2024 Paris Olympics odds, predictions, best bets for Friday, August 2: Expert reveals top swimming picks

Several intriguing events highlight Friday's schedule at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including two men's swimming, one women's swimming, and one men's track and field event. Among the most competitive events could be the men's 50-meter freestyle, which begins at 2:30 p.m. ET. Although Australian Cameron McEvoy is the favorite at -125, he will have stiff competition from Great Britain's Ben Proud (+220), American Caeleb Dressel (+500), and Italy's Leonardo Delpano and Caymanian Jordan Crooks, both at +1200. Also expected to challenge for a spot on the medal stand are France's Maxime Grousset and Florent Manaudou, both listed at +2000.

Another close battle to watch will be in the women's 200-meter backstroke. Australia's Kaylee McKeown (-370) is the favorite, but American Regan Smith (+470) will be chasing gold after already taking two silvers in Paris. McKeown won gold in the 100 backstroke earlier this week and is looking to repeat her gold medal performance in the 200 backstroke from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The event begins at 2:39 p.m. ET. Others looking to medal include Phoebe Bacon (+2000) of the United States, Kylie Masse (+2000) of Canada, Xuwei Peng (+2000) of China, and Honey Osrin (+2500) of Great Britain. 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 Friday, Aug. 2. He has a variety of picks, offering two men's swimming, one women's swimming, and one men's track and field selection. You can visit SportsLine now to see his 2024 Summer Olympics picks .

Top 2024 Paris Olympics picks for Friday, Aug. 2

Tierney has no problem with Australian Cameron McEvoy being the -125 favorite in the men's 50-meter freestyle but is convinced another swimmer has much better odds to win gold. That swimmer is Great Britain's Ben Proud at +220. Proud has pushed McEvoy the most and is more than capable of pulling off the upset on Friday. Proud won gold in the event at the 2022 World Championships and specializes in sprints.

"Surprises are common in the ultimate swim sprint, so avoiding the distinct favorite — Cameron McEvoy of Australia at - 125 — is a given," Tierney told SportsLine. "Caeleb Dressel at +500 is tempting, but the feeling is that the decorated American is not up for the challenge despite a gold in the free relay. His time in the semis was fifth best. Atop the list for best times were Ben Proud and McEvoy, each at 21.38 seconds. The Brit offers the more welcome odds." See the rest of his picks here .

How to make 2024 Olympics picks

Tierney has analyzed the 2024 Paris Olympics odds for Friday from every angle and locked in four confident best bets, including one that offers a 9-1 payout. He's only sharing his picks and analysis at SportsLine .

What are Tierney's best bets for the 2024 Olympic Games on Friday, and which 9-1 longshot should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see Mike Tierney's 2024 Summer Olympics best bets and analysis , and find out.