Medal Picks

5,000 meters
• Edwin Soi, Kenya
• Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
• Tariku Bekele, Ethiopia
Fast pace takes legs out from world champ Lagat of U.S, who is also running the 1,500.

10,000 meters
• Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
• Sileshi Sihine, Ethiopia
• Moses Masai, Kenya
Bekele's fiancée died of heart failure during a run with him.

Marathon
• Martin Lel, Kenya
• Abderrahim Goumri, Morocco
• Tsegay Kebede, Ethiopia
Kenya is not among the 14 nations with gold in marathon.

110-meter hurdles
• Dayron Robles, Cuba
• Liu Xiang, China
• Terrence Trammell, U.S.
World-record holder Robles takes down China's hero.

400-meter hurdles
• Kerron Clement, U.S.
• Bershawn Jackson, U.S.
• Angelo Taylor, U.S.
Clement broke Michael Johnson's world indoor open 400 mark in 2005.

4 × 100-meter relay
• U.S.
• Jamaica
• Trinidad & Tobago
Jamaican and U.S. men have run 14 of year's 15 fastest 100s.

4 × 400-meter relay
• U.S.
• Bahamas
• Poland
U.S. has lost Olympic final once since 1952.

20-km walk
• Jefferson Pérez, Ecuador
• Francisco Javier Fernández, Spain
• Valeriy Borchin, Russia
Pérez won Ecuador's first Olympic medal, a gold in '96 in this event.

50-km walk
• Vladimir Kanaykin, Russia
• Denis Nizhegorodov, Russia
• Alex Schwazer, Italy
Kanaykin recently held the world record in the 20K but is stronger in the 50K.

High jump
• Stefan Holm, Sweden
• Yaroslav Rybakov, Russia
• Jesse Williams, U.S.
Athens gold medalist Holm has also won four world championships.