Best bets and predictions for day three of the 2024 Paris Olympics: Ireland going for gold in the pool

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Best bets for day three of the Olympics

Tom Pidcock to win men's mountain biking
2pts 8-11 General

Daniel Wiffen to win men's 800m freestyle
1pt 11-4 bet365

Sofiane Oumiha to win men’s 63.5kg boxing
2pts 5-6 Betfair, Paddy Power

Great Britain to win men's eight
2pts 11-10 Paddy Power

Matt Hauser to win men's triathlon
1pt e-w 28-1 BoyleSports

Paris 2024 Olympics day three predictions

Cycling predictions

Starts 13.10pm
By Jack Ogalbe

After Evie Richards was fifth in Sunday's women's mountain bike race, her Team GB colleague, Tom Pidcock, is expected to justify favouritism when he goes in the men's event.

Pidcock, who backed up his Tokyo win three years ago by being crowned world champion in 2023, has been less than complimentary about the cross-country course in the Parisian suburb of Elancourt, describing it as "bland".

Having proved himself to be the best bike handler in the world with his exploits across this discipline, road cycling and cyclo-cross, he may feel the lack of technical difficulty benefits the field, and that speed rather than skill could decide the day. Worries about the 4.4km loop cutting up following the recent rain were allayed as France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot powered her way to victory in the women's race.

Switzerland's Nino Schurter, winner in Rio in 2016 and runner-up at London 2012 is back, while home hope Victor Koretzky can also go well, but unlike Tokyo, there isn't an opponent in the same mould as the Netherlands' Mathieu van der Poel to really worry Pidcock.

The Yorkshireman had to abandon the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid but that may have given him more time to focus on this event.

Despite his dislike for the venue, a second gold beckons.

Diving predictions

Starts 10am
By Phil Agius

Tom Daley has a strong chance of adding to his impressive collection of four Olympic medals when he partners Noah Williams in the men's 10m synchronised platform diving final on Monday, but the odds make it clear that a second gold after his 2020 success with Matty Lee is unlikely.

It sounds promising that Daley and Williams are second favourites for the event, but they are 13-2 for glory and the Chinese duo of Yang Hao and Lian Junjie are red-hot 1-12 favourites.

The Chinese pair have won the last three world championships and comfortably beat the British duo in the world championship final, so a repeat result looks highly likely.

Swimming predictions

Starts 10am
By Phil Agius

The men's 800m freestyle is set up to be one of the best events of the 2024 Olympic swimming and Ireland have a genuine chance of gold with fast-improving Daniel Wiffen.

Wiffen was born in Leeds but moved to Magheralin in Northern Ireland at the age of two and has developed into world-class performer after turning 23 this month. Wiffen was fourth in both the 800m and 1500m events at the 2023 world championships, but won both of those events this year and his time of 7m 40.94s is the fastest in the world this year.

Wiffen faces two tough rival in Australia's Sam Short and Bobby Finke of the United States and a titanic clash is in prospect, but as the 11-4 outsider of the top three in the betting, the Irish swimmer appears to be the best value pick. 

Boxing predictions

Starts 10am
By Henry Hardwicke

Delicious Orie is Great Britain's golden hope in the men’s super-heavyweight division. The 27-year-old won the 2023 European Games after a storming victory at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

However, the Wolverhampton man doesn’t appear to be at his peak and Orie arrives in Paris having lost three of his last four bouts. The Brit may well fall to veteran Kamshybek Kunkabayev in the quarter-finals. 

Bakhodir Jalolov is the overwhelming market leader and there doesn’t appear to be enough quality in the division to oppose the 1-6 jolly. 

Heavy-hitting Teremoana Junior could cause the reigning Olympic champion problems in the quarter-finals, but Jalolov took care of the Aussie on his way to World Championship glory last year and the Uzbekistan fighter looks several levels ahead of his rivals. 

Sofiane Oumiha looks a worthwhile bet to claim a home gold for France in the men's 63.5kg division. 

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist has been handed a good draw in Paris and many of the current and three-time world champion's rivals have departed the amateur scene. 

Gabil Mamedov is unable to compete in Paris, while the three medallists from Tokyo - Andy Cruz, Keyshawn Davis and Hovhannes Bachkov - have all switched to the paid ranks and the path looks clear for Oumiha to fill the gap. 

Rowing predictions

Starts 10.40am
By Phil Agius

The eights are the blue riband events of the Olympic rowing regatta and Great Britain should be confident of grabbing gold in the men's event.

The GB team have been beaten only twice since the last Olympics and 2020 champions New Zealand are not in the field this time. The United States and Australia - the two teams to lower their colours - are threats, along with the Netherlands, but the British crew look solid favourites.

World champions Romania are odds-on in the women's event but look a skinny price at 4-7. The USA, Great Britain and Australia are next in the betting but defending champions Canada could be overpriced at 16-1.

Triathlon predictions

Starts 7am Tuesday
By Phil Agius

Alex Yee of Great Britain is favourite for gold in the men's triathlon, which takes place early on Tuesday morning, but he's a short price at 5-4 in what looks a competitive heat.

Yee has a strong chance of success after taking silver in the men's event in Tokyo along with gold in the mixed team relay and he won the Olympic test event, which augurs well. However, there is no shortage of high-quality challengers. Tokyo gold medallist Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway has not hit the same heights over the past couple of seasons and New Zealand's Hayden Wilde, who was third three years ago, looks the bigger threat.

Home challengers Leo Bergere and Dorian Coninx have won the last two world championships and will have the crowd behind then but at a bigger price, Australia's Matt Hauser could be the man to watch.

Hauser was first in Hamburg and second in Tokyo in two of this season's biggest triathlons and could be peaking at the right time after finishing a disappointing 24th at the last Olympics. Morgan Pearson of the United States won the Yokohama event and is another medal contender.

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