When Katie Ledecky is in the Olympic pool, there is no reason to watch anything else. In 2024, the American legend will look to claim a fourth gold medal in the women’s 800m freestyle in as many tries. And while she isn’t favored as heavily as she is to win the 1500m freestyle event, Ledecky is still the most likely option to come out on top of this race. Continue reading for our breakdown of the women’s 800m freestyle, as we predict whether or not anyone has what it takes to down Ledecky in the Parisian pool.
Olympic Women’s 800m Freestyle Betting Odds
| Swimmer | Gold Medal Odds |
| Katie Ledecky | -400 |
| Ariarne Titmus | +300 |
| Lani Pallister | +1600 |
| Simona Quadarella | +2000 |
| Bingjie Li | +2000 |
| Paige Madden | +5000 |
| Isabel Gose | +5000 |
| Erika Fairweather | +5000 |
| Eve Thomas | +10000 |
| Anastasiia Kirpichnikova | +10000 |
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Unsurprisingly, the odds-on favorite to win the Olympic women’s 800m freestyle is Katie Ledecky. The American is the three-time defending gold medalist in this event and the reigning world record holder. But she isn’t favored nearly as heavily as she is in the women’s 1500m freestyle, where she is a massive -3500 favorite to come out on top. Will that mean intrigue in this event that is lacking in the much longer 1500m freestyle? Probably not, but it is at least a possibility.
There is one swimmer who also sits at odds that would suggest that she could conceivably win this race. That is Ariarne Titmus of Australia, who checks in at +300 to win the gold medal in place of Ledecky. It would take an all-time great performance from Titmus or anyone else to win this race instead of Ledecky, but oddsmakers seem to think it is possible that Titmus does it.
Olympic Women’s 800m Freestyle Major Storylines
The storylines for the Olympic women’s 800m freestyle center almost exclusively around Ledecky once again this year. If she can win a fourth straight gold medal in this distance, she would add to an already incredible Olympic resume and put her name higher up on the list of the greatest swimmers of all-time. While she appears to have competition in the form of Titmus in this race, Ledecky is also competing with history as she is every time she enters the pool.
But the potential for Titmus to win this race is a welcome storyline in itself. She finished within around a second of Ledecky in this race in the Tokyo Olympics and this event has been much closer for Ledecky than the 1500m freestyle, as Ledecky has less time to create separation in the 800m. The duel between the American and Australian could be one of the best of the Olympic swim meet.
Olympic Women’s 800m Freestyle Medal Contenders
Along with Ledecky and Titmus, there are a few other strong medal contenders, who are likely swimming for bronze. Simona Quadarella of Italy won the bronze medal in this event in Tokyo and will certainly be in the mix to do so again here in Paris. Australia’s Lani Pallister also has a strong shot at the podium, even if it is hard to see her threatening for gold. Bingjie Li of China could also sneak into the top-three.
Women’s 800m Freestyle Betting Prediction: Katie Ledecky (-400)
As the great Ric Flair once said, to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. And while this is obviously a women’s race, the same principle applies when it comes to Katie Ledecky. Until someone actually goes into the Olympic pool and beats her at this race, it is hard to see her losing it. We will take Ledecky to come out on top here, even if bettors may want to price shop to find the best number on Titmus just in case.
