Olympic Swimming: Rebecca Adlington Warm Favourite For 800m Freestyle Gold

Women’s 800m freestyle final
Live on BBCi 7.45pm

Team GB starlet Rebecca Adlington bids to add to her bronze medal won earlier in the week by taking the gold in the women’s 800m freestyle on Friday evening, and bookmakers Sky Bet believe she has all the right ingredients to set the London Aquatics Centre crowd alight; making the Nova Centurion swimmer odds on favourite at 4/9.

You would have to believe this short price is a very accurate measure of her credentials to collect Team GB’s first swimming gold in London; Adlington has set four of the five fastest 800m freestyle times in the world this year, and her time of 8:21.78 in her qualifying heat has only been beaten by herself in 2012.

The 23 year old is bidding to become the first Brit to successfully defend an Olympic title and while there are a couple of dangerous rivals contesting in the event, she really does have a strong favourites chance.

Biggest threat to her bid for glory is likely to be 24 year old Dane Lotte Friis ( 7/4 – Sky Bet). A regular rival of Adlington, Friis won her qualifying heat in a time just nine hundredths of a second slower than the Brit and will be looking to seek revenge for her defeat in the 2011 World Championships.

Another finalist that could go well at big odds is 15 year old American Katie Ledecky. The youngster keeps Adlington from monopolising the five fastest times this year by swimming 8:19.78 secs in the US trials earlier in the year to claim 3rd spot. However her qualifying heat didn’t produce fireworks, although she did win in a time of 8:23.84, which makes her the third fastest qualifier.

Speaking after her heat, the young teenager was well aware that nerves played a part.”It was my first Olympic race, so I went in with a lot of adrenalin and a few nerves, but it carried me through the first 400m and I finished with a solid time”.

“It was my first Olympic race, so I went in with a lot of adrenalin and a few nerves, but it carried me through the first 400m and I finished with a solid time. I managed to get some sleep last night. I felt pretty good, I just wanted to set the tone for the remaining two heats and post a fast time. I was a little nervous, that was to be expected though”.

There are two very strong challengers to Rebecca Adlington but she has proved that her form is good, and she has a great chance of making a bit of Great British Olympic history.