Olympic men's 50m freestyle swimming odds: Britain's Ben Proud goes for glory

The world's fastest male swimmer will be crowned on Friday when the gold medal is decided for the 50m freestyle Olympic title in Paris.

Australian Cameron McEvoy is the 10/11 favourite for the one-length blast, but Great Britain's Ben Proud (9/4) matched his time in the semi-finals and will be confident he can finish on top of the podium.

And don't rule out defending champion Caeleb Dressel (11/2). The American has been out of sorts for a while but has proved the man for the big occasion by winning eight previous Olympic golds.

Olympic - Men's 50m Freestyle odds

• Cameron McEvoy - 10/11
• Ben Proud - 9/4
• Caeleb Dressel - 11/2
• Jordan Crooks - 16/1
• Florent Manaudou - 16/1

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(Odds were correct at time of publishing and subject to change)

Cameron McEvoy

McEvoy justified his position as the favourite to take the 50m freestyle crown as he posted the quickest time in the heats at 21.32, and that is no mean feat in an event where the slightest error can be a disaster.

The eight-man field were split by just 0.26 seconds in the semi-finals, but McEvoy will be confident he can finally get his hands on a gold medal in his fourth Olympics.

He has three bronzes to his name, all of which have come in relays, so there has been no better time for him to find the top of his game as he has built on the gold medal he won in last year's World Championships in Fukuoka in Japan in 21.06.

Ben Proud

Proud is one of the most experienced racers in the Team GB swimming squad and there is a feeling that this could be his time for glory.

Matching McEvoy's time of 21.38 in the semi-finals will have been a big boost to his confidence as he looks to improve on the fourth place he gained in the event in Rio in 2016 and the fifth he claimed in Tokyo three years ago.

Proud has already swam the second-fastest time in the world this year and his 21.25 at the British trials was the third-quickest of his career.

His performances in the heats and semi-finals mean he has lost nothing from that performance and the man who was world, European and Commonwealth champion in 2022 has a great chance of gold.

Caeleb Dressel

Caeleb Dressel is one of the most decorated American Olympic swimmers in history and he was the king of the one-length sprint in Tokyo when he blitzed the field, winning by almost half a second.

However, he has had his issues since, withdrawing from last year's World Championships, citing health issues, and the defence of his Olympic crown in Paris has not been straightforward.

Dressel has already claimed his eighth Olympic gold in the French capital as a member of the US 4x100m freestyle relay team, but he scrambled through the heats before taking second spot in his semi-final.

In such a short event, it would not take much for him to be back at the top of his game, but his performances at this meet and his previous issues suggest he has plenty to do to successfully defend his crown.

Jordan Crooks

The Cayman Islands have never won an Olympic medal, but that could change on Friday as Jordan Crooks goes for glory.

He will be seen as a lively outsider having won the second semi-final, which was admittedly slower than the one led by McEvoy and Proud, with Crooks posting a winning time of 21.54.

That performance put him right into the equation for glory, and the University of Tennessee student will remember the gold medal he took in the World Short-Course Championships in 2022, which took place in a 25-metre pool in Melbourne, Australia, when he beat Proud who was defending his title.

Florent Manaudou

Home favourite Florent Manaudou was the slowest of the eight qualifiers in the semi-finals, but he knows all about what is needed to grab glory in this event, having won in London in 2012.

He also claimed silver in both Rio and Tokyo and will be hoping he can peak at the right time to make his presence felt in what looks like an open race.