Best bets and predictions for day eight of the 2024 Paris Olympics: Thompson can sprint to victory

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Best bets for day eight

Kishane Thompson to win men's 100m
2pts 7-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Canada to qualify for women's football semi-finals
1pt 6-5 bet365

Bobby Finke to win men's 1500m swimming
1pt 7-2 BoyleSports

Already advised

Great Britain to win men's eight
2pts 11-10 Paddy Power

Paris 2024 Olympics day eight predictions

Athletics predictions

Starts 9.35am
By Phil Agius

There's a fascinating battle of experience versus potential in the men's 100m event at the 2024 Olympics. The 2020 sprint showdown was a relatively low-key after the phenomenal successes of Usain Bolt in 2008, 2012 and 2016 and Tokyo champion Marcell Jacobs is a 45-1 chance to retain his title against some improved competition.

The big two in the betting market are American star Noah Lyles, the 2023 world champion, and fast-rising Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson, who looks like a potential successor to Bolt after setting some blistering times in limited track action.

Bookmakers disagree over which of them should be favourite, which is rare enough, but those such as bet365, Boyles and Hills who make Thompson their market-leader may well have called it right.

The Jamaican has run only four 100m races this year, clocking 9.82, 9.84, 9.77 and 9.91, but it's worth knowing that he eased up before the line in all of those. The extent of what he could achieve remains unknown but it should be exciting to find out.

A lack of major-competition experience could count against him - this is his first appearance at either a world championship or Olympics - but all the signs suggest he has the ability to grab the gold.

Lyles is bidding for the sprint double in Paris and is a red-hot favourite for his main event, the 200m. He has been doing more 100m races over the last couple of years and impressed with a 9.81 time into a headwind in London, finishing strongly, but he looks to have serious competition.

Another Jamaican, Oblique Seville, beat Lyles earlier this season and has to be in medal contention, while Great Britain's hopes are led by 75-1 shot Zharnel Hughes, who was disqualified for a false start in the Tokyo final.

The other men's athletics event starting on Saturday looks much more clear-cut, with the phenomendal Mondo Duplantis a 1-33 favourite to repeat his Tokyo success in the pole vault.

Football predictions

Starts 6pm
By Ian Wilkerson

We have reached the quarter-finals of the women’s football and no team have had to battle harder to claim a last-eight place than defending champions Canada.

They were deducted six points at the start of the competition after being caught spying on their opening opponents, New Zealand, but three straight victories over the Football Ferns, hosts France, whom they beat with a goal deep into injury-time, and Colombia helped them to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

So their quest for gold effectively starts now and that should give them a huge lift for their clash with Germany in Marseille, especially as they are unbeaten in their last 16 matches.

The Germans beat Zambia 4-1 in their final group game - Lea Schuller scored twice - but that came just a few days after a humbling by the same scoreline against the USA.

The Canadians took the USWNT to shootouts in both the Concacaf Gold Cup and the SheBelieves Cup in the last six months and could have the staying power to claim a semi-final spot.

Swimming predictions

Starts 10.30am
By Phil Agius

The final individual swimming event of the Games will be the men's 1500m on Sunday night and that's shaping up to be a spicy battle. 

Ireland's Daniel Wiffen overcame American favourite Bobby Finke in the 800m event, and the pair are set to go head-to-head over the longer distance, with the world record looking likely to fall in the process.

Finke was closing fast in the 800m and while Wiffen has posted the faster time this year and looked awesome so far in Paris, the prices for this event may have moved too far in his favour. 

With Wiffen now odds-on and Finke 7-2 to add to his Tokyo gold over this distance, the American looks the better bet at the prices this time. Turkish youngster Kuzey Tuncelli is an interesting outsider with the potential to get involved in the race for medals at 35-1.

Rowing predictions

Starts 9.50am
By Phil Agius

Great Britain's men's eight have a chance to round off the Olympic rowing regatta in style. Their price has drifted a touch since the heats and they can now be backed at 5-4 but they remain favourites with some firms and did little wrong when winning their heat comfortably. 

A close battle looks likely with the United States, who won their heat in a faster time, but were pushed harder by a strong Netherlands boat.

Boxing predictions

Starts 9pm
By Phil Agius

Ireland's Kellie Harrington can secure at least a silver medal by winning her women's 60kg boxing semi-final against Brazil's Beatriz Soares Ferreira. 

Now the 5-4 favourite for gold, Harrington's next fight might prove to be tougher than the final as Soares Ferreira is the 15-8 second favourite.

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