Top 5 Sleepers for Cycling Track Events at the Tokyo Olympic Games

The Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony takes place on Sunday, August 8^th, but not before the cycling events in the velodrome come to a conclusion. Of the 12 cycling track events at the Summer Olympics, three (men’s keirin, women’s sprint, women’s omnium) won’t wrap up until the final afternoon.

You’ve got plenty of time to get your wagers in at the top Olympics betting sites, and I’m here to point you toward my favorite value plays.

Assessing both the men’s and women’s divisions, here are five Olympic cycling sleeper picks worth a look.

A lot can happen once the derny breaks off the track in the men’s keirin event, including seeing Azizulhasni Awang motor past his foes. The 33-year-old Malaysian, better known as “The Pocket Rocketman,” looks to pad his resume after becoming the first Malaysian cyclist to win a medal at the Olympic Games. Azizulhasni took home the bronze medal in Rio thanks to his efforts in the keirin.

In a July 15^th interview with Kyodo News, the Pocket Rocketman was quick to point out the strides he has taken since 2016.

Azizulhasni noted that he’s put on about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) since the festivities in Brazil, specifically adding muscle mass to his lower extremities.

Most familiar with women’s cycling predict that the women’s sprint final will be a two-horse race between Emma Hinze and Lee Wai Sze. That may very well be the case, but if there’s a woman who can throw a wrench into those plans, it’s one of Hinze’s fellow countrywomen.

Enter Germany’s, Lea Friedrich.

Just 21-years-old with a bright future ahead, the 4x Junior world champion won the 500 m time trial at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. At the same event, Lea was a vital member of Germany’s women’s sprint team that also took home the gold.

Those searching for Olympic cycling picks screaming with upside, take a hard look at backing Friedrich to win the women’s sprint in Tokyo.

After capturing a spot on the podium in Rio thanks to hoisting a bronze medal in the individual sprint, Denis Dmitriev is hungry for more. Arguably the most decorated European sprint cyclist of all time, the 35-year-old Russian set a goal of winning a gold medal in this particular event some four years ago, knowing it could be his last hurrah.

With most eyes on Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland, Dmitriev is more than capable of staging a worthy performance. Worth noting, Denis held off Lavreysen to win gold in the individual sprint race at the World Track Cycling Championships in Hong Kong (2017).

None of the podium finishers from the women’s omnium event at the 2016 Rio Games have returned in 2021 (in the omnium event). However, fifth-place finisher Amalie Dideriksen is back, and she’s no longer a 20-year-old “pup.”

Now 25 and armed with a wealth of experience, the Danish rider who specializes in sprint races should be a force to be reckoned with in Tokyo.

Dideriksen feels confident in her training process and remarked that the new omnium format (four events in one day as opposed to six events in two days) bodes well for her chances.

I’ll admit that I’m all over Benjamin Thomas winning the men’s omnium race. It’s penciled in as one of my best cycling picks for the Tokyo Olympics.

Having said that, if there’s one man who can chase Thomas down, it’s got to be Matthew Walls. The 23-year-old Englishman won gold in the omnium at the 2018 UCI Track World Cup; he’s dominated the omnium event at the National Track Championships.

When I say dominated, I mean he’s won first place in the omnium at the NTC three years running.

I’ve unveiled five Olympic cycling sleeper picks for the track races in Tokyo. Rather than squeeze in a few segments about betting on the road races, have a gander at the post linked below.

It’s devoted to all things surrounding the men’s and women’s road races at the Tokyo Summer Games.