Olympic Gold Medals Total Expert Picks

Posted by Joe Solari on Monday,August 1, 2016 3:57, EDT in

It won’t be long before the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games take place in Rio, Brazil, and we can only hope that the Games are good enough to make us forget about the problems the Brazilians have had with hosting this wonderful event. There have been stories of unlivable conditions at the Olympic Village, zika virus concerns, and a host of other issues that have had people questioning whether the Games should have even been held there at all. These are all legitimate concerns, but there have been problems like this is the past, and they have all been mostly forgotten once the action got under way. The Olympic Games are going ahead, and a few countries are going to be battling it out for the most gold medals. You can bet on who that might be, and the goal of this piece is to give you a number of different options. We will do that by looking at the betting odds favorite, what we believe is the smart pick, and also a potential longshot that might upset the apple cart.

A Closer Look At The Olympic Gold Medals Total Expert Picks

 

 

The Gold Medal Favorite

No real surprise here to learn that the United States (-600) are the overwhelming favorites to win the most gold medals in Rio. They have won the most golds in 4 of the last 5 Olympic Games, with the only blight on the record coming in Beijing, where the host nation China won the most. The host nation always gets a little boost, but I think it’s pretty fair to say that Brazil are not going to be challenging for the top spot here. The biggest question that you have to consider here is where the US will go OVER or UNDER the 42.5 gold medal total. The trend has been with the UNDER, but with Russia potentially missing a number of athletes through a doping scandal, it may just the OVER that comes in.

The Smart Gold Medal Pick

You really have to say that the United States are also the smart pick, simply because they have a proven track record when it comes to winning gold. If you are looking for a bit of value with this wager, then China (+300) would have to be considered another smart pick. The sheer number of athletes that they are taking to Rio means that they will have multiple athletes in most events. That alone gives them an edge that other countries simply don’t have. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see China prevail in the gold medal count.

 

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The Longshot Gold Medal Pick

All of the uncertainty surrounding the Russian and their current doping scandal issues makes them an unlikely candidate to land at the top of the gold medal count. Until we know the total effect of their ban, though, Russia (+4800) still has to be considered a longshot possibility. This is not a wager that I would personally make, but the Russians are always there or thereabouts. The athletes that do compete may well be doing so with a chip on their shoulder that will make them raise their game.