Ladies’ Individual Sprint Classic: 2010 Winter Olympics Odds

Petra Majdic of Slovenia is the favorite on Wednesday in 2010 Winter Olympics odds for the Ladies’ Individual Sprint Classic in Vancouver. She was sixth four years ago in the 2006 Olympics but this time she is the favorite to take the gold. Online sportsbooks have her as the +120 favorite in Winter Olympic odds to win the Ladies’ Individual Sprint Classic. Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk is probably the only one that can beat her and is listed at +150 at online sportsbooks. Majdic and Kowalczyk are the two leaders in the World Cup rankings and they are well clear of third place Aino-Kaisa Saarinen of Finland.

Majdic has 446 points in the World Cup rankings while Kowalczyk has 439 points. It is then a huge drop to Saarinen who has a total of 295 points. Rounding out the top five are Sweden’s Hanna Falk with 276 points and Slovenian Vesna Fabjan with 251 points. Four years ago in Turin it was Canadian Chandra Crawford winning the gold in the Ladies’ Individual Sprint Classic but the event has changed since that time. It is no longer skate skiing as it was in 2006, but classic. Crawford is great in skate skiing but not nearly as good in classic.

This should be a great competition between Majdic and Kowalczyk for the gold while the bronze is up for grabs. Saarinen is the likely choice since she has been in the top ten in every World Cup race this season. Saarinen is not getting a lot of respect in the odds though as she is 16-1. Alena Prochazkova and Marit Bjoergen are getting more attention as they are each 8-1 to win the gold. Online sportsbooks also have some matchups on the board for the Ladies' cross country event.

Majdic is a -140 favorite against Kowalczyk in one of the match-ups in 2010 Winter Olympics odds or cross country. Another of the match-ups has Falk as the -140 favorite against Prochazkova. Anna Olsson and Ida Ingemarsdotter faceoff as both ladies are a pick at sportsbooks while Magdalena Pajala is a -170 betting favorite against Evgenia Shapovalova. The last ladies cross country match-up on the board has Sara Renner a -160 favorite in 2010 Winter Olympic odds against Katerina Smutna.