Track and Field

Where: Olympic Stadium, Olympic Sports Complex (except men’s and women’s shotput at Ancient Olympia Stadium, and men’s and women’s marathons at Marathon Stadium)

When: Aug. 18-29 (finals designated below).

Top U.S. performers: Maurice Greene will defend his title of “world’s fastest man” in the 100-meter dash, always a marquee event. Marion Jones won’t duplicate her three-gold, two-bronze performance at Sydney -- she dropped out of the 200 at the U.S. trials and didn’t make the top three in the 100 -- but she’ll vie for a medal in the long jump. Jeremy Wariner has two of the fastest 400-meter times in the world this season and leads a contingent of collegiate standouts in many events. Also among them are Lauryn Williams of the University of Miami in the women’s 100; Allyson Felix in the 200; Sheena Johnson of UCLA in the women’s 400 hurdles, Sanya Richards of Texas in the 400, and Muna Lee of Louisiana State in the 200. Stacy Dragila should be in the final mix again in the pole vault. Allen Johnson, who won four world titles in the 110 hurdles but was injured before the Sydney Games and finished fourth, is back in top shape. And Gail Devers will again try for the medal that has eluded her in the 100 hurdles.

U.S. chances: As always, good in the men’s and women’s 100, 200 and 400, the relays, hurdles and long jump, but remote in the middle and long distances. A sweep in the men’s shotput is likely. The pole vaulters should contend for gold, and Olympic trials winner Bryan Clay could be in the decathlon picture with compatriot Tom Pappas. It will be tough to match the 20 medals track and field athletes won at Sydney.

The outlook (in order of date of final):

Aug. 18

Men’s shotput: John Godina could easily be part of a sweep with Adam Nelson and Reese Hoffa. Those three -- and fourth-place trials finisher Christian Cantwell -- have dominated the world leader list this year.

Women’s shotput: Russian teammates Irina Korzhanenko and Svetlana Krivelyova have been tops in the world this season. Americans Laura Gerraughty and Kristin Heaston, 1-2 at the Olympic trials, are well behind the world leaders.

Aug. 20

Men’s 20K race walk: Three Russian Vladimirs -- Stankin, Parvatkin and Andreyev -- own four of the six top times this season and should dominate. Stankin’s world-leading time is 1 hour 17 minutes 23 seconds; Tim Seaman, who trains in Chula Vista, won the Olympic trials at 1:25.40.

Men’s 10,000: Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set the world record of 26:21 in June and is the overwhelming favorite. The second-, third- and seventh-best times were recorded by other Ethiopians, making a sweep possible. U.S. trials winner Meb Keflezighi chose not to compete, leaving runner-up Abdi Abdirahman (27:55) as the top U.S. hope.

Aug. 21

Heptathlon: Carolina Kluft of Sweden has the top two totals in the world this season, 6,820 and 6,769. She’s an excellent jumper, with some of the world’s top marks this year. Svetlana Sokolova of Russia will challenge her.

Women’s 100: Trials winner LaTasha Colander, a 400 runner turned sprinter, and NCAA champion Lauryn Williams have each run 10.97, tied for third in the world this year. Only Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova (10.77) and France’s Christine Arron (10.95) have run faster, and Torri Edwards (11.00) isn’t far behind. Edwards’ status was uncertain after she tested positive for a banned drug, which she said she’d taken inadvertently. One U.S. medal is likely; two wouldn’t be a surprise.

Women’s discus throw: Ekaterini Voggoli and Anastasia Kelesidou of Greece have two of the top four distances this season and will have the home-field advantage. Kelesidou was the silver medalist at Sydney.

Aug. 22

Men’s hammer throw: The only U.S. athlete who met the Olympic “A” standard of 78.65 meters (258 feet) was James Parker, who reached only 254-6 at the Olympic trials. Ivan Tikhon of Belarus, fourth at the 2000 Games, has two of the top three results this season including a world-leading 83.79 meters (274-11).

Men’s triple jump: Melvin Lister had given up on the event before returning this season to win the U.S. Olympic trials with a leap of 17.78 meters (58-4), tops in the world this year and better than the jump that won gold at Sydney in 2000. Lister, Walter Davis and Kenta Bell give the U.S. hope for at least one medal as they battle with Christian Olsson of Sweden and Jadel Gregorio of Brazil.

Men’s high jump: Stefan Holm of Sweden, fourth at Sydney, is the favorite with a world-best 2.36 meters (7-8 3/4 ). Jamie Nieto won the U.S. trials at 2.33 (7-7 3/4 ) and has a chance at a medal.

Men’s 100: Greene has regained his Sydney championship form, but Shawn Crawford (world-best 9.88, plus 9.93 twice) and Justin Gatlin (9.92 and 9.96) will push him. So will Asafa Powell of Jamaica, who has run 9.91 twice this season and beat Greene at London on July 30. No one has repeated as 100-meter champion since Carl Lewis in 1984 and 1988, the latter after Ben Johnson was disqualified for a positive drug test.

Women’s marathon: World-record holder Paula Radcliffe of Britain (2:15:25 in 2003) is the favorite, but Margaret Okayo of Kenya ran 2:22:35 at this year’s London Marathon and 2003 world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya has a season best of 2:24.27.

Aug. 23

Men’s 400: U.S. runners have won gold in this event 17 of the 23 times the U.S. has competed. The top hope is Wariner, who ran a world-best 44.37 at the Olympic trials and 44.50 in May. He’ll have to fend off the experienced Alleyne Francique of Grenada, who competed for LSU and has run 44.47, 44.52 and 44.59 this season.

Men’s discus: Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania seems to have a lock on this event, which he won at Sydney. He has five of the top six marks this season.

Women’s 800: Jearl-Miles Clark qualified for her fifth Olympic team by winning the U.S trials (she was in the relay pool in 1988 but didn’t compete), while sister-in-law Hazel Clark was third. They and fellow qualifier Nicole Teter are well behind the season-best 1:57.68 by Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia. Defending champion Maria de Mutola of Mozambique has been slowed by a leg injury, making it difficult to predict her finish. Kelly Holmes of Britain could crack the top three.

Women’s 5,000: Elvan Abeylegesse, who left her Ethiopian homeland for better training conditions in Turkey, created a sensation when she set a world record of 14:24.68 in June. Otherwise, Ethiopian women dominate the top 15, led by 2003 world champion Tirunesh Dibaba’s 14:30.88.

Women’s triple jump: Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia, the 2003 world champion, had the four longest jumps of the season until Yamile Aldama of Sudan leaped 15.28 (50-1 3/4 ) last week to rank third in the world. Magdelin Martinez of Italy and Trecia Smith of Jamaica have also had good results.

Women’s 20K race walk: Hongjuan Song of China has the world-leading time this year, 1:26:46, but the aptly named Olimpiada Ivanova of Russia could earn a place on the medal stand.

Aug. 24

Men’s 1,500: Alan Webb’s resurgence has energized U.S. track fans, but his season-best 3:32.73 isn’t among the top 20 in the world this year. After Kenyans took the top five places at a recent meet in Paris, led by Bernard Lagat’s 3:29.21, world-record holder Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco responded with a world-leading 3:29.18. Mehdi Baala of France and Rachid Ramzi of Bahrain are also contenders.

Steeplechase: Kenyans have 12 of the top 13 times in the world this season, led by Paul Kipsiele Koech’s 7:59.65. Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar (8:01.97) has a chance to break the Kenyan monopoly.

Decathlon: Pappas is of Greek descent and will be claimed as family by half of Greece if he duplicates the effort that brought him the 2003 world title. Sydney silver medalist Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic and Azusa’s Clay figure to be in the medal hunt too.

Women’s 400: Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas has run three sub-50-second times while Mexico’s Ana Guevara, who has nearly owned the event, struggled with an injury. U.S. collegian Richards has the speed and smarts to make the top three.

Women’s pole vault: Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia raised the world record to 16-0 3/4 (4.90 meters) on July 30, the fourth time in five weeks the record had fallen. She defeated fellow Russian Svetlana Feofanova and Dragila in Stockholm the previous week. Those three should be on the medal stand, probably led by Isinbayeva.

Women’s 100-meter hurdles: World indoor and outdoor champion Perdita Felicien of Canada, who attended the University of Illinois, has a world-leading 12.46 to her credit and is the favorite. Two UCLA alums -- five-time Olympian Devers and first-time Olympian Joanna Hayes -- could edge her out.

Aug. 25

Women’s 400-meter hurdles: Sheena Johnson, another Bruin, ran a world-leading 52.95 to win the Olympic trials and become the instant favorite. Behind her were Brenda Taylor (53.36) and University of South Carolina’s Lashinda Demus (53.43). Jana Pittman of Australia (season-best 53.52) can prevent a U.S. sweep.

Women’s hammer throw: No one is ever sure to win at the Olympics, but Cuba’s Yipsi Moreno is close, having recorded nine of the top 13 throws this season. Only Olga Tsander of Belarus, Olga Kuzenkova of Russia and Iryna Sekachova of Ukraine have come close.

Women’s 200: Felix of Los Angeles won the Olympic trials in 22.28, ahead of LSU’s Lee (22.36) and Edwards (22.38). Veronica Campbell of Jamaica and the University of Arkansas has the top time this season, 22.18, and will be a factor.

Aug. 26

Men’s 400-meter hurdles: New York-born and USC-trained Felix Sanchez has dominated the last few years, but James Carter of the U.S. recorded a world-leading 47.68 in winning the Olympic trials. Sydney champion Angelo Taylor, second to Carter at the trials, can’t be overlooked.

Men’s 200: Jamaican sensation Usain Bolt reportedly had a hamstring injury that might keep him out of the Games. That’s good news for the U.S. trio of Crawford, Gatlin and Bernard Williams. Sydney gold medalist Konstantinos Kenteris of Greece will be the crowd favorite.

Men’s long jump: Dwight Phillips of the U.S., the 2003 world champion, has the five best leaps this season, topped by a world-leading 8.60 meters (28-2 3/4 ). No one else has more than one leap in the top 18 this year.

Aug. 27

Men’s 110-meter hurdles: Allen Johnson, the 1996 gold medalist who was injured at Sydney and finished fourth, barely grabbed third at the U.S. trials. However, he won at Paris the following weekend in 13.07 seconds and again at Stockholm a week later, in 13.13. Xiang Liu of China, the 2003 world bronze medalist, has run 13.06 and 13.11 this season and will challenge Johnson and U.S. trials champion Terrence Trammell, whose winning time of 13.09 was the fifth-best in the world this season.

Men’s pole vault: Tough to predict, because much depends on weather and luck. Helmet-wearing Toby Stevenson cleared six meters (19-8 1/4 ) early this season but has been inconsistent; Timothy Mack won the U.S. trials at 5.90 (19-4 1/4 ) and is expected to contend for a medal. Also worth watching are two transplanted Russians, Aleksander Averbukh, who competes for Israel, and Dmitry Markov, who represents Australia.

Women’s javelin: World-record holder Osleidys Menendez of Cuba, the Sydney bronze medalist, is the class of the field. Only Nikola Brejchova of the Czech Republic has come anywhere near her this season. Sonia Bisset of Cuba is the best of the rest.

Women’s long jump: This could be Marion Jones’ only individual event, and she might not win. Lebedeva, the favorite in the triple jump, could prevail here too. Another Russian, Irina Simagina, has two wind-legal jumps beyond seven meters -- 7.07 (23-2 1/2 ) and 7.01 (23-0) -- to Jones’ lone 7.11 (23-4) at the Olympic trials.

Women’s 10,000: World leader Radcliffe skipped this to run the marathon, leaving no clear favorite. Lydiya Grigoryeva of Russia has the next-best time (31:01.15); Derbe Alemu and Berhane Adere of Ethiopia and Kayoko Fukushi of Japan are contenders.

Men’s 50K race walk: Denis Nizhegorodov of Russia set the world record of 3:35.29 in June. Caohong Yu of China is the only athlete to have two top-10 times in this strange and grueling event, making him a medal contender. Russian and Chinese athletes have the top 15 times in the world this season.

Women’s 400-meter relay: Three of the four U.S. women who combined for a world-leading 42.33 in April didn’t make the team, and the fourth -- Edwards -- faces a possible drug ban. Jones might be excluded while she’s still being investigated for possible drug use. France should be strong, led by Muriel Hurtis and Christine Arron; Jamaica, with Sydney 400-meter relay silver medalist Veronica Campbell, could also win.

Aug. 28

Men’s 5,000: Bekele, the 22-year-old Ethiopian, set the world record of 12:37.35 on May 31, a warmup to his record-breaking run in the 10,000 eight days later. His 5,000 record is more than nine seconds faster than the second-best time this year, 12:46.53 by Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya. This is a contest for silver and bronze.

Men’s 800: Kenyan-born world-record holder Wilson Kipketer, representing his adopted homeland of Denmark, was favored at Sydney but finished second in a close, slow race. He could prevail this time, based on his 1:43.88 in Rome in early July. Kenyan Wilfred Bungei (world-leading 1:43.72) will challenge him.

Men’s javelin: Three-time Olympic champion Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic finished fourth at last year’s world championships and has had a quiet season. Alexander Ivanov of Russia, Breaux Greer of the U.S. and Peter Esenwein and Boris Henry of Germany could end Zelezny’s reign.

Men’s 400-meter relay: With Greene, Gatlin and Crawford available, as well as John Capel, Darvis Patton and Coby Miller, the U.S. should win easily. Japan assembled a quartet that ran 38.35 at an Osaka Grand Prix meet, and Germany put together a foursome that ran 38.30. No one else is likely to be close.

Men’s 1,600-meter relay: Wariner, Otis Harris, Darold Williamson and Derrick Brew give the U.S. depth. If they don’t drop the baton, the gold is theirs.

Women’s high jump: Yelena Slesarenko of Russia has three of the top four jumps this season, including a world-leading 2.04 (6-8 1/4 ), but Hestrie Cloete of South Africa, the Sydney silver medalist, is close at 2.03 (6-8). Venelina Veneva of Bulgaria and Viktoria Styopina of Ukraine should nip at their heels.

Women’s 1,500: Abeylegesse, the 5,000-meter record holder, has a season best of 3:58.28 in the 1,500 and might double. If she doesn’t, the medals figure to go to a trio of Russians -- Olga Yegorova, Yelena Zadorozhnaya and Tatyana Tomashova.

Women’s 1,600-meter relay: With collegiate runners Richards, DeeDee Trotter of Tennessee, Monique Henderson of UCLA and 400-meter hurdlers Johnson and Demus available, this could be a very young and very successful U.S. quartet. Russia, Ukraine and possibly Greece will vie for silver and bronze.

Aug. 29

Men’s marathon: Paul Tergat, Eric Wainaina and Sammy Korir could make this a Kenyan sweep. Two compatriots who ran faster this season, Evans Rutto and Felix Limo, didn’t make the team. Tergat was the silver medalist in the 10,000 at Atlanta and Sydney.

Little-known fact: Twelve track and field athletes with ties to UCLA -- plus U.S. men’s distance coach Bob Larsen -- will represent four countries at Athens. U.S. team members from UCLA are Amy Acuff, Shelia Burrell, Gail Devers, Joanna Hayes, Monique Henderson, Sheena Johnson, Meb Keflezighi, Michelle Perry and Seilala Sua. Ato Boldon will represent Trinidad and Tobago, Malachi Davis will run for Britain and Yoo Kim will pole vault for South Korea.

You’ll remember: Bekele, for his remarkable distance double. Stevenson, for his helmet and wild exultation after he clears the bar in the pole vault, and the female pole vaulters, who are advancing the sport in its second Olympics. The shotputters, competing against the backdrop of the ancient Games, and the marathoners, whose race will begin in Marathon.

-- Helene Elliott, The Times