Akani Simbine remains his country's biggest hope for a medal at the event taking place in Tokyo.
Athletics fans have plenty to look forward to in the coming days with the 2025 World Athletics Championships getting under way in Tokyo, Japan this coming weekend.
It might still be a few days away, but already there is lots of excitement about the championships, which also includes a number of local athletes, among them Akani Simbine (100m), Wayde van Niekerk (200m) Jo-Ane du Plessis (javelin) and Prudence Sekgodiso (800m).
Other South Africans in action include Lythe Pillay (400m), Zeney van der Walt (400 hurdles) and the men’s 4x100m relay team, which won silver at the last Olympic Games in Paris.
All of the world’s best will be in action and as always there will be much focus on the sprint events where Simbine will line up alongside the likes of Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson in the 100m.
Betway are offering options on all the events. None of the South Africans, however, are considered favourites in their items, which is not a bad thing if you’re keen to put some money on a victory and want to bet with your heart rather than your head, which is of course not the wisest thing to do.
Simbine, for example, is fifth favourite to win the 100m title, at 67.00. Thompson is the favourite at 1.85 and Lyles at 3.40.
Lyles though is the favourite for the 200m title at 1.36, with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo at 3.25 — the second favourite. Both men have been in good form, so it’s sure to be a close race.
South Africa are third favourites at 26.00 to win the 4x100m relay, not a bad bet considering how often things go wrong in the relay. The US team are at 1.50 and Jamaica at 2.75.
In the women’s events, Sekgodiso is at 125.00 to win the 800m title, a long shot and unlikely, but maybe worth a few Rands. Keely Hodgkinson is the hot favourite at 1.10.
The championships start on Saturday and conclude on Sunday 21 September.
Keep an eye on the Betway site for all the odds, which are correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
