Hopes are high with punters backing the Irish athletes to take home medals from the Olympics

Superstar sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke along with Sharlene Mawdsley leads the charge on track for Team Ireland at the Olympics with Adeleke moved into 5/1 from 8/1 by bookie BoyleSports to land the women’s 400m title at the Olympic Games.

The Tallaght native holds the Irish women’s 100m, 200m and 400m records and lost out on gold by just nine-tenths of a second at last month’s European Athletics Championships.

Adeleke did top the podium however in the mixed relay 4x400m event in what was a sparkling performance from Team Ireland in Rome and the team also included Tipperary superstar Sharlene Mawdsley who hails from Newport and began her career at Newport AC. 

The pair have ran well together and hopes are high the Irish team can feature within the medal positions over the coming weeks. 

County Down middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean (50/1) added to the gold tally in the Stadio Olympico coming home in front in the women’s 1500m final, but will struggle to pin-back Kenyan star Faith Kipyegon who is a red-hot favourite with the bookies at 1/5. 

With Adeleke leading Team Ireland on the track, a team of 133 athletes will descend on the French capital in what is the biggest ever team Ireland has sent to the Olympics.

Three golds in Atlanta in 1996 remains Ireland’s most lucrative games but confidence is growing a record gold medal haul is within touching distance.

Cork-based rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan, boxer Kellie Harrington, pommel horse gymnast Rhys McClenaghan and swimmer Daniel Wiffen are all favourites with BoyleSports in their respective events.

The bookie rates a record haul of four gold medals at just 3/1, with Ireland odds-on at 4/5 to at least equal the current record of three.

Brian O’Keeffe, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “Ireland is sending its biggest ever team to the Olympic Games and confidence is high that records will be broken. We have a favourite’s chance in a whole host of events and that’s testament to the strength of the team heading to Paris.”

4/5        Ireland to win at least three gold medals

3/1        Ireland to win at least four gold medals

Women’s 400m Winner

4/6        Marileidy Paulino

6/5        Nikisha Pryce

5/1        Rhasidat Adeleke

11/2      Natalia Kaczmarek

14/1 Bar

Women’s 1500m Winner

1/5        Faith Kipyegon

6/1        Gudaf Tsegay

15/2      Jessica Hull

10/1      Sifan Hassan

10/1      Diribe Welteji

16/1      Haylom Birke

33/1      Laura Muir

50/1      Ciara Mageean

66/1 Bar