Guide to the games
All Olympians will go for the gold. In these 12 sports, Americans are favored to take it home.
Basketball
With No. 2 NBA draft pick Emeka Okafor rounding out the ranks, the United States is sending its youngest squad since pros started playing. (The old man is the 76ers' Allen Iverson at 29.) On the women's side, so many players come from the WNBA that the league is shutting down in August.
Hot shot: Lisa Leslie returns for her third Olympics. In Sydney, she made headlines for a slight altercation with Australia's Lauren Jackson. In a game, Jackson yanked out Leslie's hair extension. Is Leslie planning a defensive 'do'? No way: "My hair will be done however I want."
Competition: The U.S. women, who got the gold in '00, again seem unbeatable. But the American men did lose to Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro in the 2002 World Championships.
WHEN TO WATCH: Both the men's and women's gold medal matches are on August 28. (All Olympic events are airing on NBC networks; check local listings for times and channels.)
Boxing
The Sydney games marked the first time in 52 years that no American boxer won gold. This time around, Americans failed to qualify in two of the 11 weight classes.
Hot shot: "I'm going to claim the gold medal, as humble as I can be," says Andre Ward. Known for his crisp punches, the 20-year-old light heavyweight--who plans to go pro after the Olympics--has a pair of national championships to back up his boast.
Competition: Cuba and Russia consistently dominate.
When to watch: The gold medal finals are August 28 and 29.
Cycling
Lance Armstrong dropped out, but there's plenty of action, especially in "keirin" : Cyclists jockey for position behind a motorcycle for several laps, then sprint when the hog pulls off the course.
HOT SHOTS: For multiday stage races, Tour de France participant Tyler Hamilton is strong in the hills, but watch for sprinters George Hincapie and Jason McCartney, who won a stage in the competitive Tour de Georgia. And don't forget the women: Road cyclist Dede Barry is ranked 13th in the world, while track racers Jenny Reed and Erin Mirabella are top-five finishers.
COMPETITION: Vying against Mirabella will be a clutch of Europeans and Sarah Ulmer, a New Zealander whose spiffy new bike has superlow handlebars.
When to Watch: Road cycling finals, August 14, 15, and 18; track competition, August 20-25; men's keirin final, August 25; mountain biking finals, August 27-28
Diving
She already has a Wheaties box. And a gold medal--the first by an American diver in the women's 10-meter platform event in 36 years and won while wearing a kayak shoe to support her broken foot as she climbed the platform. Now 26-year-old Laura Wilkinson (far right) wants to make sure another few decades don't go by before the next U.S. victory.
Hot shot: Wilkinson, who took time off from training and got married after Sydney, plans to add "a flip or a twist to everything" to boost her chances.
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