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Without exaggeration, we all create adrenaline and blood pours thirstily when it comes to gambling. Whether it’s betting on running, or following a soccer match, or when using a credit card casino, we’re all in for success, whatever the outcome. That’s right, there is a desire to rip off a score on athletics just as there is in poker. It is based on such sporting trends as:

  • running;
  • jumping;
  • throwing;
  • etc.

And many of these areas can be included in the same event. Most of you are probably familiar with these events, because they are held every four years at the Summer Olympics, but not everyone tries their hand at betting on sports. This article will discuss whether the risk of betting on athletics is justified and how to bet so that you always remain a winner.

What is athletics betting?

Betting on athletics can be very exciting as you are not limited to just one sport. The most common option here is to bet on which athlete will be the winner of the race or which athlete will win the gold medal. You can also bet that an athlete will be able to get on the podium or set a new world record. There have been many interesting moments in the history of athletics and this sport can easily compete with the Champions League, where there were also many highlights. 

It all depends on each individual case, but some events can be bet on rarer outcomes, for example, will a new world record be set? Will Usain Bolt win all the gold medals he has the opportunity to compete for?

Athletics betting markets

Athletics consists of several sports. Some of them feature superstars who are among the most famous athletes in the world, such as:

  • Usain Bolt;
  • Jessica Ennis Hill;
  • And others.

At the same time, some of these areas are little known and receive only a small part of the viewers’ attention. However, this does not mean that betting on these events is less interesting. This situation is very similar to casino games, where there is a wide variety of entertainment, but not all of them are popular.  Below is a brief description of the sports that you can see at athletics events.

Athletics

If you now imagine the scene of an athletics competition. Around the arena there is a running track on which races are held, for example, for 100 metres. And in the centre is a huge field where competitions such as javelin throwing are held. This is why these sports are often called athletics.

Running

It would not be a contradictory statement to say that the greatest attention in athletics is given to running. Mo Farah, Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson are just a few of the names that have become world famous. The most notable running distances include:

  • 100 м.;
  • 200 м.;
  • 400 м.

There is also running with hurdles, running for middle distances, which can reach 10,000 metres.

Jumping

Jumping in the world of athletics can be roughly divided into two parts. These are competitions that assess how far an athlete can jump. They are called the long jump and the triple jump. In both cases, you have to jump into a sandbox from a certain starting point. The winner is the athlete who covers the greatest distance.

Other competitions involve jumping over a bar in the air. These competitions are called high jumping and pole vaulting. In the first one, the athlete has to jump over a bar placed in front of him, and the one who shows the longest distance will be the winner. In the second case, it is a competition in which the athlete is lifted into the air with the help of an object (pole), but the principles of these two competitions are the same.

Throwing

All throwing events in athletics have the same goal. In shot put, discus throw, hammer throw and javelin throw, the athlete must throw the corresponding object as far as possible. The winner of these events is the athlete with the best result.  This is very similar to betting on a jammy jack casino – same feelings, same emotions, same winnings.

Race walking

Race walking is often conducted on public roads, but can also take place on an athletics track. It is one of the oldest forms of athletics, even though the sport is gradually losing its relevance. Walkers must always rest their foot on the ground and the leg in front of them must be straight, not bent at the knee – failure to comply with these rules will result in disqualification.

Cross-country running

Cross-country running is done in open terrain, it can be:

  • grass;
  • forest trails;
  • ground.

These competitions are held over long distances. The standard distance is 3 kilometres (1.9 miles). The World Cross Country Championships began in 1973 and remains the most prestigious competition in the sport. Not all bookmakers accept bets on such events, as this sport is one of the least known forms of athletics.

Mountain running

Mountain running, as the name implies, is a run amongst hills and mountains, which makes it particularly difficult for runners. The steepness of the hills and slopes will be determined in each particular race. The number of events that can be bet on is limited, as most of them are little known and therefore do not attract much attention.

Road running

Road running, according to World Athletics rules, must take place on a predetermined route and is one of the oldest competitions in the history of athletics. These races are usually run over long distances. The most famous of them is the marathon. It is a 26-mile race in which the winner usually clocked a time of about 2 hours. The sport is part of the Summer Olympics, and the London and New York Marathons are arguably just as prestigious.

Trail Running

Trail running must take place on an unpaved surface. In many aspects, this sport is very similar to mountain running. The only difference is that mountain running may include areas of hard surface. This important difference can mean that running can be particularly hard on an athlete’s legs. Like both mountain and road running, the sport is not well known and it can be difficult to find it on the betting market.

Types of bets in athletics

In athletics, there are various betting markets that you can bet on. You may be thinking that the only option available to you is betting on the absolute winner of a race or competition. However, there are many other options available and the number will only increase, depending on the prestige of the event.

Qualification

There are many competitions in which an athlete must go through several qualifying events to qualify for the main race. For example, a competitor does not just qualify for the finals of the 100 metre race, they must qualify in the races that precede it. This can be done by finishing in the top three or showing one of the fastest times. Some bookmakers offer the opportunity to bet on which athlete will qualify.

Victory

This is the simplest type of betting on athletics. You can bet on who will win a race or competition. For example, you can bet that athlete “A” will win the gold medal in the javelin throw. There are also individual races in which no medal is awarded. For example, you can bet that runner B will win the race.

Climbing the pedestal

If an athlete takes one of the top three places in a race, they are on the podium. For some events, this is simply a sign that the competitor has distinguished himself among all, but for many high-profile events in athletics, it means that the athlete has won a medal. For example, in the Olympic Games, the medals are arranged in a known order:

  • gold;
  • silver;
  • bronze.

In this case, to be on the podium is the dream of many athletes.

Setting a record

At some bookmakers, you can bet on an athlete setting a new record. World records at the Olympic Games are important and some of them meet with great prestige. The pressure is on the world’s best athletes not only to win a gold medal, but also to see if they can break certain records. Undoubtedly, the most coveted world record in athletics is the 100m record. It is currently held by Usain Bolt with a time of 9.58 seconds.

Disqualification

Not every event and not every bookmaker’s office can offer the option to make such a bet due to the fact that this market is one of the easiest for match-fixing. Despite this, disqualification in athletics happens frequently, and in major sports such issues are much less of a concern, so bookmakers can offer their customers such an option. Achieving success in such a bet is very simple: in order for you to win the bet, your chosen athlete must be disqualified from the competition in which he participates.

Athletics competitions on which you can bet

There are many athletics tournaments around the world that vary greatly in prestige. In some sports, such as football for example, it can be difficult to identify the most prestigious tournament because opinions differ. In athletics, however, it is much easier.

Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympics is what an athlete is ultimately judged on. He may win all other events, but if he ends his career without a gold medal at this tournament, it will be impossible to call him the best. A gold medal can elevate an athlete to the pinnacle of glory overnight. This is true for all athletics as it is the hallmark of their sport. Perhaps this is because the Olympic Games are watched by millions of people who would otherwise have no interest in athletics events.

World Athletics Championships

The World Athletics Championships are held two years and are the most prestigious competition in the sport outside of the Olympic Games. They involve the best athletes in the world and an athlete can win a gold, silver or bronze medal for each event.

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games are organised in a similar way to the Summer Olympics. The only difference is the obvious lower level of prestige, and the fact that the competition involves athletes from within the Commonwealth of Nations. Because of this, some of the world’s best athletes cannot compete in these events, but they are still some of the most prestigious events an athlete can compete in.

Diamond League

The Diamond League takes place every year and consists of elite athletics competitions. One of the goals of the league is to “increase the global appeal of athletics beyond Europe”. For now, the competition is not as prestigious as other competitions, but World Athletics hopes that will change over time.

Athletics betting strategies

If you want to succeed in betting, it is important to start with good strategies. In order to do things right, sometimes you need to learn which measures are unacceptable. For example, you need to keep an eye on your gambling behaviour, you can check if you are having problems by taking a simple test here. Below is a list of some things to do and avoid when betting on athletics.

Don’t bet on all sports, stick to a few

Since athletics includes many sports, it can be tempting to bet on all of them, as this can make the process more exciting. However, such a strategy is not conducive to consistent profits. Most effective strategies boil down to repeating the same process over and over again, and to do this effectively, it is best to bet on the event in which you feel most comfortable. Comfort should come from the amount of knowledge and research you have on the sport.

Bet only on popular events

Many famous athletes place a lot of importance on the most prestigious events in their sport, sometimes treating lesser known events as an opportunity to get fit without the result being the most important. This is a nightmare for bettors, as no one can be sure that the athlete is performing to his or her full potential. In such situations, betting on such events should be avoided.

Betting on the finish time to be higher/lower

In competitions, the final time of the winner or athlete is officially recorded. That is why some bookmakers offer their customers to do a trial on the over/under markets. For example, you can bet that an athlete will finish the 100 metres in less than 10 seconds. If he does so in excess of this value, the bet will be a losing bet. However, if he finishes in less than this time, the bet will be successful.

Use betting exchanges

Betting exchanges have revolutionised the world of gambling. Did you know that instead of betting on athletes to win a race, you can bet against them? This means that you will receive your winnings if the athlete you bet on does not win the race.

Be aware of athlete injuries and recovery

Injuries in athletics reduce an athlete’s chances of winning the respective event. In running, the difference between first and second place can be just a few fractions of a second, while in throwing and jumping it can be centimetres.

Examine each athlete’s recent form

Since we watch/stake in athletics very rarely, we tend to think that the most popular athletes are still the best in the world, but a lot of time passes between Olympic Games, for example, and things can change in that time. It’s better to see if such an athlete has continued to show their form since then, or if someone new has emerged who is likely to take all the major titles in the sport.

Conclusion

Athletics is a very interesting and exciting sport that has many fans all over the world. That is why betting on these sporting events is gaining more and more popularity every year. There is nothing surprising in the fact that such a sport has come a long way in its development, just as online casinos did in its time. Along with the sport itself, the betting market has evolved as well. Today, in order to stay a winner, it is important to study every aspect of such competitions, it is also important to know about the basic strategies for success.