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The showpiece of the Games' athletics programme, which got under way yesterday, saw the fastest men in history â reigning world champion Tyson Gay (USA), current world record holder Usain Bolt (Jamaica) and former world record holder Asafa Powell (also of Jamaica) âeasily qualify in their heats.
Bolt's 9.92 in the second round, which he won pulling up, was the fastest time ever in China.
The final, to be run today evening, should be worth going miles to see.
The Jamaican duo of Bolt and Powell have been holders of the world record but American Gay is confident he can settle their pretensions, despite a hamstring injury which has troubled him recently and prompted his withdrawal from the 200m event here.
Powell says no one can beat him once he gets ahead in a race.
Bolt broke Powell's record of 9.71 sec and Gay also ran a wind-assisted sub-record time of 9.64 sec in the US Olympic trials in June.
"A lot of people are saying Usain and Tyson are very fast finishers, but if I get out in front of them, no matter how they are finishing, they won't even be close to me," Powell told the media.
"I did some great things in practice the past couple of weeks. This is the first time I've seen my coach so excited. So all I have to do is go there and just be like I was in the last two races and do it."
Powell added: "It's not necessary to get a new world record (in Beijing). I have done that (setting a world record) five times and those just happened accidentally. It just comes naturally."
He shrugged off the rivalry with Bolt, whom he beat by one-hundredth of a second in their final meeting before the Olympics in Stockholm.
"I'm just running my race," he said. "I would be the winner if I could run like I am supposed to."
For the information of aficionados in India the race will be run at 8 pm today.
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Ethiopia's Dibaba sisters were the centre of attraction in the women's 10,000m race last night, with younger sister Tirunesh favoured to win against 26-year old Ejegayehu, who was runner up in the '04 Athens Olympics, and compatriot Mestawet Tufa.
All three ran in the Athens Olympics where Ejegayehu lost the gold to Chinese Xing Huina because she did not react when Xing swept past her thinking the Chinese was a lapped runner.
Tirunesh became the first woman yesterday to achieve the Olympic distance double, following up on her 2005 feat at a World Championships.
"It's being said that it's a little hot here, so the final decision (on running the 5,000 race) will be made after the 10,000," Tirunesh said before the event.
The event was expected to give the Ethiopians a clean sweep. Tirunesh won in Olympic record time of 29 min, 54.66 sec, but Ejegayehu could only manage 14th place in 30:54.66 and Tufa did not complete the race. India's Sreedhara Preeja finished 25th in 32:34.64.
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On the subject of sisters, Venus and Serena Williams crashed out of the Games on Thursday.
Venus went down 5-7, 5-7 to unseeded Chinese Li Na, ranked 42 in the world in an emotion charged arena, and Serena succumbed 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 to Russia's Elena Dementieva, this year's Wimbledon semi-finalist, seeded No 5.
"I didn't serve really well," Serena said later. "It was what it was. It hasn't sunk in yet."
Just when tennis fans were salivating in anticipation of a battle royal between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal tomorrow, American James Blake decided to play spoilsport.
Twenty-eight year old Blake stunningly ruined Federer's dream of a first Olympic singles medal with a 6-4, 7-6 quarter final win which was his first win over the Swiss genius. Federer will lose his No 1 position on Monday to Nadal.
Blake had won only a single set in their previous eight matches.
Federer, who has not progressed in the past year from his 12th major title, two short of Pete Sampras' record, played erratically under lights on the Centre Court after a long rain delay.
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The commitment of diminutive American gymnast Shawn Johnson, who had to settle for another silver in yesterday's women's individual all-round final (she is the world champion in this event) yesterday after a silver in the women's team event because of a fall by team captain Nastia Luikin, is commendable.
She works out four hours a day and six on Saturdays, Sundays being a rest day.
"A typical session consists of practising every event for about an hour. A lot of people assume I have private coaching, but I work out with 13 other girls at the gym."
It is said Shawn performed her first gymnastic routine of note by climbing out of her cot and crawling off in search of her mother.
"My parents put me in gymnastics when I was three because I had too much energy around the house," she says.
Eighteen-year old gold medallist Liukin is 160 centimetres tall and weighs 45 kg. Her father and coach Valeri won two gold medals for Russia in the Seoul Olympics 20 years ago and mother Anna is a former rhythmic gymnastic Olympian.
(With inputs from China Daily) | 
