Each day I’ll be doing a fairly extensive but “just the facts, ma’am” preview. For something a little more narrative, head on over to Flotrack.
Some notes: names in gold, silver or bronze are the medal position predicted by Track and Field News, and all times are Eastern. “Gambler’s picks” are the odds in the UK.
Remember, you can watch live online at NBCOlympics.com
You also want to follow the IAAF’s live blog, they do a fantastic job.
Scheduled TV coverage
All times Eastern; check your local listings at NBCOlympics.com
| NBC | 10:45-11:00am | Qualifying heats in several events, including the men’s 5000m. That event should pit Londoner Mo Farah against Bernard Lagat, the U.S. record holder, who beat Lagat for the 2011 world crown. |
| NBC | 1:15-2:00pm | Qualifying rounds in Track & Field, including the men’s Pole Vault and 5000m, and the women’s 800m. |
| NBC | 4:30-5:00pm | LIVE coverage of the decathlon 400m |
| NBC | 8:00pm-midnight | Gold is determined on the beach (women’s final) and track (men’s 110m hurdles). Plus, women’s platform Diving. |
| NBC | 12:05-1:05am | Qualifying rounds in the men’s javelin and women’s BMX Cycling. |
Morning Session
5:00 AM Men’s Pole Vault qualifying round
Qualifying format: top twelve or everyone over 5.70m, whichever is greater, qualify to Friday’s final
Start list
Notables in Group A: Björn Otto (GER), Malte Mohr (GER), Konstadínos Filippídis (GRE), Lukasz Michalski (POL), Steven Lewis (GBR), Steven Hooker (AUS), Jeremy Scott (USA), Derek Miles (USA)
Notables in Group B: Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), Brad Walker (USA), Raphael Holzdeppe (GER), Lázaro Borges (CUB)
5:00 AM Women’s Hammer Throw qualifying round (Group A)
Qualifying format: top twelve qualify to Friday’s final, with 73.00m or better doing so automatically
Start list
Notable athletes: Betty Heidler (GER), Tatyana Lysenko (RUS), Anita Wlodarczyk (POL), Yipsi Moreno (CUB), Alena Matoshka (BLR),
5:10 AM Decathlon 100 Meters
Start list
Here are the kind of marks you can expect out of the leading contenders. I list them in their expected order of finish at the end of the decathlon…
Ashton Eaton (USA) 10.28
Trey Hardee (USA) 10.40
Leonel Suarez (CUB) 11.10
Pascal Behrenbruch (GER) 10.90
Eelco Sintnicolaas (NED) 10.75
Hans van Alphen (BEL) 11.05
And here’s how I see the scoring adding up, both for the whole thing and after this event…
| Athlete | Final Projection | After This Event |
| Eaton | Winner | Leader |
| Hardee | -314 | -29 |
| Suarez | -506 | -190 |
| Behrenbruch | -566 | -145 |
| Sintnicolaas | -569 | -111 |
| van Alphen | -609 | -178 |
5:45 AM Men’s 5000 Meters heats
Qualifying format: top five in each heat plus five more on time qualify to Saturday’s finals
Start list
Notables by heat…
Heat 1: Mo Farah (GBR), Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH), Isiah Koech (KEN), Edwin Soi (KEN), Lopez Lomong (USA)
Heat 2: Dejen Gebremeskel (ETH), Bernard Lagat (USA), Yenew Alamirew (ETH), Thomas Longosiwa (KEN), Galen Rupp (USA), Moses Kipsiro (UGA), Cam Levins (CAN)
6:10 AM Decathlon Long Jump
Start list
The kinds of marks you can expect…
Ashton Eaton (USA) 7.95m
Trey Hardee (USA) 7.50m
Leonel Suarez (CUB) 7.20m
Pascal Behrenbruch (GER) 7.00m
Eelco Sintnicolaas (NED) 7.30m
Hans van Alphen (BEL) 7.45m
How I see the scoring…
| Athlete | Final Projection | After This Event |
| Eaton | Winner | Leader |
| Hardee | -314 | -142 |
| Suarez | -506 | -376 |
| Behrenbruch | -566 | -379 |
| Sintnicolaas | -569 | -273 |
| van Alphen | -609 | -304 |
6:25 AM Women’s Hammer Throw qualifying round (Group B)
Qualifying format: top twelve qualify to Friday’s final, with 73.00m or better doing so automatically
Start list
Notable athletes: Aksana Miankova (BLR), Wenxiu Zhang (CHN), Gulfiya Khanafeyeva (RUS), Mariya Bespalova (RUS), Kathrin Klaas (GER)
6:35 AM Women’s 800 Meters heats
Qualifying format: top three in each heat plus six more on time qualify to tomorrow’s semifinals
Start list
Notables by heat…
Heat 1: Caster Semenya (RSA), Alysia Johnson Montano (USA),
Heat 2: Mariya Savinova (RUS), Alice Schmidt (USA)
Heat 3: Francine Niyonsaba(BDI), Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN), Jessica Smith (CAN) (Fantu Magiso ETH withdrawn)
Heat 4: Pamela Jelimo (KEN), Geena Gall (USA), Lynsey Sharp (GBR)
Heat 5: Elena Arzhakova (RUS), Nataliia Lupu (UKR), Melissa Bishop (CAN)
Heat 6: Ekaterina Poistogova (RUS), Sarah Attar (KSA) notable by representing Saudi Arabia
7:10 AM Decathlon Shot Put
Start list
The kinds of marks you can expect…
Ashton Eaton (USA) 14.35m
Trey Hardee (USA) 15.60m
Leonel Suarez (CUB) 14.50m
Pascal Behrenbruch (GER) 16.20m
Eelco Sintnicolaas (NED) 14.25m
Hans van Alphen (BEL) 15.10m
Here’s how I see the scoring…
| Athlete | Final Projection | After This Event |
| Eaton | Winner | Leader |
| Hardee | -314 | -165 |
| Suarez | -506 | -467 |
| Behrenbruch | -566 | -365 |
| Sintnicolaas | -569 | -379 |
| van Alphen | -609 | -358 |
Afternoon Session
1:00 PM Decathlon High Jump
Start list
The kinds of marks you can expect…
Ashton Eaton (USA) 2.08m
Trey Hardee (USA) 2.00m
Leonel Suarez (CUB) 2.06m
Pascal Behrenbruch (GER) 1.97m
Eelco Sintnicolaas (NED) 1.95m
Hans van Alphen (BEL) 2.00m
Here’s how I see the scoring…
| Athlete | Final Projection | After This Event |
| Eaton | Winner | Leader |
| Hardee | -314 | -240 |
| Suarez | -506 | -486 |
| Behrenbruch | -566 | -467 |
| Sintnicolaas | -569 | -499 |
| van Alphen | -609 | -433 |
2:05 PM Men’s Javelin Throw qualifying round (Group A)
Qualifying format: top twelve qualify to Friday’s final, with 73.00m or better doing so automatically
Start list
Notable athletes: Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR), Tero Pitkämäki (FIN), Vadims Vasilevskis (LAT), Ivan Zaytsev (UZB), Ari Mannio (FIN), Stuart Farquhar (NZL), Cyrus Hostetler (USA), Curtis Moss (CAN)
2:15 PM Men’s 110m Hurdles semifinals
Qualifying format: top two in each heat plus two more on time qualify to tonight’s finals
Notables by heat…
Heat 1: Jason Richardson (USA), Orlando Ortega (CUB), Garfield Darien (FRA)
Heat 2: Aries Merritt (USA), Ryan Brathwaite (BAH), Andy Turner (GBR)
Heat 3: Dayron Robles (CUB), Sergey Shubenkov (RUS), Jeff Porter (USA), Hansle Parchment (JAM)
Note that Liu Xiang of China was injured in the heats and unable to finish.
2:45 PM Women’s 1500 Meters semifinals
Qualifying format: TBA
Notables by heat…
Heat 1: Asli Çakir Alptekin (TUR), Morgan Uceny (USA), Ekaterina Kostetskaya (RUS), Shannon Rowbury (USA), Hilary Stellingwerff (CAN)
Heat 2: Abeba Aregawi (ETH), Jennifer Simpson (USA), Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BRN), Tatyana Tomashova (RUS), Nicole Sifuentes (CAN)
3:05 PM Women’s Long Jump final
2012 World Indoor Champion: Brittney Reese (USA)
2011 World Champion: Brittney Reese (USA)
2008 Olympic Champion: Maurren Maggi (BRA)
2012 World Leader: Brittney Reese (USA)
Track and Field News’ Medal Picks: Brittney Reese (USA), Nastassia Ivanova (BLR), Shara Proctor (GBR)
Gambler’s Medal Picks: Brittney Reese (USA), Anna Nazarova (RUS), Shara Proctor (GBR)
TFN Preview | IAAF Preview | All-time Olympic stats
Start list
3:10 PM Men’s 200 Meters semifinals
Qualifying format: top two in each heat plus two more on time qualify to tomorrow’s finals
Notables by heat…
Heat 1: Yohan Blake (JAM), Wallace Spearmon (USA), Christophe Lemaitre (FRA), Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (NOR), Jared Connaughton (CAN)
Heat 2: Usain Bolt (JAM), Isiah Young (USA), Aaron Brown (CAN)
Heat 3: Churandy Martina (NED), Warren Weir (JAM), Maurice Mitchell (USA), Michael Mathieu (BAH)
3:35 PM Men’s Javelin Throw qualifying round (Group B)
Qualifying format: top twelve qualify to Friday’s final, with 73.00m or better doing so automatically
Start list
Notable athletes: Vítezslav Veselý (CZE), Oleksandr Pyatnytsya (UKR), Fatih Avan (TUR), Matthias de Zordo (GER), Sean Furey (USA), Craig Kinsley (USA)
3:45 PM Women’s 400m Hurdles final
2011 World Champion: Lashinda Demus (USA)
2008 Olympic Champion: Melaine Walker (JAM) — not qualified
2012 World Leader: Natalya Antyukh (RUS)
Track and Field News’ Medal Picks: Lashinda Demus (USA), Melaine Walker (JAM), Natalya Antyukh (RUS)
Gambler’s Medal Picks: Natalya Antyukh (RUS), Lashinda Demus (USA), Zuzana Hejnova (CZE)
TFN Preview | IAAF Preview | All-time Olympic stats
Start list
4:00 PM Women’s 200 Meters final
2011 World Champion: Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM)
2008 Olympic Champion: Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM)
2012 World Leader: Allyson Felix (USA)
Track and Field News’ Medal Picks: Allyson Felix (USA), Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM), Carmelita Jeter (USA)
Gambler’s Medal Picks: Allyson Felix (USA), Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM), Sanya Richards-Ross (USA)
TFN Preview | IAAF Preview | All-time Olympic stats
Start list
4:15 PM Men’s 110m Hurdles final
2012 World Indoor Champion (60 meters): Aries Merritt (USA)
2011 World Champion: Jason Richardson (USA)
2008 Olympic Champion: Dayron Robles (CUB)
2012 World Leader: Aries Merritt (USA)
Track and Field News’ Medal Picks: Aries Merritt (USA), Liu Xiang (CHN), Jason Richardson (USA)
Gambler’s Medal Picks: Aries Merritt (USA), Jason Richardson (USA), Dayron Robles (CUB)
TFN Preview | IAAF Preview | All-time Olympic stats
Start list to be determined after semifinals
4:30 PM Decathlon 400 Meters
Start list
The kinds of times you can expect…
Ashton Eaton (USA) 46.10
Trey Hardee (USA) 48.10
Leonel Suarez (CUB) 49.20
Pascal Behrenbruch (GER) 48.60
Eelco Sintnicolaas (NED) 48.10
Hans van Alphen (BEL) 49.40
Here’s how I see the scoring…
| Athlete | Final Projection | After This Event |
| Eaton | Winner | Leader |
| Hardee | -314 | -339 |
| Suarez | -506 | -637 |
| Behrenbruch | -566 | -590 |
| Sintnicolaas | -569 | -598 |
| van Alphen | -609 | -594 |