The Olympic men’s 200m backstroke is set to be a competitive race, with several swimmers more than capable of winning it. Among those swimmers with a shot to win is American Ryan Murphy, who has medaled in this event on multiple occasions in previous Olympic games, but another gold medal finish for Murphy is far from set in stone. In this preview of the men’s 200m backstroke, we will look at the odds to win this race and make our pick to come out on top.
Olympic Men’s 200m Backstroke Betting Odds
| Swimmer | Gold Medal Odds |
| Ryan Murphy | +135 |
| Hubert Kos | +165 |
| Hugo González | +850 |
| Thomas Ceccon | +1000 |
| Xu Jiayu | +1000 |
| Keaton Jones | +1800 |
| Roman Mityukov | +2800 |
| Apostolos Christou | +4800 |
| Oleksandr Zheltyakov | +5000 |
| Apostolos Siskos | +6000 |
| Mewen Tomac | +6500 |
| Pieter Coetze | +6500 |
| Bradley Woodward | +6500 |
| Luke Greenbank | +6500 |
| Adam Telegdy | +6500 |
| Yohann Ndoye-Brouard | +8000 |
| Lukas Martens | +8000 |
| Lee Ju-ho | +10000 |
| Oliver Morgan | +12000 |
| Hidekazu Takehara | +12000 |
| Ksawery Masiuk | +12000 |
| Se-Bom Lee | +16000 |
| Matteo Restivo | +16000 |
| Blake Tierney | +19000 |
| Kane Follows | +19000 |
| Kai van Westering | +19000 |
| David Gerchik | +23000 |
Odds from Fanduel Sportsbook
There are two favorites that stand out above the rest of the pack in the Olympic men’s 200m backstroke. Those men are Ryan Murphy of the United States and Hubert Kos of Hungary. Murphy won the gold medal in this event in Rio in 2016 and took the silver medal in Tokyo in 2021, making him a worthy contender to snag another gold medal this time around.
As for Kos, he won the gold in the 200m backstroke at the 2023 World Championships in Japan. While he has not enjoyed the same level of Olympic success as Murphy, he certainly has the times in the recent past to make him a viable contender to take the gold in this event in Paris on Thursday.
Olympic Men’s 200m Backstroke Major Storylines
Perhaps the biggest storyline going into the Olympic men’s 200m backstroke is just how wide open this race is, without a true favorite to lead the pack. While Murphy and Kos have the shortest odds to win this event, they are not infallible by any means. That should mean an exciting race where several contenders have a chance to come out on top, making this a race worth watching.
Thomas Ceccon’s swim in this race will also be a major story after he staged a great comeback in the final 50 meters of the men’s 100m backstroke to win Olympic gold earlier in this meet. Ceccon has great closing speed, but he has not done anything noteworthy in the 200m backstroke. Still, having a chance to grab multiple individual golds in the backstroke is a storyline to watch, as unlikely as it is.
Olympic Men’s 200m Backstroke Medal Contenders
The top-two medal contenders going into this race are Murphy and Kos, who are expected to finish first and second in some order. Beyond them, the race for bronze could feature names like Ceccon and Hugo Gonzalez, who won the 2024 World Championships in the 200m backstroke in Doha this year. Xu Jaiyu of China is also in medal consideration after he won silver in the 100m backstroke during this meet.
Men’s 200m Backstroke Betting Prediction: Hubert Kos (+165)
The Olympic men’s 200m backstroke could go in a number of directions, but we will go with Hubert Kos of Hungary to win the gold medal over Ryan Murphy of the USA. Kos has proven himself more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Murphy after beating him in Japan in 2023. At a slightly better price than Murphy here, we will once again take the Hungarian to get the job done and to wear Olympic gold.
