Javelin is the key to Kelly's chances

Big hopes: Kelly Sotherton proved her form in the Crystal Palace Grand Prix last month

Attention switches to the bird's nest stadium tomorrow when the athletics gets under way and it ' s a moment when I always think the Games get into full swing... if you'll forgive the bias.

And one of Britain's best hopes for a medal goes in one of the first events on the programme, the heptathlon. Kelly Sotherton is in fantastic shape, and her chance of the title was boosted the day reigning champion Carolina Kluft opted out of the competition but, and it's a big but, she may be let down by her poor form in the javelin.

She has thrown the javelin only once in competition this year, at the Olympic trials, and it was a very modest 34 metres. That's way down on her lifetime best of just over 40m.

Indeed she has consistently struggled in the event since her bronze medal in the last Olympics and it has certainly cost her medals in major championships.

She showed her form in the other disciplines at the Crystal Palace Grand Prix last month when she long jumped 6.79m, produced a decent shot put and 200 metres. She has had every expert under the sun working with her on the technique but it has become as much a psychological barrier now.

If she continues her form and throws in the low 30s then probably her chance of gold has gone, though she could still win a silver or bronze.

Around the same time that we learn Kelly's fate on Saturday , the blue-riband event of the Games reaches its climax.

This year's 100m is mouthwatering, and the anticipated showdown between Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay is quite simply as good as it gets. You always have head-to-heads but to have three of them is special.

Bolt is the novice who is oozing with talent and has the world record. Asafa Powell is perhaps the quickest runner out there, but can't do it in the big events.

Tyson Gay isn't as quick as either of them but is world champion at 100m and 200m and can perform when it matters. The final will be very difficult to call but my hunch is that Powell will run fantastically well in the heats then tighten up in he final and may not even win a medal.

It's then a question of how well the other two handle the pressure. There's nothing compared to an Olympic 100m final. You sense that Gay could run as fast as he needs to, but with the hamstring injury he sustained at the US trials he may not be able to pull it off, even though he insists he is fully fit.

Bolt is just running immensely quickly, but is relatively untested at this level. If I had a spare tenner, I'd go with the man in form and pick Bolt.

Sadly though, you have to say that in many people's mind a cloud still hangs over the sprint final - a fact we were reminded of by John Fahey, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

And it would be the stuff of nightmares for the International Olympic Committee if the winner of the 100m turns out to have been a drugs cheat. But my feeling is that the tide is turning, and the battle is being won.

Testers are adopting the approach that it needs a thief to catch a thief. We need to be as smart and cunning as the cheats themselves. This seems to have paid off when the seven Russian athletes were picked up for suspected false samples.

Whatever the potential scandal, the Olympic ideal and spirit will prevail, and the Games themselves will always stand out as a beacon for all that is worth celebrating about humanity.

The commercial success of London 2012 in signing up seven top sponsors in record-breaking deals has come after all the controversy surrounding the likes of Dwain Chambers, Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.

It's been truly horrific stuff but the Olympics transcends it and still maintains its appeal.

Unlike Athens four years ago, we have strong contenders for gold in Kelly, Christine Ohuruogu and Phillips Idowu. Track and field in the UK is looking better than it has for a few years.

The European indoor championships in Birmingham, when we topped the table, were a turning point. The world championships in Osaka turned out better than expected and the world indoors in Valencia this March was also very encouraging. So it's a more optimistic outlook than the last Olympics.

Ohuruogu will worry the favourite, Sanya Richards, in the 400m. The American's personal best may be almost a second faster than Christine's, but there are question marks over her ability at the big events. Christine gets stronger under pressure. She is also a much better athlete than the one who won the world championships, in Sanya's absence.

Which leaves our best shot at gold, Phillips Idowu, in the triple jump.

He's in the form of his life and is a big favourite but he has yet to win a medal of any colour in a global outdoor championship, so the pressure is really on.

But the big story on Sunday morning could be the woman who was favourite for the marathon in Athens - Paula Radcliffe.

The pictures of her dropping out on that brutally hot day are still seared on the nations consciousness, and there would be no more popular winner here in Beijing.

On the plus side, the course is flat and the climatic conditions are not as bad as the intense heat of Athens, but I fear Paula may have made the wrong decision to compete - albeit for the right reasons. I hope she proves me wrong.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in