The most versatile swimmers will take to the pool in the Olympic men’s 400m individual medley event. There is a heavy favorite in this race aiming to win this event on home soil, while a couple of Americans are in the medal mix here as well. Continue reading for our analysis of the men’s 400m IM race and for our pick to come out on top of this event with the gold medal around their neck.
Olympic Men’s 400m Individual Medley Betting Odds
| Swimmer | Gold Medal Odds |
| Leon Marchand | -500 |
| Carson Foster | +400 |
| Daiya Seto | +800 |
| Chase Kalisz | +800 |
| Max Litchfield | +2000 |
| Lewis Clareburt | +2000 |
| Brendon Smith | +2500 |
| Alberto Razzetti | +4000 |
| Tomoyuki Matsushita | +4000 |
| Apostolos Papastamos | +5000 |
| Gabor Zombor | +10000 |
| Cedric Bussing | +10000 |
| Balazs Hollo | +10000 |
| William Campbell Petric | +10000 |
| Tristan Jankovics | +10000 |
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
The clear favorite to win the Olympic men’s 400m individual medley is Frenchman Leon Marchand. Marchand is a swimmer at Arizona State in the US, but represents France, where he is becoming quite the imposing figure in international swimming. He is the world record holder in this event, setting that mark at the World Championships in 2023. Marchand has won the 200m and 400m IM events in the World Championships in both 2022 and 2023, making him a deserved favorite here.
Olympic Men’s 400m IM Major Storylines
There is a heavy favorite on home soil looking to break his own world record while grabbing his first Olympic gold medal in this race. Needless to say, Marchand is the number-one storyline going into the men’s 400m IM in the Paris Olympics. But there are some interesting Americans that are also worth a mention in the chase for gold in this event in the pool from Paris.
Chase Kalisz of the United States won gold in this event in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He has been doing this for a long time, though, and may not have the juice to compete with Marchand for gold once again in this race. Instead, it could be American Carson Foster who is the number-one competitor to Marchand in this race, having finished second to Marchand in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships in this event.
Olympic Men’s 400m Individual Medley Medal Contenders
Along with Marchand, Kalisz, and Foster, Daiya Seto of Japan is also in contention for a medal in this race. Seto won bronze in this race in the Rio Olympics of 2016 and won the same in the 2023 and 2024 World Championships. He would need to have a great swim to challenge Marchand, but he has a great shot at a medal even if it would be tough to see him winning the gold in this race.
Men’s 400m Individual Medley Betting Prediction: Leon Marchand (-500)
We are not going to overthink this one and will take France’s Marchand to win the gold medal in this event. Even with Carson Foster being in contention, Foster finished a few seconds behind Marchand in their most recent World Championships clash in 2023. We expect the reigning world record holder to grab the gold to the delight of the crowd in Paris on Sunday.
