ATHLETICS

One of the oldest sporting codes in existence, athletics tends to take centre stage every four years as the globe’s top athletes push human endurance in an attempt to win gold. The term ‘athletics’ covers a wide range of track and field events, competed by men and women, including:

• Sprints
• Middle-distance running
• Long-distance running
• Hurdles
• Relays
• Long jump
• Triple jump
• High jump
• Pole vault
• Shotput
• Discus
• Javelin
• Hammer throw

ATHLETICS' BETTING

In the build-up to the 2012 Olympics hosted in London, online betting started gaining quite a bit of traction with the public, and now athletics’ betting has become a really popular pastime. As mentioned, the summer and winter Olympics both offer a wealth of exciting betting opportunities, but there are also the Commonwealth Games as well as a host of World Athletics Championships to keep punters busy.

BETTING OPTIONS

For those who are beginners at athletics’ betting, then the easiest option is the straight bet – betting on the outright winner of an event. Another athletics’ betting type worth trying is the over/under bet which is effectively betting against the bookie. With this betting type, the bettor will wager on the final time, number of points scored or even length of an event, which will be either higher or lower than the bookie’s predictions.

As with any sports, there is often a favourite who is unlikely to be beaten – think Usain Bolt in the 100m sprint – which is why some betting sites will also offer a winner ‘without’ option. This means that the markets are offered, excluding the favourite, so the second-place winner is deemed the winner.

You can attempt to improve your betting chances by researching the athlete’s form – consider any previous injuries or niggles – weather conditions, and general performance stats. Once you’re ready to place that bet, Sportingbet SA has you covered!