Men’s 400m Dash Olympics Pick
Who will emerge as the fastest man in the 400-meter Dash at tonight’s Rio Summer Olympics? Here’s our pick for the race.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Kirani James is the favorite to win gold, as he has +120 odds. Other short odds to win are Wayde van Niekerk (+150) and LaShawn Merritt (+350). The 400-meter dash finals are set to take place tonight at 9PM from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
James competes for Grenada and he is the 2012 Olympic champion in this event. He had the top time in the semifinals, posting a 44.02. His top time is 43.74.
Van Niekerk competes for South Africa. He is the 2015 World Champion in the 400. He posted a 44.45 in the semifinals. His top time is 43.48.
Merritt is the United States’ hope for gold. He won gold at the 2008 Olympics in this event and was second at the 2015 World Championships. His top time in this event is 43.65.
One issue in this race could be lane assignments. James and Merritt are in the middle in lanes 6 and 5, respectively. Van Niekerk will take lane 8, which makes it tough to know the pacing of his fellow runners. Merritt will be able to keep an eye on James and try to base his run on how the favorite is doing. It’s a bit of a long shot, but Merritt has the times to win this race and Americans have been pulling off surprises in swimming and track in these games. My pick is for Merritt to provide another upset win.
RIO SUMMER OLYMPICS FREE PICK: LASHAWN MERRITT +350