What to watch for - Day 14.

Lots of great finishes by the Americans last night and there a lot of important medals up for grabs today.

Usain “Lightning” Bolt returns to the track tonight to defend Olympic title No. 2 in the 200m. He crushed everyone in 2008 and almost walked across the finish line in the semifinals last night. Another story of “redemption” makes an appearance in this race in Team USA’s Wallace Spearmon, Jr. He thought he had finished third in Beijing and was in the middle of his victory lap when he was told he had been disqualified for a lane violation. Yohan Blake is also in the mix in this race (of course). The real question is probably how much Bolt will best the rest of the field by?

In the men’s 800m, Kenya’s David Rudisha is the favorite to win the gold as the reigning world champion and world record holder. Ethopia’s Mohamed Aman has provided some challenges for Rudisha in the past, as has the Sudan’s Abubaker Kaki. The Americans have two runners in the final in Duane Solomon and Nick Symmonds.

On the field, the men’s triple jump will be contested and it has been 20 years since the U.S. has claimed two medals in this event. Team USA’s Christian Taylor and Will Claye are the two favorites heading into the final. Taylor is the reigning world outdoor champion and Claye the 2011 world indoor champion.

The final events of the decathlon will happen today to determine the “best male athlete in the world.” American Bryan Clay won the event in Beijing and there is a pretty good chance the U.S. could go one-two this time around. World record holder Ashton Eaton leads Trey Hardee by 99 points with three events to go (pole vault, javelin and 1500m), while the athlete in third place is 199 points behind Hardee.

The Olympics have been dubbed the “girls’ games” and today marks three big games/matches for U.S. women’s teams. Prior to primetime, the U.S. women’s soccer team looks to win its third straight gold and defeat world champion Japan in a rematch of last year’s World Cup final. The USA ended up losing in PKs in a very close match a year ago.

The U.S. women’s basketball team is currently on a 39-game winning streak and looks to defeat Australia to make it into the championship game for their fifth straight gold medal.

In the pool, the U.S. women’s water polo team looks to better its silver in Beijing with a gold in London. The Americans will take on Spain in the final this afternoon.