A number of intriguing events in the pool highlight Thursday’s 2024 Paris Olympics schedule. Among those is the women’s 200-meter butterfly, which features Canada’s Summer McIntosh (-280), the clear favorite to take the gold. Her top competition when the event gets underway at 2:30 p.m. ET will come from former world record holder Regan Smith (+500) of the United States. Also expected to vie for a spot on the medals stand include Yufei Zhang (+900) of China, Elizabeth Dekkers (+2000) of Australia and Alex Shackell (+3500) of the United States.
Another event that may feature some drama is the women’s 200-meter breaststroke. The favorite is defending Olympic champion Tatiana Smith (-210) of South Africa, while American Kate Douglass is at +240. The event is slated to get started at 3:03 p.m. ET. Smith won gold earlier in Paris in the 100-meter breaststroke and has earned gold in the 200 breaststroke at three previous world events – the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 World Championships. Douglass, meanwhile, won silver in the 200 breaststroke at the past two World Cups. Before locking in any 2024 Summer Olympics picks on those events or others, you need to see what SportsLine…
