Fitness Gear: 10 Olympic Story Lines to Watch

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Thursday, July 31, 2008

By Steve Edwards

No matter how commercialism or politics try to interfere, the Olympics is still the bastion of good old-fashioned sporting entertainment. Sure, there are a lot of high-profile athletes at the Games, but most of them have slaved away in obscurity for one chance to shine in the spotlight. By the time you get this, the Olympics will be in full swing, but most of the story lines will still be developing. Here are some of our favorites.

Michael Phelps. You'd have to have been hiding out in a cave to not have heard about his quest to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, but that doesn't mean it's not dramatic. He's already been involved in what's being called the greatest race in the history of swimming, and he still has six events to go.

The fastest swimming venue ever. The Chinese pulled out all of the stops for their pool, which was designed to help swimmers move as fast as possible. In one race, six swimmers broke the existing world record, which was set in the previous race. And this is just day two.

The war on drugs. A Spanish cyclist (shocking) became doping scandal number one at the Games on day two. World Anti-Doping Agency officials are predicting 30–40 positives during the Olympics, yet almost every athlete caught feigns surprise and says their sport is clean. Is this the year it finally blows up?

Dream Team II. Embarrassed at faltering on the world's stage, the USA has put together its best group since the original Dream Team hammered the world in '92. But basketball has changed a lot in the last decade, and even with LeBron and Kobe, gold is hardly a forgone conclusion.

The Ex-Pat Games. More than 30 foreign-born athletes will compete for the USA in Beijing. What do you do when you haven't won a middle-distance medal in decades? Nationalize a Kenyan. But we're not alone. WNBA all-star Becky Hammon will play for Russia, and Clipper Chris Kaman will play for Germany, even though both were born and raised in America. The U.S. coach called Hammon a traitor. Hammon counters that she wasn't even invited to try out for the U.S. team. If this continues, the Olympics could go the way of the America's Cup—where the best athletes sign on with the highest bidder.

The dash. Whatever you do, don't miss the 100-meter final. It should feature the three fastest runners in history.

Women's gymnastics. The China vs. USA rivalry in women's gymnastics is one for the ages. They've traded ever-so-close victories over the last two years. The rubber match is on the biggest stage of all.

Liu Xiang. The 110-meter high hurdler from China has a tad bit of pressure on him. He's been the best hurdler in the world over the last few years. This year, however, someone has run faster. Xiang has been called the savior of Chinese track and field, and his coach reportedly said that if he doesn't win in Beijing, all of his accolades mean nothing. But don't worry about that. Just relax and enjoy the moment.
Is 40 the new 20? 41-year-old Dara Torres began swimming again just to get in shape after having a baby. Now she's making her fifth trip to the Olympics. 39-year-old Sheila Taormina has become the first person to qualify for the Games in three different sports. And cyclist Jeanne Longo, 49, who has competed in seven Olympic Games, is already talking about the next one.

Beachbody goes to the Olympics. Okay, so maybe this isn't a story to watch, but we'll be blogging live from China during the second half of the games. P90X is now a legitimate training program used by high-level athletes. We're always on the lookout for the next great thing. Maybe we'll find it in Beijing.

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