Guide to the games
All Olympians will go for the gold. In these 12 sports, Americans are favored to take it home.
Competition: Norway did not qualify to defend its Sydney gold. But Sweden and Germany pose a challenge.
When to watch: Women's gold medal match, August 26; men's gold medal match, August 28
Swimming
Buoyed by the preternatural calm of a Maryland teenager named Michael Phelps, who aims to tie or break Mark Spitz's record seven golds in one summer, the American swim team could rule the pool. Six world records fell at the U.S. trials. Meantime, the Aussies have been keeping their strokes steady by training with the Wetronome, a waterproof beeper that tucks under a cap.
Hot Shot: Aaron Peirsol, who won a silver medal for the 200-meter backstroke in Sydney, is poised for a backstroke sweep. He owns the world record in the 200-meter, the race in which he beat Phelps at the U.S. trials. Peirsol likes the attention his rival brings but adds, "We're not in this to be superfamous."
Competition: In the 200-meter freestyle, Phelps faces Australian star Ian Thorpe. Brendan Hansen broke two world records at the U.S. trials. They used to belong to Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, whom he'll race in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. Those events for the women will also feature dueling world record holders.
When to watch: Men's 200 freestyle final, August 16; men's 100 butterfly final, August 20; women's 200 breaststroke final, August 19
Track & Field
At age 37, hurdler Gail Devers is on her fifth Olympics. Rising sprint stars Allyson Felix, Shawn Crawford, and Justin Gatlin are going for the first time. Two-time Sydney gold medalist Maurice Greene is sporting a G.O.A.T. tattoo (that's "greatest of all time"). The main question is: Will whatever they do on the track outshine this year's doping scandals?
Hot Shot: An amateur Olympic history buff, Adam Nelson, silver medalist in the shot put in Sydney, explains that his sport is the only field event that will take place at the temple where the ancient games were born. He's not sure whether they will mark this particular return in the buff, in honor of the ancient sporting uniform. "I mean, completely in the nude would be an interesting twist," he jokes. A more interesting twist, as far as Nelson's concerned, would be an American shot put sweep, which he says may happen.
Competition: American Stacy Dragila and Russian Yelena Isinbayeva keep trading the world record title in the women's pole vault.
WHen to watch: Shot put, men's and women's, August 18; men's 100-meter final, August 22; pole vault and women's 400-meter final, August 24
Volleyball
American women finished out of the medals both indoors and on the beach in Sydney, but the indoor team is ranked second in the world right now.
Hot shot: It won't be snowy in Athens, as it was in the Super Bowl Visa commercial featuring a bikini-clad Misty May and Kerri Walsh practicing on a frosty beach volleyball court. Their opponents might be snowed under, however, if May bounces back from an abdominal injury and she and Walsh maintain their No. 1-ranked form. They would be the first American women to win a beach volleyball medal. "We know we're capable. We've seen all these teams before, and we're going to work our butts off," Walsh says.
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