One of the heaviest favorites in the Olympic pool in the Paris Olympics is the Australian relay team in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Australia has a group of great freestyle swimmers that sportsbooks see as virtually infallible going into Thursday’s final in this event. But is that the case? Here, we preview the Olympic women’s 4x200m freestyle relay and make our pick to come away with the gold in this four-person team event.
Olympic Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Betting Odds
| Team | Gold Medal Odds |
| Australia | -2300 |
| USA | +1100 |
| China | +1400 |
| Canada | +1600 |
| Hungary | +5000 |
| Great Britain | +5000 |
| Germany | +5500 |
| Brazil | +6500 |
| Israel | +9500 |
| Japan | +10000 |
| Netherlands | +15000 |
| Italy | +15000 |
| New Zealand | +15000 |
| Spain | +21000 |
| France | +21000 |
| Turkey | +21000 |
Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook
According to oddsmakers, Australia is virtually assured the gold medal in the Olympic women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. They are at -2300 to get their hands on the gold, while no other country is at closer than +1100 to finish in first place. That speaks to how far ahead of everyone the United States is in this event right now, as the rest of the field might just be racing for second place after all.
Olympic Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Major Storylines
Can anyone get close to Australia in this race is the biggest storyline heading into Thursday’s final from Paris. With elite freestylers like Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, and Ariarne Titmus among their options, Australia could potentially trot a second team out for this race and grab the silver medal (if that was allowed). Not only will their performance relative to the competition likely be enough to win gold, but they will have their eyes on the world record here, which has stood since 2021 when China set it in the Tokyo Olympics.
Another huge storyline is the race for the rest of the podium. The United States, Canada, and China are all in the mix for medals, but there are only two available medal slots up for grabs alongside the Australians. Who swims for each of those teams could go a long way in determining who finishes in second and third, but it feels like the medalists in this event will come from that group and only that group.
Olympic Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Medal Contenders
Delving a little further into the group of medal contenders behind Australia, it will be interesting to see how the United States positions themselves for this relay. Katie Ledecky could swim in this final, but there will be questions about her effectiveness a day removed from the women’s 1500m freestyle final, which she is expected to dominate.
Then there is Canada, who could send Summer McIntosh into the pool for this relay, though freestyle is not her strongest discipline. And whether China can summon enough to repeat as medalists, even if they won’t defend their gold, will be another interesting subplot to watch from this relay.
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Betting Prediction: Australia (-2300)
If you want to win $100 on Australia to come out on top of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, you are going to have to wager $2,300. We don’t recommend doing that unless your bankroll and budgeting system allows you to. But we do think that it would take an act of God for Australia not to win this race. Look for them to get the job done and for the rest of the field to be left in their wake.
