It’s been one of the enduring rivalries since the last Olympics and Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde look in pole position to dominate the men’s race in Paris.
We’ve already ranked that pair in detail – and here’s our verdict on who will come out on top in that duel.
But how do the bookies see it?
Yee the clear favourite
Most of the firms have a large British contingent among their customers which should be factored in, but all favour Yee – who took silver in Tokyo to Wilde’s bronze.
The Paris Test Event winner as short as 5/4 in places (+125 US Moneyline), which means you’ll more than slightly double your money should he prevail. The top price on offer is 7/5 (+140).
Wilde can be backed at a general 3/1 (+300) – so you’ll get three times your stake back if he wins, plus the stake itself.
It’s then 10/1 (+1000) and upwards about anyone else striking gold.
All aboard the Norwegian hype train?
And there’s no doubt that at this point the best backed of the rest is none other than reigning Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt.
The Norwegian’s short-distance results over the last 12 months – by his own incredibly lofty standards – have been relatively uninspiring.
He was freely available at 18/1 (+1800) last week to follow in the footsteps of Alistair Brownlee and successfully defend his title.
Photo Credit: Wagner Araujo / World Triathlon
But he’s now as short as 7/1 (+700) in places and no better than 10/1 (+1000).
Allez Les Bleus?
Next come all three French contenders – Pierre Le Corre, Leo Bergere and Dorian Coninx, that trio ranging from 10/1 (+1000) for Le Corre to 12/1 (+1200) for the other two.
American star Morgan Pearson is in that ballpark too at 12/1 (+1200).
And those seven dominate the market as it’s 28/1 (+2800) and upwards about the rest, though it should be pointed out there’s disagreement over the chances of Matt Hauser.
The winner of WTCS Hamburg, the last race before the Olympics and TRI247 Chief Correspondent John Levison’s pick for bronze, the Aussie is as short as 14/1 (+1400).
Crunching the stats
So those are the odds, but where might the value lie?
Stats guru Graeme Acheson of Sports4Cast has done the deep-dive data analysis ahead of the Olympics and looking at his findings, there could be three men well worth keeping a close eye on.
He points out that Le Corre has the fastest swim time to his name and the quickest recent bike form, adding: “He also has the fastest average times overall over the last 18 months. He is clearly a force to be reckoned with and on home turf may be the one to challenge Yee and Wilde.”
“Hauser has the fastest average times in the water and on the bike while Coninx could be a real factor if he can minimise the time he loses in transitions.”
Photo Credit: Wagner Araujo / World Triathlon
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