• Ryan Murphy has +250 odds as the third choice in the 100m backstroke despite being the world record holder.
• Evgeny Rylov, the +150 favorite, won the bronze medal in 2016 for the 200m backstroke but did not compete in the 100m.
• Kliment Kolesnikov (+175) and Xu Jiayu (+350) are both worthy competitors as well.

TOKYO – The 100m backstroke is lining up to be one of the most exciting and closely contested events in the 2021 Olympics. This event will have world record holders, former gold medalists, rising stars and more as sportsbooks are unable to separate any athlete from the rest of the field.

The Case To Be Made For Each Swimmer

The event from this field is so loaded that there truly is a case to be made for multiple athletes, even some who don’t carry odds as short as the favorites. Betting on Olympic swimming could be more profitable this year than in year’s past as there’s no true top athlete.

Ryan Murphy (+250)

Murphy is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with all three coming from the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Further, he is the world record holder in the 100m backstroke with a time of 51.85 seconds.

He qualified with a time of 52.33 seconds, relatively far off his personal best but still respectable. He won the event in 2016, but is not pegged as the favorite to defend his title.

Evgeny Rylov (+150)

Rylov, the favorite, won the bronze medal in 2016 in the 200m backstroke and will be making his debut in the 100m. Evgeny has set multiple junior world records and has recently won the 100m backstroke event in both the Naples and London matches in the International Swimming League.

Kliment Kolesnikov (+175)

Kolesnikov is just 21 years old and has 23 gold medals to his name. Although they aren’t all Olympic gold medals, it’s no cakewalk to win world championships.

He also has been recorded with a 52.13 second time in the 100m. Kolesnikov could very well be the future, but he also may succeed sooner rather than later.

Xu Jiayu (+350)

Jiayu finished behind Murphy is 2016 and was able to leave Rio De Janeiro with a silver medal. He won the 2019 World Aquatics Championship 100m backstroke, beating Rylov, Murphy and Kolesnikov.

His personal best for the event is 51.86 seconds.

Darkhorse Candidates

Even though the aforementioned group has shorter odds than the field, those looking to bet on the Olympics shouldn’t rule out a different competitor winning.

Robert Glinta (+2000)

Glinta is coming off of a gold medal in the 100m backstroke in the 2021 European Championships. And while his personal best is 52.88 seconds, he’s yet another former junior world record holder.

Mitch Larkin (+1100)

Larkin competed in both the 100m and 200m backstroke in 2016, missing the podium in the 100m and winning silver in the 200m. He has a personal best time of 52.11 seconds, meaning thus far he’s shown the ability to put up a faster time than guys like Kolesnikov.