Sport

Golden Girls at even-money

The Olympic champion 4x100 women's relay team (from left) Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson, Tayna Lawrence and Aleen Bailey. The Golden Girls are favourites to take home the gold medal in the 4x100 metres relay at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. - file photos

ENGLISH BOOKMAKER Ladbrokes is taking no chances and has installed Jamaica's women's sprint relay team as the even-money favourites to add World Championships gold to the Olympic title they took last year in Athens.

Jamaica, led by Athens 200m champion Veronica Campbell, are listed at even-money (1/1) with the United States at 5/4. France are next best at 12/1.

The heats of the women's 4x100m come up on Friday with the final the following day.

Teenage sprint sensation Usain Bolt and Campbell are among the favourites for the men's and women's 200m gold. The men's round one is on tomorrow with the women's set for Wednesday.

Bolt, the world junior record holder at 19.93, is a 3/1 second favourite for the half lap event.

Joint favourites

Americans Justin Gatlin and Wallace Spearmon are joint favourites at 5/2.

The bookmakers feel American Alyson Felix will repeat her recent London Grand Prix defeat of Jamaica's Campbell and have installed her as the warm 11/8 favourite for the women's gold. Campbell is at a generous 2/1 and Frenchwoman Christine Arron at 6/1.

Jamaica's men have been kicked out of the betting in the 400m. Athens finalists Brandon Simpson and Michael Blackwood are at 20/1 and 25/1 respectively.

National champion Lansford Spence is a very long shot at 40/1. Olympic champion, Jeremy Wariner of the United States, is the odds on favourite at 4/9. The first round of the event is on tomorrow.

Jamaica-born American Sanya Richards is the 6/4 favourite for the women's 400m gold. Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling is at 9/4. The semi-finals of the women's 400m are on today.

Brigitte Foster-Hylton, the 2003 silver medal winner, is the shortest priced Jamaican in the women's 100m hurdles. Joint national champion Delloreen Ennis-London is at 14/1 while Vonette Dixon, a finalist four years ago, is at 20/1.

American Michelle Perry is the favourite at 5/2. Her compatriot, Olympic champion Joanna Hayes, is at 4/1 while defending champion Perdita Felicien of Canada is listed at 4/1. The opening round for the women's 100m hurdles is on tomorrow.

James Beckford, a surprise silver medallist two years ago, will have to come in from the cold again. He is a big outsider at 40/1 in the men's long jump. American Dwight Phillips is at 4/7.

The men's and women's 4x400m teams are expected to be among the medals.

The men are 20/1 second favourites behind the USA who are 1/200. This suggests that only an act of God, a dropped baton or injury can prevent the Americans from winning gold.

Jamaica's women, who won bronze, in Athens are 20/1 third favourites behind the USA at 4/9 and the Russians at 13/8.

In the sprint relay, the American men are again at very short odds of 1/33. Trinidad and Tobago are 12/1 second favourites with Jamaica next at 20/1.