Georgia Bell is worth a bet at big odds

World Athletics Championships betting tips: Best bets for women's track & field

By Rory Jiwani

Other Sports

Thu September 18, 2025 · 3M ago

Rory Jiwani is back to preview the upcoming World Athletics Championships, with five bets in his staking plan for the women's track and field events.

World Athletics Championships betting tips: Women's track & field

2pts Masai Russell to win 100m hurdles at 11/4 (William Hill)

1pt Salwa Eid Naser to win 400m at 9/2 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)

1pt Sarah Mitton to win shot put at 9/2 (BetMGM, VirginBet)

0.5pt Georgia Hunter-Bell to win 800m at 20/1 (bet365, William Hill

0.5pt Mary Moraa to win 800m at 33/1 (bet365)

Women's 800m heats begin today at 1158 BST; women's 400m final follows at 1424

The World Athletics Championships take place in Tokyo over the next week or so. The main point to make before we get into some of the events in detail is that this event is taking place very late in the season. That means some of the athletes have been on the go for a long time. This is of specific importance in track events where there are heats and semi-finals before the final.

A couple of other notes: blistering times during the season may look like accurate form guides but, at championships, there are no pacemakers. This means that middle and long-distance races are often more tactical affairs.

Unfortunately, no one seems to have priced up anything at 1500m or beyond just yet. And the big one, as far as betting is concerned, is that the bookies are almost always win-only for these World Championships.

In the columns I wrote for the last World Championships, I racked up the second places and only picked one winner thanks to the mother of all anchor legs from Femke Bol in the women’s 4x400m relay. Thankfully, that was my biggest stake of the event so we ended up in profit, but be prepared for frustration at hitting the crossbar over these nine days.

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I’m going to start with a look at the women’s events, largely because one of my main men’s bets has not been priced up yet. Keely Hodgkinson is the standout in the 800m, but the Olympic champion has run just twice this season after a long-term hamstring injury. For all that she was incredibly impressive in the Silesia and Lausanne Diamond League meetings, I can’t help but think that she may not be ready for three races in four days.

With the Briton as short as 1/10 to win gold, my strategy is to chuck a couple of darts at big prices against her. One is training partner GEORGIA HUNTER-BELL who won 1500m bronze at last year’s Paris Olympics but has chosen to drop down in distance.

Hunter-Bell ran a personal best to take a close second behind home favourite Audrey Werro in the Zurich Diamond League Final with the Swiss getting first run on her. I don’t think she’ll make that mistake again and, if Hodgkinson fails to produce her best, Hunter-Bell is one athlete who could profit and 20/1 with bet365 and William Hill is a tempting price.

Another is MARY MORAA who won the 400m trials at the Kenyan trials, relying on her wilcard into the 800m as the reigning world champion. While her strategy has flummoxed her rivals in the past, she has largely beaten herself this season with odd changes in tempo.

However, with no pacemaker - and if Hodgkinson is shy of her best - Moraa can settle back into her usual modus operandi of leading from the front, stacking up the field and then kicking clear. While she has been below-par for much of the season, I would not be surprised to see her raise her game for her title defence and 33/1 with bet365 is too big.

Mary Moraa

To see Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at odds-against for any race is a surprise, and that is the case in the 400m. The American has been in a class of her own in the 400m hurdles for the last few years with her excellent flat speed. Now she takes on world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulinho with Femke Bol a short-priced favourite for the hurdles. While it’s not my sort of price, the Dutchwoman’s odds of 2/9 with Paddy Power are a tad bigger than I expected.

Back to the flat version and it looked a two-horse race before the Diamond League Final. Then 2019 world champion SALWA EID NASER beat Paulinho with a time of 48.70. The Bahraini served a whereabouts ban after that Doha success, but has the two fastest times in the world this year.

I remember watching McLaughlin-Levrone in near-shock at not coming close to Sanya Richards Ross’ US Record (also 48.70) at the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami. And I’m left puzzled as to why she has not been able to eclipse it - nor her personal best of 48.74 from two years ago - since switching to the flat full-time, and especially at the US Trials on the famously quick Eugene track.

Could it be that her exploits of years past are catching up with her? She may have to improve on her PB to beat Eid Naser, and I think there’s enough doubt there to make the Nigerian-born athlete a bet at 9/2.

The 100m hurdles is one of the most competitive events of the meet with a number of possible winners. But I think MASAI RUSSELL has proved recently that she is the woman to beat.

Grace Stark was the most impressive hurdler in the middle of the season with Olympic champion Russell out for two months with an ankle injury. That setback may have been fortunate timing given the length of the season, and she beat Stark cosily at the US Trials.

Masai Russell (left)

Russell then blitzed a high-class field in the Silesia Diamond League meet in 12.19. Only she has run quicker this season, her national record of 12.17 set in Miami in early May which is the second-fastest time in history. Tia Jones, who was just behind her in Miami, tore her Achilles at the US Trials and so misses Tokyo.

You can put her defeat to Nadine Visser in Lausanne a few days later to one side as that was held in torrential rain. In normal conditions. the Dutchwoman and Ackera Nugent - who won the Diamond League Final - have a good tenth to find on the clock against Russell who showed she can certainly produce on the big occasion in Paris last year. At 11/4 with William Hill, she is a confident pick.

Chase Jackson (formerly Ealey) is a short-priced favourite to complete a hat-trick of shot put titles. However, at last year’s Paris Olympics, she failed to make the final after two fouls and then a sub-standard effort on the third attempt.

While she has the four best throws in the world this year, the American has suffered a number of defeats including at the Diamond League Final. Victory went to Jessica Schilder but that was only after SARAH MITTON was disqualified in bizarre circumstances.

The Canadian threw 20.67m having been initially thought to have stepped out of the circle after the shot had landed. But on review, and after she had been presented with the winner’s trophy, it was found she had fouled and she was demoted to third behind Schilder (20.26m) and Jackson (20.08m).

Losing out on the win and prize money has certainly fired up Mitton who told CBC she needs to show Diamond League officials that “I am the best thrower in the world”. The pressure will all be on Jackson and, if she underperforms, Mitton looks best-placed to take advantage. Her price of 9/2 with BetMGM and VirginBet appears fair enough.

Preview published at 1440 BST on 08/09/25