With the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing starting on February 4, BetUS sportsbook odds for the marquee global event are heating up. Among the many events on the docket, alpine skiing is one of the premier events to spot at the Beijing Games.
There are 11 sets of awards up for grabs in alpine skiing at the Beijing Games. Below we look at some of the top contender fans of winter sports should spot in betting online markets.
Top Contenders
Mikaela Shiffrin: Skier To Beat
American Mikaela Shiffrin is again the favorite to win gold in the women’s race. She was the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history at 18 years and 345 days. She won her first Olympic gold medal in the slalom at Sochi in 2014. Her second came in the giant slalom at Pyeongchang in 2018. She also won a silver in the combination event at the 2018 Winter Games.
Ready to head to @Beijing2022 to compete…with a little help from my friend @KygoMusic (+ DNCE/@joejonas ). 💃🙃 pic.twitter.com/o0ZVisONKc
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2022
Defending a medal in alpine skiing isn’t straightforward. In the history of the sport, only five skiers have managed to win back-to-back gold medals. If this trend holds true, the potential for a new champion is greater than the odds would have it.
Nevertheless, Shiffrin is the big star of the event, and she comes into Beijing on the back of four medals at the 2021 World Championships. Quite rightly, she is the favorite in the three events she expects to compete in next month. But she will be sorely tested.
Two-Sport Sensation Ester Ledecka did the seemingly impossible in Pyeongchang, winning gold medals in snowboarding and skiing. The Czech star won gold medals in the super-G in alpine skiing and in the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding, becoming the first athlete to win two gold medals in different disciplines at the Winter Olympics. The crazy thing about her incredible accomplishment is that she used borrowed skies to win the gold in the super-G.
🇨🇿 Czech this out!
🏂 Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic takes gold in the women’s parallel giant slalom at PyeongChang 2018. 🥇#StrongerTogether | @fissnowboard | @LedeckaEster pic.twitter.com/HwwV27rSAh
— Olympics (@Olympics) January 25, 2022
Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland) Sofia Goggia (Italy) and Corine Suther (Switzerland) are just a few of the skiers that are ready to challenge Shiffrin for the gold.
Mathieu Febvre Tops Men’s Field
France’s Mathieu Febvre is installed as the top favorite in the men’s field according to the Olympics betting odds, but the men’s field might be more wide open than the markets would have it in alpine skiing.
Austria’s Marcel Hirscher retired in 2019. The eight-time World Cup title-holder and two-time Olympic champion’s departure opens the door for a slew of skiers from Austria and beyond.
Febvre won gold in the parallel giant slalom and giant slalom at the 2021 World Championships, while Austria’s Matthias Mayer is the reigning world champion in the super-giant and downhill. Mayere is also a gold medalist in the super giant (2018) and the downhill (2014).
⛷️Pure SPEED!
🇦🇹Austria’s Matthias Mayer, a double Olympic champion in Alpine Skiing, took gold at Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018. 🥇#StrongerTogether | @fisalpine pic.twitter.com/OTfUfJwfbH
— Olympics (@Olympics) January 20, 2022
Another solid contender is five-time Olympic medalist and 2019 world champion in downhill Kjetil Jansrud of Norway. Alexis Penturo, a silver medalist in combination and bronze medalist in giant slalom in 2018, is a serious contender to medal in Beijing. As well, Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria is a skier to pay close attention to.
Norway Clear Leaders
Norway is the clear leader in the Winter Olympics according to the Olympics odds at BetUS. The Norweigians are favored to bring in the biggest haul of gold medals with odds trading at -500. Norway is also favored to win the most medals overall at odds of -700.
