Men’s track and field for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games is underway. Records will most certainly be beaten this year, especially with all eyes locked on Jamaican Usain Bolt. Anything goes when it comes to men’s athletics; no one is safe and even the best athletes can fall to the underdogs. Athletics opened this Friday, August 3 and will close with the Men’s Marathon on Sunday, August 12. See the full schedule for Men’s track and field here.
I am quite familiar with a few grueling track and field events. Back in the day of drivers ed, social obscurity, and early curfews I was a part of the track and field team in high school. Although I only joined to stay in shape for the fall soccer season, running track kicked my ass.
Great Britain has already struck gold in Olympic Stadium after the third day of athletics and have gotten the country’s full attention. Twenty-four events encompass men’s athletics before the 2012 Summer Olympics end. There is an incredible energy about track and field that will have people talking all the way until the end.
Let the games begin! (For measurements 1 meter = 3.28084 feet)
Men’s 100m: Final – Sunday, August 5
Gold: Jamaica – Usain Bolt 9.63 (Olympic Record)
Silver: Jamaica – Yohan Blake 9.75 (Matched Personal Best)
Bronze: USA – Justin Gatlin 9.79 (Personal Best)
4TH: USA – Tyson Gay 9.80 (Season Best)
5TH: USA – Ryan Bailey 9.88 (Matched Personal Best)
Men’s 200m: Final – Thursday, August 9
Gold: Jamaica – Usain Bolt 19.32 (Season Best)
Silver: Jamaica – Yohan Blake 19.44 (Season Best)
Bronze: Jamaica – Warren Weird 19.84 (Personal Best)
4TH: USA – Wallace Spearmon 19.90 (Season Best)
5TH: Netherlands – Churandy Martina 20.00
Men’s 400m: Final – Monday, August 6
Gold: Grenada – Kirani James 43.94 (National Record)
Silver: Dominican Republic – Luguelin Santos 44.46
Bronze: Trinidad and Tobago – Lalonde Gordon 44.52 (Personal Best)
4TH: Bahamas – Chris Brown 44.79
5TH: Belgium – Kevin Borlee 44.81
Men’s 800m: Final – Thursday, August 9
Gold: Kenya – David Lekuta Rudisha 1:40.91 (World Record)
Silver: Botswana – Nijel Amos 1:41.73 (National Record)
Bronze: Kenya – Timothy Kitum 1:42.53 (Personal Best)
4TH: USA – Duane Solomon 1:42.82 (Personal Best)
5TH: USA – Nick Symmonds 1:42.95 (Personal Best)
Men’s 110m Hurdles: Final – Wednesday, August 8
Gold: USA – Aries Merritt 12.92 (Personal Best)
Silver: USA – Jason Richardson 13.04
Bronze: Jamaica – Hansle Parchment 13.12 (National Record)
4TH: Great Britain – Lawrence Clarke 13.39
5TH: Barbados – Ryan Brathwaite 13.40
Men’s 1500m: Final – Tuesday, August 7
Gold: Algeria – Taoufik Makhloufi 3:34.08
Silver: USA – Leonel Manzano 3:34.79 (Season Best)
Bronze: Morocco – Abdalaati Iguider 3:35.13
4TH: USA – Matthew Centrowitz 3:35.17
5TH: Norway – Henrik Ingebrigtsen 3:35.43 (National Record)
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase: Final – Sunday, August 5
Gold: Kenya – Ezekiel Kemboi 8:18.56
Silver: France – Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad 8:19.08
Bronze: Kenya – Abel Kiprop Mutai 8:19.73
4TH: Ethiopia – Roba Gari 8:20.00
5TH: Kenya – Brimin Kiprop Kipruto 8:23.03
Men’s 400m Hurdles: Final – Monday, August 6
Gold: Dominican Republic – Felix Sanchez 47.63 (Season Best)
Silver: USA – Michael Tinsley 47.91 (Personal Best)
Bronze: Puerto Rico – Javier Culson 48.10
4TH: Great Britain – David Greene 48.24
5TH: USA – Angelo Taylor 48.25
Men’s 5000m: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Great Britain – Mohamed Farah 13:41.66
Silver: Ethiopia – Dejen Gebremeskel 13:41.98
Bronze: Kenya – Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa 13:42.36
4TH: USA – Bernard Lagat 13:42.99
5TH: Kenya – Isiah Kiplangat Koech 13:43.83
Men’s Shot Put: Final – Friday, August 3
Gold: Poland – Tomasz Majewski 21.89m (Season Best)
Silver: Germany – David Storl 21.86m
Bronze: USA – Reese Hoffa 21.23m
4TH: USA – Christian Cantwell 21.19m
5TH: Canada – Dylan Armstrong 20.93m
Men’s Discus Throw: Final – Tuesday, August 7
Gold: Germany – Robert Harting 68.27m
Silver: Iran – Ehsan Hadadi 68.18m
Bronze: Estonia – Gerd Kanter 68.03m (Season Best)
4TH: Lithuania – Virgilijus Alekna 67.38m
5TH: Poland – Piotr Malachowski 67.19m
Men’s Javelin Throw: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Trinidad and Tobago – Keshorn Walcott 84.58 (National Record)
Silver: Ukraine – Oleksandr Pyatnytsya 84.51
Bronze: Finland – Antti Ruuskanen 84.12
4TH: Czech Republic – Vitezslav Vesely 83.34
5TH: Finland – Tero Pitkamaki 82.80
Men’s Hammer Throw: Final – Sunday, August 5
Gold: Hungary – Krisztian Pars 80.59m
Silver: Slovenia – Primoz Kozmus 79.36m (Season Best)
Bronze: Japan – Koji Murofushi 78.71m (Season Best)
4TH: Ukraine – Olexiy Sokyrskiyy 78.25m
5TH: Russia – Kirill Ikonnikov 77.86m
Men’s Long Jump
Gold: Great Britain – Greg Rutherford 8.31m
Silver: Australia – Mitchell Watt 8.16m
Bronze: USA – Will Claye 8.12m
4TH: Sweden – Michel Torneus 8.11m
5TH: Germany – Sebastian Bayer 8.10m
Men’s Triple Jump: Final – Thursday, August 9
Gold: USA – Christian Taylor 17.81m (Season Best)
Silver: USA – Will Claye 17.62m
Bronze: Italy – Fabrizio Donato 17.48m
4TH: Italy – Daniele Greco 17.34m
5TH: Bahamas – Leevan Sands 17.19m
Men’s High Jump: Final – Tuesday, August 7
Gold: Russia – UKHOV Ivan 2.38m
Silver: USA – Erik Kynard 2.33m
Bronze Tie: Qatar – Mutaz Essa Barshim 2.29m
Bronze Tie: Canada – Derek Drouin 2.29m
Bronze: Great Britain – Robert Grabarz 2.29m
Men’s Pole Vault: Final – Friday, August 10
Gold: France – Renaud Lavillenie 5.97m (Olympic Record)
Silver: Germany – Bjorn Otto 5.91m
Bronze: Germany – Raphael Holzdeppe 5.91m (Personal Best)
4TH: Russia – Dmitry Starodubtev 5.75m
5TH Tie: Great Britain –Steven Lewis 5.75m
5TH Tie: Russia – Evgeniy Lykyanenko 5.75m (Season Best)
Men’s 20km Race Walk
Gold: China – Ding Chen 1:18:46 (Olympic Record)
Silver: Guatemala – Erick Barrondo 1:18:57
Bronze: China – Zhen Wang 1:19:25
4TH: China – Zelin Cai 1:19:44
5TH: Spain – Miguel Angel Lopez 1:19:49 (Personal Best)
Men’s 50km Race Walk: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Russia – Sergey Kirdyapkin 3:35:59 (Olympic Record)
Silver: Australia – Jared Tallent 3:36:53 (Personal Best)
Bronze: China – Tianfeng Si 3:37:16 (Personal Best)
4TH: Ireland – Robert Heffernan 3:37:54 (National Record)
5TH: Russia – Igor Erokhin 3:37:54 (Personal Best)
Men’s Marathon: Final – Sunday, August 12
Gold: Uganda – Stephen Kiprotich 2:08:01
Silver: Kenya – Abel Kirui 2:08:27
Bronze: Kenya – Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich 2:09:37
4TH: USA – Mebrahtom Keflezighi 2:11:06
5TH: Brazil – Marilson Dos Santos 2:11:10
Men’s 10,000m
Gold: Great Britain – Mohamed Farah 27:30.42
Silver: USA – Galen Rupp 27:30.90
Bronze: Ethiopia – Tariku Bekele 27:31.43
4TH: Ethiopia – Kenenisa Bekele 27:32.44
5TH: Kenya – Bedan Karoki Muchiri 27:32.94
Men’s 4 x 100m Relay: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Jamaica 36.84 (World Record)
Nesta Carter
Michael Frater
Yohan Blake
Usain Bolt
Silver: USA 37.04 (National Record)
Trell Kimmons
Justin Gatlin
Tyson Gay
Ryan Bailey
Bronze: Trinidad & Tobago 38.12
Keston Bledman
Marc Burns
Emmanuel Callender
Richard Thompson
4TH: France 38.16
5TH: Japan 38.35
Men’s 4 x 400m Relay: Final – Friday, August 10
Gold: Bahamas 2:56.72 (National Record)
Chris Brown
Demetrius Pinder
Michael Mathieu
Ramon Miller
Silver: USA 2:57.05 (Season Best)
Bryshon Nellum
Joshua Mance
Tony McQuay
Angelo Taylor
Bronze: Trinidad & Tobago 2:59.40 (National Record)
Lalonde Gordon
Jarrin Solomon
Ade Alleyne-Forte Deon Lendore
4TH: Great Britain 2:59.53 (Season Best)
5TH: Russia 3:00.09
Men’s Decathlon: Final – Thursday, August 9
(100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400m, 110m Hurdles, Discus Throw, Pole Vault, Javelin, 1500m)
Gold: USA – Ashton Eaton 8869 points
Silver: USA – Trey Hardee 8671 points (Season Best)
Bronze: Cuba – Leonel Suarez 8523 points (Season Best)
4TH: Belgium – Hans Van Alphen 8447 points
5TH: Canada – Damian Warner 8442 points (Personal Best)
Source: London 2012