All of the focus will be on the morning competition of the Women's Marathon.  World Championship silver medallist Chunxiu Zhou of China has put all of her focus on this race.  Defending world champion and 2004 silver medallist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya will try to get a Gold medal.  American Deena Kastor is fourth on the all-time list and the 2004 bronze medallist but it will be tough for her to medal.  World record holder Paula Radcliffe has had trouble returning to form after pregnancy and recently a femoral stress fracture and nasty spider bite will probably keep her from being a factor although she is very tough.  Mexican imigrant Magdaleny Lewy-Boulet and Blake Russell will try to challenge but would need significant improvement to be players in this race.  Defending champion Mizuki Noguchi of Japan is out with a left thigh and groin muscle injury. 

The women's marathon will be the first of six finals on the day.  The women's 100 meters, Men's 10,000 meters, Women's 3,000 meter Steeplechase, Women's Triple Jump and Men's Hammer Throw will all be contested in the evening session. 

So far the Americans in the 100 meters have had easy races, especially Torri Edwards who didn't have to break 11.30 to win her heat and semi-final.  All of the favorites advanced to the semi-finals including Kerron Stewart, Muna Lee, Lauryn Williams, and Sherone Simpson.    Kerron Stewart was the fastest in the quarterfinals and had recently won the Jamaican Olympic Trials.  She is the favorite ahead of a healthy Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams. 

Men's 10,000 meters will feature a potential world record by legendary Keninisa Bekele of Ethiopia.  His tremendous morning performance at the Pre meet and past world championship and Olympic wins make him a solid favorite.  Teammate Sileshi Sihine has worked with him each time to defeat the competition and has silver medals in each of the last three major championships.  Athens bronze medallist Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea tried to defeat Bekele by pushing the pace.  He may surprise everyone after beating Bekele in the World Cross Country championships in Edinburgh.  Two-time Olympic 10k Gold Medallist Haile Gebreselassie will attempt to medal again.  Duck Galen Rupp will try to improve on his 11th place finish at last year's World Championship, Abdi Abdirahman will attempt to improve on his seventh place finish at the same meet.  Former US champion Jorge Torres will probably try to work with Rupp to maximize their finishing places.

Part Cherokee Lolo Jones will try to follow-up on her world indoor championship with an Olympic championship in the 100 hurdles when the first round starts.  Damu Cherry has beaten some of the top competitors this year and Dawn Harper has continued to develop in her young career since graduating from UCLA.  Jamaicans Delloreen Ennis-London and Brigitte Foster-Hylton have been running well all year and Spaniard Josephine Onyia has beaten many of the top competitors. 

American Women's 400 meter hurdlers Tiffany Williams, Sheena Tosta and Queen Harrison are among the favorites and should all make the final.  In the men's high jump Jesse Williams of the US will try to join American medallists in four of the last five Olympics.  David Jonas is the American leader, and multiple all-American Andra Manson are among the top high jumpers in the world and have a good chance to make the finals.  All three Americans made the semi-finals but Wineberg should expect to run a fast time to qualify for the finals since top two automatically qualify and she faces defending world champion Ohurogu of Great Britain and  one of the list leaders, Shericka Williams of Jamaica.  Sanya Richards will face a tougher semi-final but is the world leader and favorite for the race.  She will go against 2007 world Bronze medallist Novlene Williams-Mills, Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, third on the world list this year.  Dee Dee Trotter will face another fast closer in Brit Nicola Sanders, the World Championship runner-up, and second-ranked on the world list, Amantle Montsho of Botswana.  Men's 1,500 meter semi-finalists will have a tough time moving through with the exception of Gold medal favorite Bernard Lagat.  Lopez Lomong is the slowest of the 12 semi-finalists in his heat and Manzano is the slowest in his heat.   

The women's 3,000 meter steeplechase will be contested for the first time.  Two young Americans made the final, Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard, but the top competitors have run under 9:20, including world record holder Gulnara Galkina of Russia.  Teammates Yekaterina Volkova and Tatyana Petrova went 1-2 at the World Championships when Galkina was hurt last year. Kenya's Eunice Jepkorir was third at the world championships last year and is only behind the Russians on  the all-time list.  The Americans can finish in the top-5. 

All-time there are six triple jumpers that have surpassed 50 feet.  Four of those jumpers will be in the Olympic final.  The world record is 50-10 1/4 by Inessa Kravets of the Ukraine and in a big meet like this with so many challengers there is an excellent chance the world record will be broken. Yargelis Savigne of Cuba is the defending world champion and has won 10 of 12 meets this year. Defending Olympic champion Francoise Mbango of Cameroon had one of those wins against Savigne. '04 Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia is second on the all-time list and was second at the world championship last year. '04 Silver medallist Greek Piyi Devetzi had one of the wins against Savigne and was third at the world championships last year.

Ivan Tsikhan (Tikhon) of Belarus has won the last two world championships and won the silver at the last Olympic Games.  Stewart Togher (ex-Duck coach for those who don't know)-coached Koji Mirofushi will attempt to defend his Olympic title but a back injury and medical studies have slowed him although he has looked better lately.  There should be a tremendous battle for third or to challenge Murofushi if he does not perform to his capabilities.  Slovenian Primoz Kozmus was the silver medallist at last year's world championship and Belorusian Vadim Devyatovskiy was the silver medallist in 2005.  SMU grad Libor Charfreitag and regular Mt. SAC winner was third at the World Championships last year.  24 year-old Canadian James Steacy is making his first international final.