PLACE YOUR BETS

A check of the various betting outlets yesterday showed many people placing bets on how well, in terms of placings, our athletes will do in the Olympics. The 4x100 metres women’s relay, according to betting patterns, appears to be Trinidad and Tobago’s best hope of earning medals in track and field at the Rio Olympics. Patterns and odds given were posted online on several betting websites including the TT-based Goodwood Racing.

The TT women’s relay team is rated the third best team, behind favourites Jamaica and second- ranked USA. The TT team carries odds of 14/1 (meaning that each dollar bet on the team would earn the punter $14, in the event that TT wins). The odds for Jamaica are 4/7 - or 0.57 to one - meaning 57 cents plus the original $1 stake is earned if Jamaica wins, while the USA’s odds are 6/4, or 1.5 to 1.

The TT women’s relay team due to run on August 18, will be selected from the squad of Michelle Lee Ahye, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Semoy Hackett and either Kai Selvon or Khalifa St Fort.

TT’s 4x100 metres men’s relay team is rated with Germany in joint seventh place, with odds of 40/1.

Again, the top favourite is Jamaica (4/7) and then USA (17/10), followed respectively by France, Britain, Canada and China. Keshorn Walcott, TT’s golden boy who won gold in the London 2012 Olympics in javelin, is ranked eighth by Goodwood, rated at 14-to-one odds to retain his Olympic crown.

Highest rated in men’s javelin is Thomas Rohler of Germany on odds of 11/8.

For the men’s 100 metres, TT has two ranked contenders, namely Keston Bledman rated 11th place (jointly) with odds of 100/1, and Richard Thompson rated in 13th place with odds of 150/1. Top contender is Jamaica’s Usain Bolt at odds of 1/2. TT’s medal hopes in the women’s 100 metres rest with Michelle Lee Ahye who betting agencies rate as 10th, with odds of 66/1, plus Kelly Ann Baptiste whose is ranked in 15th place with odds of 200/1. Top favourite is the Netherlands’ Dafne Schippers at odds of 15/8.

For the men’s 400 metres, TT is represented by Machel Cedenio who is rated as 11th best at odds of 66/1, and Lalonde Gordon who is rated in joint 15th place at odds of 100/1. Favourite is South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk at odds of 1.1/1.

Thus far, four of the 32-member Trinidad and Tobago contingent at Rio de Janeiro have featured at the Olympic Games - rower Felice Aisha Chow, gymnast Marisa Dick, sailor Andrew Lewis and swimmer Dylan Carter. The 39-year-old Chow, making her Olympic debut on Saturday, placed fifth and last in her preliminary round race, in the women’s single sculls. She progressed to the repecharge stage and, in the first race on Monday, Chow placed second in eight minutes 4.91 seconds.

Because of her placing on Monday, Chow booked a spot in yesterday’s quarter-final round but she could only muster a fifth place finish, among the six entrants.

Chow will now feature in the C/D semi-final stage, but she will not be in contention for a medal place.

On Sunday, Dick competed in the women’s individual all-around competition but she finished 42nd out of the 48 participants.

The 19-year-old Dick, whose participation sparked widespread debate on social media on Sunday due to the controversy involving herself, fellow national competitor Thema Williams and the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation (TTGF), became the first TT gymnast to feature at the Olympic Games.

Lewis got his Olympic campaign underway on Monday, in the men’s laser category. In a field of 46 entrants, Lewis gathered 42 points in Race One and 34 points in Race Two.

Yesterday, the 26-year-old gathered 38 points in Race Three and 39 points in Race Four, for a total of 153 points. He will be in action today, in Race Five and Race Six. Carter was another Olympic debutant for Trinidad and Tobago, and he had the distinction of finishing first in the fourth heat of the men’s 100-metre freestyle, with a time of 48.80 seconds. However, the 20-year-old did not finish among the top 16, to advance to the semi-final stage, despite setting a new national record.

(See Page 38A