Today’s best bets from Rio

A look at the top events in the Rio Olympics on Thursday:

Track and field

Finally, after two days of qualifying, Usain Bolt is set to go for his second gold medal of the Games, this time in the 200 meters. The way he accelerated at the end of the 100 indicates that he is in top form and, if he can finish a race without clowning around, challenge the 19-second mark. He owns the world record at 19.19. The decathlon will finish, crowning the unofficial world’s best athlete. Defending champion Ashton Eaton of the U.S. is leading after five of 10 events.

Basketball

The U.S. women play in a semifinal against France. The team will be without guard Sue Bird but the depth of the team should easily compensate for the loss of any player. Bird has a sprained knee and is listed as day to day. The U.S. team is going for its sixth consecutive gold medal and has a winning streak of 47 games. This is a rematch of the 2012 gold-medal game, which the U.S. won by 36 points. The U.S.-France winner plays the Spain-Serbia winner.

Volleyball

The U.S. women look to make it to the finals if they can get past Serbia in a semifinal. The U.S. caught a break when two-time defending champion Brazil was eliminated by China. The U.S. beat Serbia in pool play. China plays the Netherlands in the other semifinal.