2024 Paris Olympics odds, track & field predictions, best bets: Olympic champion reveals pole vault picks

The 2024 Summer Olympics has been underway for a week now and the anticipation continues to grow with each passing day. Track and field competitions officially got underway on Friday at Stade de France. The opening heats for the men's 1500-meter event and the women's 100-meter, 800-meter, and 5000-meter competition started on Aug. 2 and now some field competitions are slated to start on Saturday, including the pole vault.

Before locking in any 2024 Summer Olympics picks or track & field predictions, you need to see what SportsLine Olympic insider Dan O'Brien has to say .

O'Brien is a highly decorated decathlete who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, becoming the first American to accomplish the feat since Bruce Jenner 20 years earlier. O'Brien is also a five-time U.S. champion and three-time world champion in the event, and he held the decathlon world record from 1992-99 and the heptathlon world record from 1993-2010. As a result of his achievements, O'Brien is a member of the USATF, USOC and IAAF Halls of Fame.

Now, O'Brien has broken down the 2024 Paris Olympics track & field events from every possible angle and revealed his best bets for men's pole vault, which begins Saturday. You can visit SportsLine now to see his 2024 Summer Olympics track & field medal picks .

Top 2024 Summer Olympics track & field predictions

O'Brien is high on Mondo Duplantis of Sweden is the pole vault, as the qualifications begin on Saturday in Saint-Denis, France. The expert decided to roll with the LSU product to win the gold medal as he's world champion and world record holder.

"He's a prodigy and has been living up to expectations. He's the World Champ, the Olympic champ and the world record holder," O'Brien told SportsLine. "I expect him to not just win gold here but break another WR record. He loves jumping he in this stadium and he always comes up big when the lights are the brightest." See more track & field predictions from O'Brien at SportsLine .

How to make 2024 Paris Olympics track & field picks

O'Brien has analyzed the 2024 track & field events and has locked in his silver and bronze picks, including a play on a longshot who "could shake up the top three." He's only sharing his picks here .

Who is O'Brien backing to medal in pole vault at the 2024 Olympic Games, and which athlete will shock the world? Visit SportsLine now to see Dan O'Brien's 2024 Summer Olympics track & field medal picks and analysis , all from the 1996 Olympic decathlon gold medalist who is also a three-time world champion in the event.