This is one of the very first finals and could give us a pointer as to how strong this Australian squad really is. In the men’s 400 free, Elijah Winnington has been chalked up as the even-money favourite.
And there will almost certainly be no crowds in attendance so the surroundings and atmosphere will be somewhat strange. To satisfy American rights holders, this meet will be unusual in that finals will be held in the morning and heats in the afternoons making it a pain for viewers here. They will win other golds in Tokyo - Titmus in the 200 free, Ledecky at 8 - but this is the clash we want to see. I expect Ledecky to rise to the challenge and the 15/8 with bet365 looks fair as she bids to cement her reputation as the greatest female swimmer of all time. It’s a classic meeting between the superstar and the young upstart. The prices point to the latter.įortune favours the brave and all that, although is backing the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion really brave? This is the first time Ledecky has had a genuine rival at her distances, i.e. Or you take them on in the belief that their rivals will show greater improvement having not shown their hand so spectacularly. Either you take those performances at face value and back pretty much every Australian favourite going. So you can go either one of two ways before we’ve seen the swimmers in Tokyo. You had established stars recording serious marks but the same went for relative unknowns.