for Xiang to get a place then take him on as he could end up not even making the final.

(Kellie Wells was looking good at Crystal Palace as she inflicted Sally Pearson's 1st defeat in 33 races)

In the women's hurdles (over the shorter 100m format) the Australian Sally Pearson has been the dominant force for the past 2 or so years & was even named Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF in 2011, but she was beaten fair & square at the Crystal Palace meet by the American Kellie Wells just two weeks ago & that competitor looks to be the value here. Pearson didn't look like she had the raw speed of Wells oce put under pressure over the final three hurdles & although her team said she'd just had treatment for a back injury that wouldn't guarantee her a turnaround in the Olympic stadium. Wells ran a blinding 12.54s following up her best from 2011 when she ran 12.50s, Pearson is capable of running quicker than that & ducking under 12.5 iis probably key to winning gold here but it looked to our eyes like belief came flooding into Kellie Wells when she won at Crystal Palace & at 30 years old this is surely her last Olympic chance & we like her odds of taking it. Totesport are offering each way terms of 1/3 odds for the first two places & at 4/1 they look the firm to bet with, we fancy Kellie Wells to win but she should almost certainly get 2nd if executing correctly & that looks a sure fire each way bet.

(Dai Greene's World Championship win from 2011)

In the men's 400m hurdles Britain's Athletics captain, & the 2011 World Champion, Dai Greene will be looking to beat Kriss Akabusi's 20 year old national record & push for a gold medal. Greene recently set his fastest ever time in Paris but still finished behind the favourite for this event in Cuba's Javier Culson, it won't be an easy task for Greene to overturn Culson but he's certainly one of Team GB's brightest gold medal hopes in the Athletics. Greene won the World Championship last year (video above) by finishing well, as is his way, & he ran down Culson in the straight but the time really wasn't special & the Cuban has had his measure in recent races. Even though Greene ran his two best times in recent races & is peaking at the right time he still finished behind Javier ulson on both occasions & Culson looks to be in total control of his performances at the moment & we think he can run quite a bit faster in London, odds of 5/4 are fair. We feel it's between Greene & Culson because even though Angelo Taylor is a legend in the sport & two time gold medallist (2000 & 2008) he looks to be some way past his best at the age of 34 & it's asking too much for him to win here. We reckon that Culson & Aries Merritt in the 110m distance can form a nice betting double at odds a little over 3/1.

Selections:
Aries Merritt to win 110m Hurdles at 5/4 (Boylesports & Bodog)
Lay Liu Xiang for a top 3 place in 110m Hurdles at 1.30 & shorter (Betfair)
Kellie Wells each way for 100m Hurdles at 4/1 (Totesport) 1/3 odds 1-2
Javier Culson to win 400m Hurdles at 5/4 (Skybet & Youwin)
Aries Merritt & Javier Culson double in the men's hurdles