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Chinese Olympic marksman Zhu Qinan
competes in the men's 10-metre air rifle in Athens, August 16,
2004. (Xinhua) |
The fourth day of competition on Tuesday at the Athens Olympic Games will
have 11 medals up for grabs, including four in the
swimming pool, as the weightlifters take a day off.
Expected medal times (all estimates except swimming, all times
GMT) 0955 - Men's 50 metre pistol, shooting 1215 - Men's
double trap 1330 - Women's
63 kg, judo; Men's 81 kg, judo 1645 - Women's 200 metres freestyle,
swimming 1652 - Men's 200 metres butterfly, swimming 1743 - Women's 200
metres individual medley,
swimming 1756 - Men's 4x200 freestyle relay 1835 - Women's
individual sabre,
fencing 1905 - Men's individual epee, fencing 2015 - Women's team,
gymnastics
SWIMMING - Women's 200 metres freestyle - One of the most open races on
the women's schedule. Germany's Franziska van Almsick has held the world
record for a decade but this is her last chance to win Olympic gold. Alena
Popchanka of Belarus is the reigning world champion and Britain's Melanie
Marshall is the fastest in the world this year.
Men's 200 metres butterfly - Michael Phelps became the youngest man
ever to hold a world record when he beat the old mark set by fellow
American Tom Malchow, the Sydney Olympic champion, in 2001. Phelps has
lowered that mark twice since and could go even faster in Athens. Poland's
Pawel Korzeniowski is second fastest this year with Japan's Takeshi
Matsuda third.
200 metres individual medley - Another wide open race. Amanda Beard is
ranked No 1 in the world this year but four swimmers, including Ukraine's
reigning Olympic and world champion Yana Klochkova, are less than a second
adrift. Katie Hoff of the US, Australia's Alice Mills and Germany's Teresa
Rohmann are also in the mix.
4x200 metres freestyle relay - Australia, the Olympic and defending
world champions, have dominated this event for the past six years thanks
to Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett but the US are beginning to close the gap.
GYMNASTICS - The women will take centre stage with the team title, one
of the television highlights of the Games, up for grabs at the Olympic
Indoor Hall. Defending champions Romania, powered by Daniela Sofronie's
athleticism, the US, Svetlana Khorkina's Russia and China should provide a
keenly fought contest.
FENCING - Women's individual sabre makes its Olympic debut. Romanian
Dorina Mihai is the reigning world champion but will do well to repeat her
surprise success in the Cuba tournament. Sada Jacobson, the first American
women fencer to be ranked No 1 and one of two sisters on the sabre team,
has a good medal chance as does Russia's Elena Netchaeva. In the men's
epee defending champion Pavel Kolobkov of Russia starts as an outsider.
In an open field, world No 1 Marcel Fischer of Switzerland and Fabrice
Jeannet, the reigning world individual champion, comes back for his final
attempt to win gold after silver in 2002 and bronze in 2001.
JUDO - World champion Daniela Krukower is favourite to win the women's
63 kg title, which would give Argentina its first gold since 1952.
Kruckower was brought up in Israel and decided to represent the nation of
her birth shortly before the Sydney Games. Cuba's Driulis Gonzalez will be
her biggest rival.
Florian Wanner of Germany is world champion in the men's 81 kg class
and will face a stiff challenge from Aleksei Budolin of Estonia, bronze
medallist at the 2003 worlds and at the Sydney Olympics.
SHOOTING - Britain's Richard Faulds will be defending his 2000 gold in
the men's double trap shooting event, and Italy's Marco Innocenti,
Kuwait's Fehaid Aldeehani as well as American Walton Eller are in with a
medal chance. In the 50 metres men's pistol event, traditionally dominated
by the former Eastern Bloc and China, Russia's Mikhail Nestruev and
Italy's Bruno Francesco head the field.
Other events include boxing, hockey, rowing, sailing, soccer,
basketball, archery, equestrian, baseball, table tennis and
badminton.
(China Daily) |