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Tokyo Olympics: Women's 100m track preview

CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP / Getty

The women's 100-meter race takes place on Thursday, July 29, at the Tokyo Olympics.

The market's identified a clear-cut favorite amid a deep field, but is the chalk the way to go?

Let's dive into the odds and break down the competition.

Odds to win gold

Athlete Odds
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) -110
Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) +160
Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) +450
Blessing Okagbare (NGR) +900
Marie-Josee Ta Lou (CIV) +900
Shericka Jackson (JAM) +900
Javianne Oliver (USA) +5000
Murielle Ahoure (CIV) +5000
Dafne Schippers (NED) +6500
Teahna Daniels (USA) +9000
Kelly-Ann Baptiste (TTO) +20000
Carina Horn (RSA) +20000
Tynia Gaither (BAH) +20000
Mujinga Kambundji (SUI) +20000
Gina Luckenkemper (GER) +20000
Daryll Neita (GBR) +20000
Rodah Njobvu (ZAM) +25000
Wei Yongli (CHN) +25000
Tebogo Mamathu (RSA) +25000
Ge Manqi (CHN) +25000
Ivet Lalova-Collio (BGR) +30000
Tatjana Pinto (GER) +30000
Asha Philip (GBR) +30000
Marije Van Hunenstjin (NED) +50000
Gina Bass (GAM) +50000
Ewa Swoboda (POL) +50000
Salome Kora (SUI) +50000
Liang Xiaojing (CHN) +50000

Competition breakdown

This is Jamaica's medal to lose. Three athletes are listed at 9-1 or shorter, headlined by generational talent, Fraser-Pryce (-110).

The 34-year-old owns more global titles in the 100-meter than any other female in sprinter history and has a solid overall track record in the Olympics: two golds, three silvers, and a bronze. Fraser-Pryce has also dominated the World Championships, racking up nine gold medals and another pair of silvers.

Fraser-Pryce - the first mother to win a world title in the 100-meter race in 2019 - can also become the oldest flat sprint champion of all time with a victory at Tokyo.

Her biggest competition is teammate Thompson-Herah (+160), who just this month edged out Fraser-Pryce in the Gyulai Istvan Memorial.

Then there's Jackson (+900), who ran the fastest time of anyone (10.91 seconds) in the opening round at the Jamaican Olympic trials. The 27-year-old was awarded bronze in the 400m in the 2016 circuit.

After Jackson, there's a substantial drop-off in the odds to 50-1.

There isn't a sleeper down the list worth betting, but one flier to consider is Okagbare (+900). She came up empty in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but just recently tied Fraser-Pryce's mark of 10.63 in the 100-meter; she has the speed to win gold and pull off the upset.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. Find him on Twitter @AjKolodziej.

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