This Friday evening marks the start of what promises to be an exciting Olympics. The 2020 Games were postponed to 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and while they had memorable moments, the event lacked the typical "Olympics atmosphere" with no fans and restricted athlete movement. Now that the world has bounced back, the energy and excitement are back in full swing for the biggest sporting event. In this piece, we’ll give you a sneak peek of what to expect and share some betting tips. First up, let’s look at Nigeria's chances of making it to the podium: **Nigeria’s Chances of Getting A Medal** Since the 1992 Olympics, Nigeria has only missed out on a medal once, at the 2012 London Olympics. Our best outing remains the 1996 Games, where we won Gold in football and Women's Long Jump (thanks to Chioma Ajunwa), along with one silver and three bronze medals. However, it's been 24 years since Nigeria last won gold, with the Men's 4x400m Relay team winning in Sydney 2000, and the country is eager to end this drought. Nigeria is well-represented in events like boxing and weightlifting, which have brought home 8 of our 27 Olympic medals, but this year, the nation’s hopes for a gold medal are pinned on Tobi Amusan. Nicknamed 'Tobi Express', she has dominated the 100 meters hurdles globally. After a disappointing 4th place finish in the Tokyo Olympics, she has won Gold in the Diamond League in 2021, 2022, and 2023. At 27, she's at the peak of her career, and our bet of the day is for her to bring home gold for Nigeria.
Other medal hopefuls for Nigeria include Ese Brume, who won bronze in Long Jump at Tokyo 2020, Blessing Oborududu, who took silver in the 68kg wrestling category at Tokyo 2020, and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, the reigning African Champion in Shot Put. At BetKing, you can bet on how many medals Nigeria will win at the Olympics and potentially win big. Our bet prediction is that Nigeria will secure 3 or more medals. With odds at 2.00, we offer the best odds on this market for our online betting community.
[**Check out Our Olympic Nigeria Specials Here**](https://m.betking.com/sports/events/prematch/olympics/olympic-games-2024-specials/olympic-nigeria-specials) **Track Events** Football might be the number one sport in the world, but when the Olympics come around, track events steal the spotlight. As expected, the 100m men and women is where most of the focus will be on. The United States has not won gold in these categories in quite a while now. The last American man to win 100m Gold was Justin Gatlin back in 2004 and for the women, it was Gail Devers on home soil back in Atlanta 1996. The Americans feel they have an excellent shot at ending both droughts this year, though. Reigning Men’s 100m champion Marcell Jacobs (Italy) seems behind his 2021 form while two-time reigning women’s 100m & 200m champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah will miss the tournament with an injury. With this in mind, many feel the door has been opened for America. Noah Lyles (Men) and Sha'Carri Richardson (Women) both won gold for the United States in last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest and come into this as heavy favourites. Noah Lyles is going for both the 100m and 200m Gold and the self-proclaimed “fastest man in the world” is confident in his chances. For Sha'Carri Richardson, this Olympics is a shot at redemption. In 2021, she missed the Tokyo Olympics because of a positive cannabis test. Now, three years later, she's ready to make her Olympic debut and go for gold in both the 100m and 200m, just like Lyles. **Tennis** Tennis is always unpredictable, especially in the women's competition. However, for the men's side, it's hard to look past Carlos Alcaraz. The 21-year-old Spaniard has already built an impressive resume, including two Wimbledon titles, both against the legendary Novak Djokovic. Earlier this year, he defeated reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev to win the French Open, showing he's comfortable winning in Paris. With his current form, another victory for the young phenom seems likely. Back to women's tennis, predicting the gold medal winner is anyone's guess. In Tokyo 2020, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic took home the gold, while in Rio 2016, it was Puerto Rico's Monica Puig. Bencic's best Grand Slam performance is reaching the US Open semifinals, and Puig has never advanced past the fourth round of a Grand Slam, highlighting the unpredictability of the women's competition. However, it's hard to ignore top contenders like World #1 Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková (who also won gold in doubles at Tokyo), and Coco Gauff, who aims to get the United States back on the podium for the first time since Serena Williams won gold in 2012.
**Basketball** This year, the basketball winners at the Olympics seem pretty clear—the United States. And yes, this applies to both men and women. The men's team has won gold in each of the last four Olympics and seven of the last eight, making them the favourites. But there's even more motivation to win this time. Last year, the U.S. finished 4th in the FIBA World Cup with their "B-Team," causing a nationwide uproar. To make up for it, they've brought in the big guns for the Olympics, calling on legends like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry—three of the best players in the history of basketball. And with additional talent like Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, and Jrue Holiday, they are expected to win convincingly. The United States' dominance in women's basketball is even more impressive than the men's. They've won gold in 7 consecutive Olympics and 9 of the last 10. With A'ja Wilson leading the team, they always have the best player on the basketball court. Add in Sabrina Ionescu, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, and Diana Taurasi—a five-time Olympic gold medalist—and this group looks unstoppable. **Football** The Canadian women took home the gold in Tokyo, but it feels like Spain's time to shine and grab their own gold medal. Led by Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Spain's women's team won the World Cup last year and followed it up with a Nations League victory this year. Many of their players are from Barcelona, the recent champions of Europe after their Champions League success, which is a further advantage for them. Spanish women's football is on a high, and they’re likely to carry this momentum into the Olympics. Despite being in a tough group with Brazil, Japan, and Nigeria's Super Falcons, they have the quality to win the group and potentially go all the way. Don’t count out the United States. They won gold in four of the first five Olympic tournaments, but the competition has since caught up in terms of quality. This tournament is their chance to make a statement and prove they are still one of the elite teams in the sport. The men's football competition at the Olympics is always tough to predict since teams field U23 squads with three senior players. France started strong with a 3-0 win over the United States, and with an attack featuring Alexandre Lacazette, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Bayern's new signing Michael Olise, they are heavy favourites, especially with the home advantage. Argentina, despite losing their opening game to Morocco under controversial circumstances, can't be overlooked with the experience of Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Otamendi. Javier Mascherano is one of only 12 male footballers (and the first in the modern era) to win two gold medals, and his experience in the dugout will be important for his country. **Most Medals** The United States are the overwhelming favourites to win the most medals at the Olympics. They have won 2,629 medals, more than the next three countries combined. They topped the medal count in Tokyo with 113 total medals, and we expect them to lead again. Key U.S. athletes to watch include Caeleb Dressel (men's swimming), Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles (whom we have talked about), Katie Ledecky (women's swimming), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (women's track), Simone Biles (women's gymnastics), and of course, both basketball teams. However, we don't expect them to exceed the current medal over/under set at 121.5. Other countries have simply closed the gap between them.
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