London Olympics: What to watch for on Thursday

There are seemingly thousands of events every day at the London Olympics. Here is what to keep an eye on Thursday:

TRACK AND FIELD

It’s all about the men’s 200 meters and Usain Bolt. The Jamacian sprinter has been phenomenal so far, shaking off any thoughts of an injury that caused him to finish second in his country’s trials. He’s already won the gold in the 100, and his performance in his qualifying races has been dominating while looking effortless. Wallace Spearmon is the only hope the U.S. has in the race. He has the third-lowest personal best in the race.

SOCCER

There will be 83,000 people in attendance for the women’s final between the United States and Japan. It will be an Olympic record and also the largest crowd to ever watch a women’s game in Britain. The U.S. played an instant classic game against Canada to get to the gold medal match. This is a rematch of last year’s World Cup final, won by Japan.

WATER POLO

The U.S. women are hoping to get their first-ever gold medal when they play unbeaten Spain. The U.S. team had a very emotional overtime win over Australia on Tuesday. They were up by one with a second remaining when Coach Adam Krikorian called a time-out. The problem was the U.S. didn’t have the ball. A penalty throw by Australia sent it to overtime, but the U.S. prevailed in extra time.

VOLLEYBALL

The U.S. women have also never won a gold medal in indoor volleyball, and they take a big step in a semifinal match against South Korea. The U.S. is undefeated in this tournament and ranked No. 1 in the world. The women are coached by Hugh McCutcheon, who led the men’s team to gold in Beijing. In the other semifinal, Brazil goes up against Japan.

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