2022 Beijing Winter Games odds: Best bets and picks for speed skating, men's downhill and more from Olympics expert

It could be a historically fast men's downhill by the time the Alpine skiing discipline is over on Saturday night at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The past three Winter Games men's downhill competitions have been won with average speeds in the mid-to- low-60-mph range. The Olympic record is 67.8 mph, set by France's Antoine Deneriaz when he took the 2006 gold medal in Turin. Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the world's top-ranked downhill skier (and boyfriend of American star Mikaela Shiffrin), set the pace in Friday's training runs with an average speed of 68 mph.

Kilde is the +165 favorite in the men's downhill odds, followed by Switzerland's Beat Feuz (+350) and Germany's Matthias Mayer (+650). Americans Ryan Cochran-Siegle (+3500) and Bryce Bennett (+4000) are major long shots. The event begins at 11 p.m. ET. 

Before locking in any Beijing Olympics 2022 picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's Olympics expert, Mike Tierney, has to say. (Head over to SportsLine's 2022 Olympics page for more analysis and updates.)

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. For Rio in 2016, Tierney profited big-time. He told readers to bet Over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and Over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes.

For the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Tierney hit two of his three predictions: Germany (+200) to win the most gold medals and the United States winning Under 10.5 gold medals (+110). And at last year's Tokyo Games, he correctly predicted the United States would go Over 111.5 total medals (-110).

Now, Tierney has analyzed Saturday's and Sunday's action and identified three best bets. We can tell you  he is taking Feuz (+350) to pull the upset and win gold. Kilde is a World Cup champion, but he's certainly not unbeatable and tends to struggle in major competitions. The Swiss skiier finished just on the Norwegian's heels in training runs, and Tierney thinks Feuz has the speed to end up on top the podium.

Tierney also has picks in men's 5,000-meter speed skating and men's normal hill ski jumping. One of these picks would be a major upset that would pay off at around 5-1. You ABSOLUTELY need to see what he has to say before locking in your picks. 

Who wins gold in men's 5,000-meter speed skating and ski jumping? And what long shot would bring a nice payout of close to 5-1? Join SportsLine right now to find out which athletes you should back, all from the expert who has crushed his Olympic picks!

Tierney's picks and analysis (Posted Friday): 

Speed Skating, Men's 5,000 Meters (3:30 a.m., Sunday)
Patrick Roest, Netherlands (+500)

There are favorites, and then there is Nils van Der Pole of Sweden at a minuscule -400. He has ruled the event for two years, in large part by daringly skating closer to the blocks than any competitor, which shaves off the distanced traveled. There is risk of disqualification involved, however, and those who play it safer could be rewarded. Roest, second on the odds board, hails from a nation rich in speedskaters, and he might be the best of the Netherlands' bunch. Regardless, the price on the top choice is too short.
Odds: Caesars

Ski Jumping, Men's Normal Hill (5 a.m., Sunday)
Karl Geiger, Germany (+300)

Geiger, the presumptive top pick until recently, fell out of favor after a so-so training run that followed a 19th place in the latest World Cup event, which dropped him to second in the overall standings. However, that was in the large hill category, and other competitors struggled during training in unpleasant weather conditions. Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan has replaced Geiger with the shortest odds at +275. Geiger, a veteran at 28, can call on his experience to right the ship.
Odds: Caesars

Alpine Skiing, Men's Downhill (11 p.m., Saturday)
Beat Feuz, Switzerland (+350)

The favorite, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, is a fitness fanatic whose girlfriend is American star skier Mikaela Shiffrin. Though he may be envied, Kilde is hardly assured a gold. Consistency has guided him to an overall World Cup championship, but he tends not to medal in the major events. Feuz finished a half-second off Kilde's leading pace in Friday's training run. While Swiss compatriot Marco Odermatt is the overall World Cup leader, his unappealing time in training -- more than two seconds slower than Kilde -- does not bode well.
Odds: DraftKings

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