
World Athletics Championships 2023: Men's 200m Odds & Contenders

We've been treated to some sensational sprinting so far at the World Athletics Championships, with Sha'Carri Richardson stunning the Jamaicans to claim gold in the women's 100m, while fellow American Noah Lyles finished top of the podium in the men's equivalent.
Lyles will now look to double-up in his favoured 200m, an event in which he's targeted Usain Bolt's world record.
Below we look at the two-time champion's odds for glory and whether anyone else can conjure up a challenge, with three of the six fastest men ever over the distance set for a gripping battle in Budapest.
Noah Lyles
"I know that I'm going to break it," said Noah Lyles when asked about Usain Bolt's 200m world record, which has stood since 2009.
Bolt's blistering best was 19.19, a time Lyles came close to last summer when he scorched home in 19.31. He subsequently became the third fastest man ever over the distance, bettering Michael Johnson‘s long-standing American record.
Lyles, a two-time 200m champion at the Worlds, has won all four races this year, with a top time of 19.47.
Given his form, record, and confidence, it's extremely difficult to see anyone pipping him to the line at the Worlds, reflected in the bookmakers' odds which range between 4/11 and 1/6.
Letsile Tebogo
Lyles' closest competition could come from Letsile Tebogo who is the second fastest 200m runner in 2023, having ran 19.50 to finish a narrow second behind Lyles in London last month.
The Botswana sprinter may have finished runner-up on that occasion but his time propelled him to sixth in the all-time list, ahead of the likes of Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay.
The African champion, who only recently turned 20, continues to improve race-by-race. He is fresh from scooping silver in the 100m behind Lyles and will now throw everything he has at elevating that to gold in the 200m this week, with 4/1 on offer for this to come to fruition.
Erriyon Knighton
The third fastest man over 200m this year is Erriyon Knighton, winning five of his seven races.
Knighton, who won bronze at the Worlds last year, won the USA Championships in July with a time of 19.72 ahead of Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey, and Fred Kerley.
Aged just 19, the supremely talented young superstar is already the fifth fastest man ever at 200m with a time of 19.49. Like Tebogo, he's only going to get better and better as he perfects his craft, and represents a very intriguing price at 12/1, which could well be worth a bet.
Zharnel Hughes
The 18/1 priced Zharnel Hughes will have to run the race of his life to win gold here.
He finished third behind behind Lyles and Tebogo in London last month, posting a time of 19.73, which just so happened to break John Regis’s 30-year British 200m record.
Last Sunday he once again finished third behind the aforementioned duo, this time in the 100m final, where he became the first British man to finish on the 100m podium (bronze) at a World Championships for 20 years.
Hughes, who was visibly overjoyed at the medal, will be brimming with confidence and can now be backed at 6/4 to bag another medal - of any colour - in the 200m, courtesy of Betfred.
Selected Others
World and Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek is out at 28/1 for gold, Surinamese star Issam Asinga is a touch shorter at 25/1, Canadian champion Andre De Grasse can be backed at 33/1, with Ghana’s James Dadzie out at 50/1.
The men's 200m heats begin on Wednesday, the semi-finals take place on Thursday, with the Final scheduled for Friday night.

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