The Olympics are now well underway and the highlight for most spread punters will be Saturday’s men’s 100m final. The event has been widely forecast as a potential classic, seeing as the three main pretenders have run under 9.80secs in their careers. Sporting Index have opened a spread on the winning time and this currently stands at 9.79-9.81 (the world record is currently 9.72 – set by Jamaican Usain Bolt in May).  Unsurprisingly, this would be the fastest 100m final ever run, eclipsing Donovan Bailey’s then world record time 0f 9.84 in Atlanta 1996. Buyers will be pleased to hear that the other three winning times in the last four Olympics have been 9.85, 9.87 and 9.96. However, sellers will take heart that Ben Johnson – albeit with the aid of drugs – recorded a time 0f 9.79 not too far away at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Sporting Index are also betting on the winning distance in the 100m Final and the spread is currently positioned at just 0.03-0.04 seconds. Sellers will hope for a repeat of Athens 2004, when just 0.02 seconds separated the medalists. However, buyers will be looking for a repeat of Maurice Greene’s win in Sydney, when he came home 0.12 seconds in front of Trinidad’s Ato Boldon.