Phillips Idowu has major chance to recapture Commonwealth crown

Coral are celebrating the last night of track and field athletics at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with markets on several of the nine sets of medals on offer.

See our separate article for the Men’s and Women’s relays, but here our experts concentrate mostly on the field action.

Men’s Triple Jump
England number one Phillips Idowu, who almost retired from the sport last year, starts as the 15/8 favourite for a gold medal, which would cement his return to the sandpit. He went second furthest in qualifying with 16m 70cm, just behind 9/4 Nigerian chance Tosin Oke, who jumped a season’s best 16m 75cm. Idowu won the Commonwealth title at Melbourne 2006, however.

South Africa’s Godfrey Mokoena (5/2) and Indian athlete Arpinder Singh (13/2) complete the likely medal picture, as they were the only names to also go beyond 16m 50cm to make the final. There is other English interest in this event, but Nathan Fox (33/1) and Nathan Douglas (50/1) are rank outsiders to secure a shock Commonwealth crown.

Women’s Pole Vault
Reigning champion Alana Boyd (Australia) is odds-on at 4/11 to retain the title she won in New Delhi four years ago here. England’s Sally Peak (5/1) and Northern Irish vaulter Zoe Brown (7/1) are also in contention for places on the podium.

Men’s Javelin
Kershorn Walcott, of Trinidad and Tobago, laid down a major marker in qualifying by launching a national record throw of 85m 28cm. As a result, Coral make him the odds-on 1/3 favourite, but punters should be wary of previous inconsistencies from Walcott at major championships. He took gold at the London Olympics, but failed to make the world final last season.

It’s Kenyan athlete Julius Yego (5/2) and New Zealand’s Stuart Farquhar (25/1), a silver medallist at the last Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, that should mount the biggest challenge to Walcott in this field event.

Men’s 1500m
Impressive Kenyan middle distance runner Ronald Kwemoi is a strong odds-on favourite at 1/5. Compatriot James Kiplagat Magut (9/1) and Nick Willis of New Zealand (11/2), both medallists four years ago, will be looking to better their rostrum places here, however.