Usain Bolt vs Justin Gatlin, good vs evil, the worldwide phenomenon vs the man looking for redemption – the men's 100m is set to get that thing racing into overdrive, which only sport can do. The first Sunday of athletics action at the Rio Olympics gives us the most mouth-watering of sprint battles, with a bit of Yohan Blake, Andre de Grassie and Ben Youssef Meite thrown in.
If there is anything that is certain in the world right now, it is that when those men take their marks at five minutes to half past ten, the crowd at the Olympic Stadium in Rio will be cheering for one man, the man who made a name for himself in the Games of eight years past, and the man who has, since then, carried the sport, even when it has been plagued with doping problems.
Get the report and final times HERE
Having won two 100m titles in two Olympics – and the 200m and 4x100m relay of course – this is supposed to be Bolt's chance at cementing his place as the GOAT (greatest of all time). Most would argue he already is, but if he wins gold in Rio, there would be no argument anymore.
The biggest obstacle in the Jamaican's way is an American, who has had a chequered past in the sport, but is in the form of his life.
While Gatlin might have choked on the big stage in the World Championships in Beijing last year, you feel he would have learned from that mistake and will come out stronger in Rio 2016.
The times after the heats suggest Gatlin is the man that will threaten Bolt's dominance, even if De Grassie and Meite ran well, while Blake has shown signs of getting back to his best as well.
As good as all these sprinters are, though, it will all come down to who handles the pressure best on the biggest stage, and over the past eight years, there hasn't been anyone better than Bolt. That is what makes the 29-year-old so special; just that ability to find another gear when it matters most, like he did in the World Championships, despite coming into the meet in poor form.
If Bolt produces that turns-it-on-at-the-right-time form again, nobody is going to be able to stop him – not Gatlin, not Blake, not anyone. If he fails to produce that form, though, and that start, like it was in the heats, causes problems, which then leads to the realisation that there is just too much to do in terms of catching up in the final 50 metres, there could be a major upset.
Just don't bet on it, though.
Where to Watch Live
The men's 100m semifinals is scheduled for a 9 p.m. local time (5.30 a.m. IST next day) start. The final is set to begin at 10.25 p.m. local time (6.55 a.m. IST), 25 minutes after the men's 400m final. The live streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Star Sports and DD National. Live Streaming: Starports.com and Hotstar.
USA: TV: NBC. Live Streaming: NBC Sports live extra, NBC Olympics and NBC Olympics app.
Brazil: TV: SporTV, Globo, Fox Sports and ESPN.
UK and Ireland: TV: BBC. Live Streaming: BBCiPlayer.
Jamaica: TV: Television Jamaica CVM.
Germany: TV: ARD and ZDF.
Netherlands: TV: NOS.
Australia: TV: Channel 7, 7Two and 7Mate. Live Streaming: Channel 7 online.
