Despite the constant shadow of drugs, the track and field events remain the most eagerly anticipated among all sports at the Beijing Olympics.

Who cannot be thrilled at the prospect of seeing not one, not two, but three potential world record breakers in the blue-riband event, the men’s 100m sprint?

In Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt, one may very well see three sprinters running under 9.8sec.

(L-R) Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas, Asafa Powell of Jamaica and his compatriot Usain Bolt compete during the men's 100m at the DN Galan IAAF athletic meet in Stockholm July 22, 2008. Powell won the race. [Agencies]

It is a mind-boggling scenario that would have been impossible until nine years ago, when Maurice Greene first broke the barrier.

Who cannot be excited to see overwhelming favorite Liu Xiang facing his toughest opponent in Cuba’s Dayron Robles, in front of thousands of partisan fans willing him to win?

One can imagine the steel pylons of the Bird Nest Stadium vibrating to the roars of thousands of Chinese fans, should he successfully defend his 110m hurdles title.

Who cannot be salivating at seeing pole vault supremo Yelena Isinbayeva going for another world record?

Or long-distance king Kenenisa Bekele facing his former mentor Haile Gebrselassie in the 10,000m?

Or Paula Radcliffe finally clinching an Olympic gold in the women’s marathon?

The 2008 Beijing Olympics track and field competition could be filled with plenty of inspirational achievements. One hopes they will not be marred by unsavoury drug episodes like the previous two Olympics.

In the 2004 Athens Games, the withdrawals of Greek sprinters Konstantinos Kenteris and Katerina Thanou for failing to attend a dope test has left a bitter taste among the hosts.

The winner of the men’s 100m, Justin Gatlin, is now serving a four-year ban after testing positive for testosterone.

And who can forget the tears of 2000 Sydney Games icon Marion Jones, as she admitted last year that she had taken performance-enhancing drugs?

So it is not without a bit of cynicism that fans approach the athletics events.

However, until they are proven guilty, these athletes should give every Olympic fan reasons to cheer them on.

UNITED STATES

The United States has dominated the track and field events through the majority of Olympic history, but will that supremacy translate to another big summer at the Beijing Games?

The US relay team poses with the national flag after winning the 4x400m final at the 12th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship in Valencia March 9, 2008. Then team (L-R): James Davis, Jamaal Torrance, Greg Nixon and Kelly Willie. [Agencies]

The US has garnered a total of 713 track and field medals  -  more hardware than the next five biggest winners combined.

Yet, the rest of the world has made strides in many events recently, especially in the field events, where they have begun to dominate in the jumping events after years of controlling the throwing competitions.

In 2004, a group of young, relatively unknown Americans competed in track & field at the Olympic Games and although medal-count expectations were low, the group brought home 25 medals, the greatest medal tally in a decade.

As the reigning world champion in both the 100m and 200m, Tyson Gay was supposed to be competing for two individual medals in Beijing, but he suffered a mild hamstring strain in qualifying for the 200m and was not able to finish the race.

His main competition in the 100m will come from Jamaica, as both Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell try to grab gold. Bolt defeated Gay in a meet in New York on May 31, running the 100m in 9.72 seconds to break the world record held by Powell for nearly three years.

The US also has a healthy rivalry developing in the 400m between Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt, two of the top runners in the world at the distance. The runners finished 1-2 in last year’s world championships in Osaka and are hoping to repeat that success in Beijing.

The Americans can almost always be counted on to medal in the relay events as the rest of the world has a difficult time challenging the level of depth found on the US squad.

It is also expected to have a good shot at medals in the men’s distance category, now that Kenyan-born Bernard Lagat is competing for the Stars and Stripes. He won the 1,500m and 5,000m races at the 2007 world championships and will compete in both events in Beijing.

RUSSIA

Russia's Evgeniy Lukyanenko competes in the men's pole vault final at the 12th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship in Valencia March 9, 2008. Lukyanenko won the final. [Agencies]

Russia’s athletics squad will be led by its women stars.

At the 2004 Athens Games, they accounted for five of the six golds, with the “Queen of Pole Vault” Yelena Isinbayeva setting the only world record in the athletics competition then.

She is again heading into prime form ahead of the Beijing Games, having just claimed another world record, 5.04m.

The long jump event is also dominated by Russians, who enjoyed a podium sweep at the 2007 world championships in Osaka.

Moreover, Olga Kaniskina in 20km walk, Yekaterina Volkova in 3,000m steeplechase, Anna Chicherova in high jump, and Yuliya Pechenkina in 400m hurdles will all be gold medal prospects in Beijing.

JAMAICA

Veronica Campbell from Jamaica celebrates after winning the women's 100 metres during the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace in London July 26, 2008. [Agencies]

The Caribbean nation has always produced top-class sprinters, and in this Olympics, it boasts not one but two potential world-record beaters in the men’s 100m race.

Former record holder Asafa Powell, who finished fifth at the 2004 Games, is looking in top form heading into Beijing, winning the last two Grand Prix races.

However, he has been known to choke when there is too much spotlight on him, and he has tried to remain cool about his gold-winning chances.

Jamaica’s current 100m world record holder at 9.72sec, Usain Bolt, may not even run in the most highly-anticipated event.

Bolt’s specialty remains the 200m, and he and his coach have not decided whether to run in both races in Beijing, and it would a massive disappointment should Bolt not run in the century sprint.

Jamaica also boasts a top sprint women’s quartet which will hope to defend their 4x100m relay title. Veronica Campbell-Brown will also be eager to defend her 200m title, despite suffering disappointment in failing to qualify for the 100m.

ETHIOPIA

The top nation when it comes to long-distance running, Ethiopia may be looking at a sweep of both the men’s and women’s 5,000m and 10,000m titles.

In Kenenisa Bekele, it has one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time. Holder of both the 5,000m and 10,000m world records, he is aiming to do one better than his accomplishment at the 2004 Games, where he won the 10,000m gold.

However, he faces stiff competition in both categories. In the 5,000m, he faces United States’ Bernard Lagat, winner at last year’s world championships.

And in the 10,000m, he will run against his former mentor, Haile Gebrselassie, who has skipped the marathon to focus on this race.

In the women’s category, it is all about two Ethiopian women, Tirunesh Dibaba and Merseret Defar.

Fierce rivals who will not show mercy for either, they will battle hard for supremacy in the 5,000m and the 10,000m.

CHINA

Finally, the hosts. All eyes will be on one athlete, who has symbolised the nation’s hopes for sporting excellence.

Hurdler Liu Xiang will be under immense pressure to repeat his gold-winning performance of the 2004 Games, where he became China’s first track and field gold medalist.

Yet, his recent form has not be sparkling, and he is hampered by a niggling injury.

And, to make things worse, up comes one of his toughest opponents, Cuba’s Dayron Robles.

Robles claimed Liu’s two-year-old world record in the 110m hurdles, slashing it by 0.01sec. He has said he will gladly suffer abuse from Chinese fans if it means he could win the gold in Beijing.

Through it all, Liu remains unfazed, calm and confident about his chances.

The 110m hurdles race could even eclipse the 100m, should Liu send the world’s most populous country into a frenzy with a win.

It would be a climax worthy of the magnitude of the Games.