The Women’s Marathon will start at 7:30 a.m. (UTC/GMT +8) on the third day of Athletics at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Gold medals will also be decided in Women’s 100m, Men’s 10000m, Women’s Triple Jump, Women’s 3000m Steeplechase and Men’s Hammer Throw.
Women’s Marathon – final
World champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya will battle a strong field that contains Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain for glory in the Women’s Marathon on the streets of Beijing on Sunday, August 17.
Ndereba won silver at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and gold at the 2003 World Championships.
Radcliffe, the world record holder, was only included in the British team earlier this week after recovering from a stress fracture. The 2005 world champion withdrew from the race in Athens but has since won the 2004 and 2008 New York City Marathon and 2005 London Marathon.
Women’s 100m – semifinals and final
Defending Olympic gold medalist Yuliya Nestsiarenka of Belarus qualified for the semifinal as the fastest runner who didn’t place in the top three of a heat.
US favorites Lauryn Williams, Muna Lee and Torri Edwards are among the athletes who have moved on to the semifinals.
Men’s Hammer Throw – final
Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus, silver medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the 2007 world champion, and defending champion Koji Murofushi of Japan are among the 12 qualifiers heading to Sunday’s final.
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase – final
In the first ever Women’s 3000m Steeplechase to be contested at an Olympic Games, Russians Gulnara Galkina-Samitova and Tatiana Petrova advanced to the final by winning the first two of three heats.
Eunice Jepkorir of Kenya has also qualified for Sunday’s final, by winning the third heat.
Women’s Triple Jump – final
Yargelis Savigne of Cuba, Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece and Victoria Gurova of Russia are the top three qualifiers after the preliminary rounds.
Men’s 10000m – final
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia has his sights set on distance running immortality as he attempts to defend his Olympic 10000m title at the National Stadium on Sunday.
Only five other men have won back-to-back Olympic Games titles in the 10000m, and Bekele’s 26:25.97 minutes this season suggests he could join them. Bekele was the world champion in 2007, 2005 and 2003, the African champion in 2008 and 2006 and is a multiple world cross-country champion.
The semifinals of the Women’s 400m and Men’s 1500m will also be held on Sunday, August 17, at the National Stadium, as will the preliminary rounds of the Women’s 100m Hurdles, Women’s 400m Hurdles and Men’s High Jump.
(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)
