| Rowing |
| MEN |
| Single sculls |
 Xeno Müller, Switzerland |
 Rob Waddell, New Zealand |
 Derek Porter, Canada |
| Brown grad Müller won in '96 |
| Double sculls |
| Cop & Spik, Slovenia |
| Tufte & Bekken, Norway |
| Peto & Haller, Hungary |
| No love lost between ex-single scullers Iztok Cop and Luka Spik |
| Lightweight double sculls |
| Luini & Pettinari, Italy |
| Touron & Chapelle, France |
| Gier & Gier, Switzerland |
| World champ Leonardo Pettinari first paired with Elia Luini in June |
| Quadruple sculls |
| Italy |
| Austria |
| Ukraine |
| Field is so deep that world champ Germans are shut out |
| Pairs without cox |
| Tomkins & Long, Australia |
| Visacki & Stojic, Yugoslavia |
| Sorrentino & Panzarino, Italy |
| Matthew Long replaces injured Drew Ginn; Aussies still golden |
| Fours without cox |
| Great Britain |
| Australia |
| New Zealand |
| Steven Redgrave gets his history-making fifth gold, but just barely |
| Lightweight fours without cox |
| France |
| Austria |
| U.S. |
| U.S. is so deep that choosing oarsmen for team was difficult |
| Eights |
| U.S. |
| Great Britain |
| Russia |
| U.S. has won last three world titles |
| WOMEN |
| Single sculls |
| Ekaterina Karsten, Belarus |
| Roumiana Neikova, Bulgaria |
| Katrin Rutschow, Germany |
| Atlanta gold medalist Karsten had baby in '98, then won '99 worlds |
| Double sculls |
| Thieme & Boron, Germany |
| Paplavskaja & Sakickiene, Lithuania |
| Davidon & Skricki, U.S. |
| Carol Skricki started rowing at 30; is on first Olympic team at 38 |
| Lightweight double sculls |
| Alupei & Macoviciuc, Romania |
| Garner & Smith Collins, U.S. |
| Blasberg & Viehoff, Germany |
| Duel between '98 (U.S.) and '99 (Romania) world champs |
| Quadruple sculls |
| Germany |
| Russia |
| Great Britain |
| Germans overpowering this year |
| Pairs without cox |
| Damian & Ignat, Romania |
| Luke & Robinson, Canada |
| Kraft & Ryan, U.S. |
| Theresa Luke and Emma Robinson are also in eights |
| Eights |
| Romania |
| U.S. |
| Canada |
| Romania has won every world title since '95 loss to U.S. |
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| Sailing |
| MEN |
| 470 |
| Philippe & Cariou, France |
| Foerster & Merrick, U.S. |
| King & Turnbull, Australia |
| Aussies' coach, Victor Kovalenko, guided Ukraine to the gold medal at the Atlanta Games |
| Finn |
| Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Poland |
| Fredrik Lööf, Sweden |
| Iain Percy, Great Britain |
| Kusznierewicz was named World Sailor of the Year in 1999 |
| Mistral |
| Lars Kleppich, Australia |
| Aaron McIntosh, New Zealand |
| Nikolas Kaklamanakis, Greece |
| Kleppich has been sailing on Sydney Harbour for 20 years |
| WOMEN |
| 470 |
| Taran & Pakholchik, Ukraine |
| Armstrong & Stowell, Australia |
| Bekatorou & Tsoulfa, Greece |
| Australian imports: Jenny Armstrong is a Kiwi, Belinda Stowell a Zimbabwean |
| Europe |
| Margriet Matthijsse, the Netherlands |
| Kristine Roug, Denmark |
| Shirley Robertson, Great Britain |
| Roug outraced Matthijsse for gold at the '96 Games |
| Mistral |
| Barbara Kendall, New Zealand |
| Lee Lai-shan, Hong Kong |
| Jessica Crisp, Australia |
| Lee, eighth of 10 kids, won Hong Kong's first-ever gold in '96 |
| OPEN 49er |
| Nicholson & Phillips, Australia |
| Lopez-Vazquez & De la Plaza, Spain |
| McKee & McKee, U.S. |
| Two-time world champ Aussies survived legal battle for team berth |
| Laser |
| Robert Scheidt, Brazil |
| Ben Ainslie, Great Britain |
| Michael Blackburn, Australia |
| Scheidt won '96 gold by luring Ainslie into false start |
| Soling |
| Roy Heiner, the Netherlands |
| Jeff Madrigali, U.S. |
| Hans Wallén, Sweden |
| Jochen Schümann, 46, of Germany is trying for fourth gold |
| Star |
| Reynolds & Liljedahl, U.S. |
| Beashel & Giles, Australia |
| MacDonald & Bjorn, Canada |
| Colin Beashel, bronze medalist in '96, is competing in fifth Games |
| Tornado |
| Gäbler & Schwall, Germany |
| Bundock & Forbes, Australia |
| Hagara & Steinacher, Austria |
| The Games' fastest craft, the catamarans used in this event can exceed 35 mph |
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| Shooting |
| MEN |
| 10-meter air pistol |
| Wang Yifu, China |
| Roberto Di Donna, Italy |
| Franck Dumoulin, France |
| Wang fainted after blowing huge lead to Di Donna in '96 final |
| 25-meter rapid-fire pistol |
| Ralf Schumann, Germany |
| Daniel Leonhard, Germany |
| Emil Milev, Bulgaria |
| Long-reigning Schumann wins third Olympic gold |
| 50-meter pistol |
| Wang Yifu, China |
| Igor Basinski, Belarus |
| Franck Dumoulin, France |
| After fainting at end of 10-meter in '96, Wang finished sixth in 50 |
| 10-meter running target |
| Manfred Kurzer, Germany |
| Yang Ling, China |
| Jozsef Sike, Hungary |
| A boring bull's-eye target has replaced reproduction of wild boar |
| 10-meter air rifle |
| Jozef Gönci, Slovakia |
| Artem Khadjibekov, Russia |
| Raymond Debevec, Slovenia |
| In '96, Gönci won first medal, a bronze, for independent Slovakia |
| 50-meter rifle, 3-position |
| Jozef Gönci, Slovakia |
| Thomas Farnik, Austria |
| Jean-Pierre Amat, France |
| Gönci was world Shooter of the Year in 1998 and '99 |
| 50-meter rifle, prone position |
| Thomas Tamas, U.S. |
| Jozef Gönci, Slovakia |
| Sergei Martynov, Belarus |
| World champ Tamas is sergeant, first class, at Fort Benning, Ga. |
| Trap |
| Michael Diamond, Australia |
| Alexei Alipov, Russia |
| Josh Lakatos, U.S. |
| Liquor store clerk Diamond became celebrity after '96 gold |
| Double trap |
| Russell Mark, Australia |
| Daniele Di Spigno, Italy |
| Glenn Eller, U.S. |
| Eller, 18, practices on trap course built for him by his father |
| Skeet |
| Abdullah al-Rashidi, Kuwait |
| Ennio Falco, Italy |
| Andrea Benelli, Italy |
| Al-Rashidi finished 42nd in '96 |
| WOMEN |
| 10-meter air pistol |
| Cao Ying, China |
| Tao Luna, China |
| Lolita Evglevskaya, Belarus |
| Shooters from the old Eastern bloc took 12 of first 13 spots in '96 |
| 25-meter pistol |
| Tao Luna, China |
| Nino Salukvadze, Georgia |
| Cai Yeqing, China |
| Cai is the current world champ, Tao the world cup winner |
| 10-meter air rifle |
| Zhao Yinghui, China |
| Sonja Pfeilschifter, Germany |
| Kang Cho Hyun, South Korea |
| Zhao became world champion in 1998 at age 17 |
| 50-meter rifle, 3-position |
| Sonja Pfeilschifter, Germany |
| Shan Hong, China |
| Tatiana Goldobina, Russia |
| Athletes shoot while prone, standing and kneeling |
| Trap |
| Deserie Wakefield-Baynes, Australia |
| Delphine Racinet, France |
| Cindy Gentry, U.S. |
| Wakefield-Baynes barely made '96 double trap final, then won bronze |
| Double trap |
| Kim Rhode, U.S. |
| Deborah Gelisio, Italy |
| Yukie Nakayama, Japan |
| Rhode went on deer-hunting trip with parents at three months old |
| Skeet |
| Zhang Shan, China |
| Svetlana Demina, Russia |
| Zemfira Meftakhetdinova, Azerbaijan |
| Zhang won gold in '92, when men and women competed together |
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| Soccer |
| MEN |
| Brazil |
| Spain |
| Nigeria |
| This has been only international title to elude Brazilians |
| WOMEN |
| U.S. |
| China |
| Brazil |
| Three best teams -- U.S., China and Norway -- are in same bracket; one won't reach semis |
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| Softball |
| U.S. |
| Australia |
| China |
| U.S. has eight players back from gold-medal-winning team that outscored opponents 41-8 |
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| Swimming |
| MEN |
| 50-meter freestyle |
| Alexander Popov, Russia |
| Gary Hall Jr., U.S. |
| Anthony Ervin, U.S. |
| All eight finalists could better Popov's 22.13 of '96 |
| 100-meter freestyle |
| Alexander Popov, Russia |
| Pieter van den Hoogenband, the Netherlands |
| Michael Klim, Australia |
| The Czar wins an unprecedented third straight title |
| 200-meter freestyle |
| Ian Thorpe, Australia |
| Pieter van den Hoogenband, the Netherlands |
| Josh Davis, U.S. |
| Thorpedo sinks Dutchman, who won six golds at '99 Europeans |
| 400-meter freestyle |
| Ian Thorpe, Australia |
| Grant Hackett, Australia |
| Klete Keller, U.S. |
| Thorpe is 3.55 seconds better than anyone else in the field |
| 1,500-meter freestyle |
| Grant Hackett, Australia |
| Kieren Perkins, Australia |
| Erik Vendt, U.S. |
| Hackett stops beloved countryman Perkins from threepeating |
| 100-meter backstroke |
| Lenny Krayzelburg, U.S. |
| Matt Welch, Australia |
| Neil Walker, U.S. |
| Ukrainian-born Californian Krayzelburg has history's four fastest times in this event |
| 200-meter backstroke |
| Lenny Krayzelburg, U.S. |
| Aaron Peirsol, U.S. |
| Gordan Kozulj, Croatia |
| The 17-year-old Peirsol is Krayzelburg's heir apparent |
| 100-meter breaststroke |
| Ed Moses, U.S. |
| Roman Sloudnor, Russia |
| Pat Calhoun, U.S. |
| Converted golfer Moses finds this water to be no hazard |
| 200-meter breaststroke |
| Dimitri Komornikov, Russia |
| Yohan Bernard, France |
| Kyle Salyards, U.S. |
| Anyone's race: Ten swimmers are within a second |
| 100-meter butterfly |
| Michael Klim, Australia |
| Geoff Huegill, Australia |
| Lars Frolander, Sweden |
| Another squeaker: Top times this year for these three are .04 apart |
| 200-meter butterfly |
| Tom Malchow, U.S. |
| Franck Esposito, France |
| Denis Sylantyev, |
| Michael Phelps, 15, youngest male swimmer since 1932 to make U.S. team, is medalthreat |
| 200-meter individual medley |
| Attila Czene, Hungary |
| Massimiliano Rosolino, Italy |
| Matthew Dunn, Australia |
| Czene smoked the field in Atlanta -- from lane 1 |
| 400-meter individual medley |
| Tom Dolan, U.S. |
| Justin Norris, Australia |
| Erik Vendt, U.S. |
| Dolan's world record of 4:12.30 still stands from 1994 |
| 4x100-meter freestyle relay |
| U.S. |
| Australia |
| Russia |
| U.S. is unbeaten in all seven Olympic finals in this event |
| 4x200-meter freestyle relay |
| Australia |
| U.S. |
| Great Britain |
| Aussies should better the world record they set in Sydney in '99 |
| 4x100-meter medley relay |
| U.S. |
| Australia |
| Russia |
| Americans won't be caught after leading back- and breaststroke |
| WOMEN |
| 50-meter freestyle |
| Therese Alshammar, Sweden |
| Inge de Bruijn, the Netherlands |
| Dara Torres, U.S. |
| De Bruijn holds the world mark, but unheralded Alshammar rules |
| 100-meter freestyle |
| Therese Alshammar, Sweden |
| Jenny Thompson, U.S. |
| Inge de Bruijn, the Netherlands |
| Six of history's eight fastest could face off in thrilling final |
| 200-meter freestyle |
| Claudia Poll, Costa Rica |
| Susie O'Neill, Australia |
| Camelia Potec, Romania |
| Poll won first-ever Costa Rican gold medal in '96 |
| 400-meter freestyle |
| Hannah Stockbauer, Germany |
| Diana Munz, U.S. |
| Brooke Bennett, U.S. |
| European champ Stockbauer is two seconds up on field this year |
| 800-meter freestyle |
| Brooke Bennett, U.S. |
| Kaitlin Sandeno, U.S. |
| Flavia Rigamonti, Switzerland |
| Bennett is world's best half-miler since Janet Evans |
| 100-meter backstroke |
| Mai Nakamura, Japan |
| Nina Zhivanevskaya, Spain |
| Antje Buschschulte, Germany |
| Zhivanevskaya was Olympian in '92 and '96 for Russia |
| 200-meter backstroke |
| Nina Zhivanevskaya, Spain |
| Miki Nakao, Japan |
| Tomoko Hagiwara, Japan |
| Zhivanevskaya's distraction: coach busted for smuggling ecstasy |
| 100-meter breaststroke |
| Megan Quann, U.S. |
| Penny Heyns, South Africa |
| Leisel Jones, Australia |
| Upset win for bold-talking teen over world-record holder Heyns, who's nine years her senior |
| 200-meter breaststroke |
| Kristy Kowal, U.S. |
| Masami Tanaka, Japan |
| Agnes Kovacs, Hungary |
| World 100 breaststroke champ Kowal, a.k.a. the Georgia Peach, missed team by .01 in that event |
| 100-meter butterfly |
| Inge de Bruijn, the Netherlands |
| Jenny Thompson, U.S. |
| Dara Torres, U.S. |
| Thompson barely misses out on a solo gold -- again |
| 200-meter butterfly |
| Susie O'Neill, Australia |
| Petria Thomas, Australia |
| Mette Jacobsen, Denmark |
| Kids Down Under call the butterfly the Susie Stroke |
| 200-meter individual medley |
| Yana Klochkova, Ukraine |
| Beatrice Coada-Caslaru, Romania |
| Elli Overton, Australia |
| World's best, Wu Yanyan of China, is serving steroid suspension |
| 400-meter individual medley |
| Yana Klochkova, Ukraine |
| Yasuko Tajima, Japan |
| Kaitlin Sandeno, U.S. |
| Sandeno outkicks Canada's Joanne Malar on freestyle leg to take bronze medal |
| 4x100-meter freestyle relay |
| U.S. |
| Germany |
| Australia |
| An experienced American quartet averages 28 years of age |
| 4x200-meter freestyle relay |
| Australia |
| Germany |
| U.S. |
| Australians could break East Germans' 1987 world record |
| 4x100-meter medley relay |
| U.S. |
| Australia |
| Japan |
| In nine Games, U.S. has seven gold and two silver medals |
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| Synchronized Swimming |
| Duet |
| Brousnikina & Kiseleva, Russia |
| Tachibana & Takeda, Japan |
| Kozlova & Middaugh, U.S. |
| Russian-born Anna Kozlova was fourth in '92 for her native land |
| Team |
| Russia |
| Japan |
| U.S. |
| Don't miss the Americans' spectacular new double tower lift |
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| Table Tennis |
| MEN |
| Singles |
| Kong Linghui, China |
| Vladimir Samsonov, Belarus |
| Chiang Peng-lung, Taiwan |
| Kong atones for stunning defeat in round of 16 in Atlanta |
| Doubles |
| Kong & Liu, China |
| Persson & Waldner, Sweden |
| Wang & Yan, China |
| Jörgen Persson and Ja-Ove Waldner have world singles titles |
| WOMEN |
| Singles |
| Wang Nan, China |
| Li Ju, China |
| Ryu Ji Hye, South Korea |
| In three Olympics, a Chinese woman has won every gold without losing a match |
| Doubles |
| Wang & Li, China |
| Sun & Yang, China |
| Chen & Xu, Taiwan |
| Look for the third consecutive all-Chinese final |
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| Taekwondo |
| MEN |
| 58 kg (128 lbs.) |
| Chih Hsiung Huang, Taiwan |
| Gabriel Esparza, Spain |
| Juan Moreno, U.S. |
| The 29-year-old Moreno came back from six-year layoff in '98 for sport's Olympic debut |
| 68 kg (150 lbs.) |
| Hadi Saelbonebkohal, Iran |
| Aziz Acharki, Germany |
| Steven Lopez, U.S. |
| Saelbonebkohal is reigning world champ and World Cup winner |
| 80 kg (176 lbs.) |
| Victor Garibay, Mexico |
| Muhammed Dahmani, Denmark |
| Marcel More, Slovenia |
| Garibay dropped 30 pounds to avoid facing South Korea's Kim Je Kyung at 80+ ... |
| 80+ kg (176+ lbs.) |
| Pascal Gentil, France |
| Yahia Alam, Egypt |
| Nelson Saenz Miller, Cuba |
| ... but Kim was injured early last month and will miss the Games |
| WOMEN |
| 49 kg (108 lbs.) |
| Kay Poe, U.S. |
| Chia Chun-hung, Taiwan |
| Fadime Helvacioglu, Germany |
| Poe is two for two against Chia in the past year |
| 57 kg (126 lbs.) |
| Hamide Tosun, Turkey |
| Jung Jae Eun, South |
| Cristina Corsi, Italy |
| Tosun blitzed competition at tournament in Croatia last year |
| 67 kg (148 lbs.) |
| Ireane Ruiz, Spain |
| Lee Sun Hee, South Korea |
| Mirjam Muskens, the Netherlands |
| Former junior high hoops coach Barbara Kunkel, from Tacoma, has a chance in deep division |
| 67+ kg (148+ lbs.) |
| Myriam Baverel, France |
| Natasa Vezmar, Croatia |
| Adriana Carmona, Venezuela |
| Baverel avenges '99 Olympic qualifier loss to Vezmar |
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| Tennis |
| MEN |
| Singles |
| Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil |
| Magnus Norman, Sweden |
| Lleyton Hewitt, Australia |
| Youngster Hewitt is coming off a strong showing at U.S. Open |
| Doubles |
| Woodbridge & Woodforde, Australia |
| Palmer & O'Brien, U.S. |
| Nestor & Lareau, Canada |
| Todd Woodbridge was arrested at Atlanta Games for tussling with security guard |
| WOMEN |
| Singles |
| Venus Williams, U.S. |
| Lindsay Davenport, U.S. |
| Monica Seles, U.S. |
| Davenport's dad, Wink, was on the '68 Olympic volleyball team |
| Doubles |
| Williams & Williams, U.S. |
| Martínez & Sánchez-Vicario, Spain |
| Testud & Halard-Decugis, France |
| Williams sisters' biggest test was Lisa Raymond's arbitration bid to claim Serena's spot on team |
