Paris Olympics 2024 Tips: Expect more Ingebrigtsen woe on Saturday

• Hilly marathon an unusual test that can throw-up surprise

• Eventful qualification makes Men's High Jump wide open

• 100/1101.00 Obst can cause a surprise in Women's Javelin

• 4/111.36 Kipyegon can claim redemption; Ingebrigtsen may struggle

• Denmark's Morkov can repeat Tokyo success in Madison

• Use Betfair's Safer Gambling during the Paris 2024 Olympics

Hilly Marathon course brings in outsiders

For most, the stories of the Men's Marathon focus around those athletes present and absent: Eliud Kipchoge (KENYA) 3/14.00 seeking to become the first back-to-back winner of three Olympic Marathon titles; his rivalry with Kenenisa Bekele (ETHIOPIA) 11/112.00, which first emerged when the duo competed in the 2003 World Championships in Paris; and the absence of marathon phenom Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car crash in February with the marathon world seemingly at his feet.

For punters, though, the real focus should be the Parisian course, as it is like no other course these athletes ever compete on. With 440m of elevation gain, it has four times the climbing of the London Marathon route, and twice that of New York. More significantly, most of that elevation comes from two climbs: one long haul up between 15 and 26km in, and another steeper climb around 28km. Remarkably, gradients are as steep as 13.5% in places.

With recent form becoming largely irrelevant, then, it may well be that this course throws up a surprise. With this in mind, GB's Emile Cairess 150/1151.00 is of interest. He prepares methodically for his marathons, and runs them conservatively, like when he finished third at the London Marathon in April.

Aside from Cairess, Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITALY) 20/121.00, Morhad Amdouni (FRANCE) 20/121.00, and Leonard Korir (USA) 100/1101.00 are all more attractive betting propositions than favourite Benson Kipruto (KENYA) 11/102.11

Bro-mancing high jumpers may struggle in final

High jumping bro-mancers Gianmarco Tamberi (ITALY) 7/24.50 and Mutaz Barshim (QATAR) 5/23.50 experienced dramatic qualifying for Saturday's final. Tamberi, only released from hospital a few days ago with kidney stones, failed to clear 2.27 and only just scraped through, whilst Barshim looked to sustain a calf injury on his way to clearing the same height.

This leaves Hamish Kerr (NEW ZEALAND) 17/102.70 as favourite. Kerr has been consistent this year, winning the World Indoors title and picking up Diamond League wins in London and Monaco, but those odds look skinny. A better option is Woo Sang-hyeok (SOUTH KOREA) 9/25.50. Joint fourth in the world this year, the 2022 World Indoor champion will relish the Olympic stage.

Open Women's Javelin can go way of 100/1101.00 Obst

Haruka Kitaguchi (JAPAN) 11/53.20 is well placed to add an Olympic title to her World Championship gold from Budapest, but the Women's Javelin is an open contest, with seven athletes having gone over 65 metres this season, and with Diamond League wins spread out amongst them.

Preference is for the somewhat speculative Marie-Therese Obst (NORWAY) 100/1101.00, who came third in the European Championships in Rome earlier this season with an improved personal best and can go further again here.

Ingebrigtsen and Kipyegon face different 4/111.36 tests

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NORWAY) 4/111.36 will be seeking redemption in the Men's 5,000m final on Saturday night, which he qualified for with ease. Twice world champion at the distance, Ingebrigtsen has the tactical speed to add an Olympic gold; however, it's worth noting that his personal best is 12 seconds slower than Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETHIOPIA) 9/25.50, and that there are a host of other East Africans who have gone faster than Ingebrigtsen of late. Provided at least one of his rivals is prepared to make this fast, Ingebrigtsen may well go home from Paris 2024 empty handed.

A close third in the Men's 10,000m, preference is for Grant Fisher (USA) 12/113.00, who has shown he is in form and has the humility to run tactically-astute races that get him results.

Also 4/111.36, Faith Kipyegon is seeking her own kind of redemption in the Women's 1,500m, after a surprise loss and near-disqualification in the 5,000m, for which she was the short odds-on favourite. Her task looks easier than Ingebrigtsen's, and she should have the better of Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji 4/15.00.

Morkov can repeat Danish gold in Men's Madison

In the velodrome, Saturday will see the gold medal decided in the Men's Madison. In a sport that specialises in bizarre formats, the madison seems quite mundane, merely seeing riders take turns to catapult each other round the track.

The Netherlands 2/13.00 are world champions and the pairing of Jan Willem van Schip and Yoeri Havik will be hard to beat. Those odds look skinny, though.

Oliver Wood and Ethan Hayter make up the GB 3/14.00 team. They took silver at last year's World Championships in Glasgow and are expected to improve, but Hayter's fatigue is a concern. Bradley Wiggins famously capitulated in the Madison after a punishing Olympic programme in 2008, leaving Mark Cavendish medal-less, and Hayter looked spent in the Omnium.

Taking a punt on Denmark 13/114.00 is the way to go. Michael Morkov won the Olympic gold in Tokyo, and can repeat here.

Now read more Paris 2024 Olympics tips and previews here.