Especially two Olympians will be remembered long after these Olympic Games. I’m of course talking about Phelps and Bolt. Everyone who sat glued to the television set and watched Bolt’s magnificent displays can say that they saw when the fastest man ever exploded on to the Olympic scene. Twice. The record in the 100 meters was beaten with unexpected ease as Bolt pounded his chest crossing the finishing line recording a time of 9,69. That performance was of course followed by an even more impressive exhibition of the young Jamaican’s extraordinary talent. His time of 19,30 showed that nothing is impossible in an Olympic setting.

Michael Phelps hunt for Mark Spitz’s gold medal record became the expected American fairy tale. With a dramatic precision that would make Spielberg proud, Phelps was able to spellbind an entire world as he grabbed one gold after another. A couple of times it seemed as though his quest for Olympic immortality would fail. But an exceptional finish in the 100 meters butterfly and Jason Lezak’s final leg in the 4*100 relay race kept the dream alive. Phelps’ accomplishment makes him the best Olympian ever to take part in the Olympic Games. ‘The bullet from Baltimore’ leaves Beijing with eight gold medals. Not bad for a guy who hates training.

In four years time the smog of Beijing will be replaced by the smog of London as Great Britain gears up to welcome the world’s athletes. It won’t be easy to top the entertainment that Beijing has offered over the past couple of weeks but the Britons will certainly try. The Olympics are all about upstaging the previous host of the Games and I can assure you that the Londoners will put on quite a show. Until then, tata!

Kind regards, Jens

Medals Table

1 China 51 21 28 100
2 USA 36 38 36 110
3 Russia 23 21 28 72
4 Great Britain 19 13 15 47
5 Germany 16 10 15 41
6 Australia 14 15 17 46
7 South Korea 13 10 8 31
8 Japan 9 6 10 25

The marathon’s historic roots within the Olympic tradition gives the demanding competition an air of special importance among Olympic sports. This is no surprise for avid historians who will know that the name of the event has been derived from the legend of Pheidippides of Greece. Pheidippides was a Greek soldier, who became a legend when he ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the news of the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. When Pierre de Coubertin arranged the first Olympic Games in modern time the marathon was immediately accepted as one of the first points on the Olympic programme.

Despite the absence of the ever-smiling Gebrselassie, today’s race is likely to be a contest between runners from his part of the globe. Neighbouring East African countries Ethiopia and Kenya both have three strong medal contenders. Leading the charge for glory will be Kenya’s Martin Lel, the three-time London and double New York winner, whose 2:05:15 in London this year makes him the fastest of all Beijing entrants.

Predictions? I’m not making any – it’s too close to call in my opinion. The marathon is traditionally a difficult event to foresee. Especially the Olympic marathon is a tough one because people train for a this race their whole life, preferring it to big city marathons on the world circuit. Who will fare best in the difficult conditions is another factor that can’t be discarded ether. I think I will leave the predictions up to you – I’m just going to sit back, watch, and enjoy the show.

After the impressive display in the semis most people probably think that the bus ride to the stadium will be the Argentines toughest challenge on Saturday. If the players in the ‘Albiceleste’ are walking around Beijing with such thoughts they might wake up with nightmares about Adefemi, Obasi and Okonwo on Saturday night. The proud African footballing nation Nigeria hasn´t precisely sneaked in to the final. They beat Belgium handsomely in the semis with a memorable 4-1 performance. The Eagles from Africa’s west coast play in an entertaining 4-2-4 formation and their matches are always packed with technical brilliance and ghastly defensive errors, but always enjoyable to watch.

Of course there is an apparent risk that Argentina will exploit Nigeria’s less than perfect defense in today’s final. Messi and friends have been the best team in the tournament by far and they are expected to succeed also in these Olympics’ last football match. Alfio Basile has played with a team that surely would be in contention in the World Cup and it would come as a great surprise if Nigeria could repeat their upset from 12 years ago in Atlanta. We’ll just have to wait and see.

So far the Jamaican sprinters have completely destroyed their American adversaries in the events running up to the 4*100 relays today. After an American fiasco in the preliminary heats the door is open towards two more gold medals. The 1-2-3 win in the women’s 100 meters should guarantee a Jamaican victory in the women’s relay. The strength of Bolt and Powell should allow the Caribbean sprint nation to claim a second gold in the men’s event. But, as the Americans so clearly demonstrated yesterday, the relay is tricky business. The changing of the baton is harder to time than it may seem on the TV screen. Many are the top nations that have lost a “certain” gold medal to a failed change over. There is of course no vaccine against these mistakes, there’s only training.

Three men have already risen over the six meter mark this year in the men’s pole vault. This should ensure some electrifying action as the final gets underway this evening. Brad Walker of USA has cleared 6.04 this year but will face tough opposition from Russian Yevgeniy Lukyanenko (6.01m) and Australian Steven Hooker (6.00m). This very trio are likely to battle it out for the medals with Walker being the slight favourite. The young Russian might be trouble though. He is probably the next big thing and no one really knows his full capacity. Having improved his personal best by 20 cm this year the sky seems to be the limit for 22-year old Lukyanenko.

Today’s Finals

Beach Volleyball, Men’s Final
Canoe/Kayak, Flatwater, Men’s C-1, 1000m
Canoe/Kayak, Flatwater, Men’s C-2, 1000m
Canoe/Kayak, Flatwater, Men’s K-1, 1000m
Canoe/Kayak, Flatwater, Men’s K-2, 1000m
Canoe/Kayak, Flatwater, Men’s K-4, 1000m
Canoe/Kayak, Flatwater, Women’s K-4, 500m
Cycling, Women’s Cross-Country
Field Hockey, Women’s Final
Modern Pentathlon, Women
Table Tennis, Women’s Singles
Taekwondo, Women 67kg
Taekwondo, Men 80kg
Athletics, Men’s 50km Walk
Athletics, Men’s Decathlon
Athletics, Women’s Long Jump
Athletics, Men’s Pole Vault
Athletics, Women’s 5000m
Athletics, Women’s 4×100m Relay
Athletics, Men’s 4×100m Relay

At first glance, studying the Olympic starting field in this event, you might consider Roman Seberle the strong favourite to repeat his feat from four years ago in Athens and grab the gold. However, the current world record holder isn’t getting any younger. The 33 year old Czech has been struggling with injury for quite some time and he may have lost part of his explosiveness, a critical quality in many of the ten events. One who has shown plenty of explosiveness this year is Hawaiian Bryan Clay. The Athens silver medalist has hit top form in 2008 and recorded a massive 8832 points in the Olympic tryouts earlier this year, the world’s highest decathlon score since 2004. But Clay won’t rest until he’s capped the year of with an Olympic gold.

- I think there’s tons of room for improvement, Clay told AFP after the tryouts.
- I think this just goes to show everybody mentally I am a very tough competitor. I’m happy with my training, I’m happy with my mindset. I just have to get after it every event, stay focused, and do my job, Clay said.

With the best American result in 16 years boosting his confidence Clay is surely the man to beat in Beijing. Kazak Dmitriy Karpov will do his best to do just that. The man who eats bronze medals for breakfast is surely looking for some brighter steel today. Behind Clay, Seberle and Karpov there are a host of strong contenders. Perhaps is Maurice Smith of Jamaica the strongest among them. Smith, who only narrowly lost out to Seberle in last year’s World Championships, has a good 8434 points season’s best this year and looks to challenge for medals as well.

I think it’s safe to say that BMX will win the battle for the television audience. It is an action packed event that’s in sync with the times. Eight bikers will run a narrow, twisting track with plenty of jumps where collisions are inevitable. A testament to BMX’s status, despite being a newcomer, is that NBC (the American major broadcaster) will air the competition on prime time. Not even athletics will get the same treatment from the behemoth of Olympic broadcasters. One reason for this is of course the U.S. dominance in the sport. The Americans are sure to take center stage as the competitions get underway with Donny Robinson being the nominal favourite in the men’s event.

How much focus NBC will direct towards the modern pentathlon I don’t know. My guess is none, unless there’s an American in medal contention. Originally created by the founder of the modern Summer Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, the event was introduced in the Olympics already in 1912. The sport’s name rings with irony these days, as it is perhaps the least modern of all Olympic events. Not very surprising since the “modern” pentathlon simulates the experience of a 19th century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight with pistol and sword, swim, and run. Europeans have always dominated the medals in the Olympics and are set to do so once again. The Russians are especially strong with reigning Olympic Champion Moisseev and the current World Champion Frolov being amongst the top contenders.

Today’s Finals

Beach Volleyball, Women
Cycling, Men’s BMX
Cycling, Women’s BMX
Diving, Women’s 10m Platform
Equestrian, Jumping, Team
Modern Pentathlon, Men’s
Soccer, Women’s Final
Softball, Women’s Final
Swimming, Men’s Marathon 10km
Athletics, Women’s 20km Walk
Athletics, Women’s Javelin Throw
Athletics, Women’s 200m
Athletics, Men’s Triple Jump
Athletics, Men’s 400m
Athletics, Men’s 110m Hurdles
Sailing, Men’s Star
Sailing, Tornado
Water Polo, Women’s Final
Wrestling, Men’s Freestyle 84kg
Wrestling, Men’s Freestyle 96kg
Wrestling, Men’s Freestyle 120kg

The star of the tournament thus far, Christiane, has spearheaded the Brazilian attack with five goals, most of them quite spectacular. The fact that Brazil, formerly a one woman team, has offloaded Marta with not only Christiane’s performance but a stronger organization in defense means they can now be considered serious contenders for future world domination. I guess it was only a question of time before the women’s team in the country of “jogo bonito” was to match their male colleagues on the world stage. The impressive display in the semifinal against Germany shows how the team has grown of late. The Brazilians showed a lot of mental strength as they came from behind to whip the Germans with a margin of three goals. That spectacular turnaround doesn’t bode well for the U.S. team.

Even though the Americans didn’t face quite as tough opposition in their semifinal, they too managed to exhibit some fine soccer entertainment in their 4-2 win against Japan. The U.S. team was also forced to come from behind after Shinobu Ohno opened the scoring for Japan in the 16th minute. But goals from Angela Hucles and Lori Chalupny in the space of four minutes before the interval put the reigning Olympic Champions in front. Heather O’Reilly’s long-range effort in the 70th minute gave the U. S. some breathing space before Hucles added her second of the game ten minutes from time to seal the deal.

It will certainly be an intriguing kick off in the Worker’s Stadium in Beijing today. The challengers Brazil versus the U.S. who have been the dominating force in women’s soccer for some time. Marta and Christiane will be looking for Olympic revenge while the Americans aim to solidify their place at the top of the game. The game promises to be a classic clash of styles. The U.S. team will try to impose their physical game on the technically skilled Brazilians. Who is your pick to pick to win the gold medal?

Find our odds for the final – here

The injuries on World Champion Rawlinson and World Record holder Pechonkina leaves the door open for other athletes in this event. It will be interesting to see who will seize the opportunity and step out of the shadow of the dominating duo. Jamaica’s Melanie Walker may be just that athlete. She is undefeated so far this year and should be considered the pre-race favourite. Other contenders are Polands Anna Jesien and the American duo Tiffany Ross-Williams and Sheena Tosta. Nickiesha Wilson of Jamaica has been laying low this year but could also have an outside shot at the medals.

In the women’s hammer throw we’ve seen a dramatic development in results over the past couple of years. It wasn’t long ago that 70 meters was considered the height of the female throwers abilities. Results over 70 meters are today commonplace in this still young event. Only in 2008 twelve women have surpassed 74 meters. In the qualifications Cuban Yipsi Moreno led a field of strong contenders with 73.92 meters. The Athens 2004 Olympic silver medalist boasts a personal best of 76.36 and is a consistent performer over 70 meters. Her impressive record in major championships suggests that she will be a potent medal threat. Reigning world champion Betty Heidler will also be in contention together with the two powerful Belarussians Pchelnik and Miankova.

Today’s Finals

Sailing, Men’s RS:X
Sailing, Women’s RS:X
Swimming, Women’s Marathon 10km
Synchronized Swimming, Duet
Athletics, Women’s Hammer Throw
Athletics, Men’s 200m
Athletics, Women’s 400m Hurdles
Wrestling, Men’s Freestyle 66 kg
Wrestling, Men’s Freestyle 74 kg
Taekwondo, Women’s 49 kg
Taekwondo, Men’s 58 kg