2024 Paris Olympics odds, predictions, best bets for Thursday, August 1: Expert reveals top swimming picks

A number of intriguing events in the pool highlight Thursday's 2024 Paris Olympics schedule. Among those is the women's 200-meter butterfly, which features Canada's Summer McIntosh (-280), the clear favorite to take the gold. Her top competition when the event gets underway at 2:30 p.m. ET will come from former world record holder Regan Smith (+500) of the United States. Also expected to vie for a spot on the medals stand include Yufei Zhang (+900) of China, Elizabeth Dekkers (+2000) of Australia and Alex Shackell (+3500) of the United States.

Another event that may feature some drama is the women's 200-meter breaststroke. The favorite is defending Olympic champion Tatiana Smith (-210) of South Africa, while American Kate Douglass is at +240. The event is slated to get started at 3:03 p.m. ET. Smith won gold earlier in Paris in the 100-meter breaststroke and has earned gold in the 200 breaststroke at three previous world events - the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 World Championships. Douglass, meanwhile, won silver in the 200 breaststroke at the past two World Cups. Before locking in any 2024 Summer Olympics picks on those events or others, you need to see what SportsLine Olympic insider Mike Tierney has to say .

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. At Rio in 2016, Tierney profited big-time. He told readers to bet over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes. Then, at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Tierney hit two of his three predictions: Germany (+200) to win the most gold medals and the United States winning under 10.5 gold medals (+110). Anybody following has seen some big returns.

Now, Tierney has broken down the 2024 Olympics from every possible angle and revealed his best bets for Thursday, Aug. 1. He has four swimming selections. You can visit SportsLine now to see his 2024 Summer Olympics picks .

Top 2024 Paris Olympics picks for Thursday, August 1

Summer McIntosh (-280) of Canada has been grabbing all the headlines, but Tierney is confident American swimmer Regan Smith (+500) is the better value heading into the women's 200-meter butterfly. Smith earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won a bronze medal in the event at the World Championships in 2023. In qualifying, she was just one-half second behind McIntosh and could be poised to spring the upset. That's just what Tierney is banking on.

"These are some crazy high odds for the American, who qualified for the finals just a half-second behind mega-favorite Summer McIntosh of Canada at -280," Tierney told SportsLine. "Though McIntosh possesses a pair of world titles, Smith has held the world record on a few occasions. Smith already has a silver medal in her pocket from the 100 backstroke, so the pressure is off to stand on the medals podium." See the rest of his picks here .

How to make 2024 Olympics picks

Tierney has analyzed the 2024 Paris Olympics odds for Thursday from every angle and locked in four swimming best bets, including one that pays 5-1. He's only sharing his picks and analysis at SportsLine .

What are Tierney's best bets for the 2024 Olympic Games on Thursday? Visit SportsLine now to see Mike Tierney 2024 Summer Olympics best bets and analysis , and find out.