Betting tips / Mathew Thompson / 06 August 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Amazing athlete Usain Bolt joins King Carl after winning the Men's 100m at Olympics 2012, and now moves in (1.31) to win the 200m, but the nation's eyes turn to Sally Pearson and her quest for Gold.

The king of the track has lit up London.

Usain Bolt defied the doubters and justifed his short-priced favouritism on Betfair to defend his Olympic 100 metre final this morning.

With speculation rife that Bolt was battling injury and a form slump after being beaten by compatriot Yohan Blake at the Jamaican Olympic trials, the world-record holder drifted from (1.35) to a high price of (2.20) on Betfair to win the gold medal.

It appears those doubts were promptly erased in today's semi-final when Bolt clocked a sizzling 9.87 seconds despite easing down to a stroll for the final 30 metres of the race.

Betfair punters reacted by immediately shortening his price back to (1.34), with Blake blowing out to (5.40).

A further rally of late support would see Bolt start the race at (1.31).

2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin was the subject of late backing from (24.0) to (19.0) just before the starters gun. This was seemingly justified when he edged out his compatriot Tyson Gay for third.

Overall, almost $8.4m(AUD) was traded on the men's 100m final, 82% of that on Bolt.

If you were one of the lucky Bolt backers that took the juicy odds of (2.20), or even the (1.84) that was available on Betfair before the heats, it's a great start to the week.

Bolt is now the Betfair favourite @ (1.31) to win the 200m gold medal, with Blake out to (4.70)

Amazingly, their nearest rival in betting for the 200m, Wallace Spearman, is at massive odds of (120.0), which reinforces the amazing gap between the Jamaican champion's and the remainder of the world.

The other highlight from the track this morning was the performance of 19-year-old Australian Steve Solomon, who is a (6.0) chance to win a medal after qualifying for the 400m final.

The eyes of the nation also now focus on Sally Pearson, who has been heavily backed over the weekend from (1.55) to (1.42) to win gold in the 100m hurdles.