Alpine Skiing Men’s Downhill Odds and Picks for Winter Olympics

Men’s Olympic alpine skiing gets underway on February 5 at the National Alpine Ski Centre in the Yanqing competition zone.

Winter Olympics Bookies

There will be a new men’s downhill gold medal champion as previous winner Aksel Lund Svindal retired from competitive skiing. Here’s a look at the alpine skiing men’s downhill odds and picks for the Winter Olympics.

The Favorites

The favorite on the betting board is Germany’s Simon Jocher, who most recently was fifth in the men’s combined at the 2021 World Championships. Jocher is listed at +100 to win the Olympic downhill. He finished 33 rd at the most recent World Cup event in the same race.

A heavy favorite according to many is Aleksander Aamodt-Kilde who is listed at +250. In the 2021-22 World Cup, the Norwegian has won three of eight downhill events. He leads the World Cup downhill standings with two events remaining on the schedule.

His biggest competition is likely to come from Switzerland’s Beat Fuez (+285). Fuez has placed first in 13 different World Cup downhill events. He has won two Olympic medals. Fuez took the silver in the Super G and the bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Top Contenders

Jocher, Aamodt-Kilde, and Fuez are the only skiiers listed at better than +300 odds to win the men’s downhill.

If there are two serious medal contenders outside the top three, they are Germany’s Matthias Mayer and Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt. Mayer is given +600 odds and for good reason. Mayer won the most recent men’s World Cup downhill event at Lake Louise, Canada. He has won two Olympic golds already, one of which was the 2014 men’s downhill.

Odermatt is a 24-year-old who will race in his first Olympics. In December and January alone, Odermaatt has five World Cup race wins (three in giant slalom, two in Super G). In that same time span, he also has three second-place finishes in the downhill event.

Longshots

The reigning men’s Olympic gold medal champion, Aksel Lund Svindal, retired from skiing following the 2019 World Championships. The runner-up in 2018 was Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud who also won a bronze medal in 2014 in Sochi and another silver in Vancouver in 2010.

At 36 years of age, Jansrud is not the same skier he was even four years ago. He has had his share of injuries and has expressed that this is likely his last season of competitive skiing. Jansrud last won a downhill event at the 2019 World Championships. At +1600, he offers a nice payout if he can close out his Olympic career with a monumental upset.

Three U.S. skiiers are among the top 20 on the betting board. Ryan Cochran-Siegle is the highest on the board at +3500.

Alpine Skiing Men’s Downhill Olympics Prediction

There has been a Norwegian in the top three in the men’s Olympic downhill in each of the past three Winter Olympic Games. That will not change as Aamodt-Kilde, the current World Cup leader, brings home the 2022 gold medal.

Best Bet: Aamodt-Kilde +250

Men’s Downhill Odds (Top 20 Skiers)

Simon Jocher (GER) +100

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) +250

Beat Feuz (SUI) +285

Matthias Mayer (GER) +600

Dominik Paris (ITA) +750

Marco Odermatt (SUI) +800

Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) +800

Kjetil Jansrud (NOR) +1600

Johan Clarey (FRA) +1600

Niels Hintermann (SUI) +2500

Christof Innerhofer (ITA) +2500

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) +3500

Daniel Hemetsberger (AUT) +3500

Max Franz (AUT) +5000

Bryce Bennett (USA) +5000

Travis Ganong (USA) +6500

Romed Baumann (GER) +6500

Matthieu Bailet (FRA) +6500

Daniel Danklmaier (AUT) +6500

Blaise Giezendanner (FRA) +6500

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