London Olympics 2012: Top 5 Storylines to Follow on Day 9

Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Day 9 means we're past the half-way point of the 2012 Olympics. 

One of the biggest storylines from London is comes from men's tennis, where Great Britain's Andy Murray will attempt to take down legendary tennis great Roger Federer in the gold-medal match. 

That's just the tip of the iceberg, though, as there are many other compelling storylines to follow. Keep reading to find out what else you should be looking for on Sunday, August 5. 

Who Is the World's Fastest Man?

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Sport: Athletics

Event: Men's 100-meter (Semifinals and Final)

Time: 2:45 and 4:50 p.m. ET

The men's 100-meter is one of the premier events in track and field. 

Usain Bolt has some hefty competition this year, as America and Jamaica both feature strong teams. 

The preliminary round and heats happened on Saturday, and only two men cracked the 10-second barrier—America's Justin Gatlin and Ryan Bailey. That isn't necessarily indicative of what we'll see in the semifinals and final, though, as many of the top sprinters purposefully save their energy for the later rounds. 

Bolt is the defending gold-medalist, and until someone knocks him off his throne, he's the favorite to win it again. 

Stay tuned to this one, as the conclusion is sure to be one of the most exciting moments of Day 9. 

McKayla Maroney Attempts to Win Another Gold for U.S. Gymnastics Team

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Sport: Gymnastics

Event: Women's Individual Vault

Time: 9:50 a.m. ET

McKayla Maroney's 2012 Summer Games were cut short a little bit after she re-injured her big toe before the women's team all-around. She had been slated to participate in both the vault and the floor exercise, but her injury relegated her to just the vault. 

Unfortunately for the rest of the world, Maroney still nailed her Amanar vault, earning the top score. 

She'll look to duplicate or improve upon her 15.800 score in the women's individual vault on Sunday, and if she does, she'll win another gold medal for Team USA. 

Can Anyone Top the Chinese in Women's Diving?

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Sport: Diving

Event: Women's 3-Meter Individual Springboard Final

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

As good as the Americans are in the pool when it comes to swimming, the Chinese are equally as dominant in diving. 

The women's 3-meter springboard final will be one of the big events on Sunday, and Wu Minxia and He Zi are easily the world's two best divers in this discipline. They were one and two after preliminaries, but Italian diver Tania Tagnatto made waves in the semifinals, taking the No. 2 spot from He. 

Minxia continues to roll on, though, and she'll be tough to beat. Not only is she technically sound (who am I kidding, she's practically perfect) but she's also elegant and graceful in the air—something the international judges and the audience appreciates.

If you haven't been following these women, you should start when they take their final act to the pool on Sunday. 

Will the US Women's Basketball Team Continue Their Unbeaten Streak?

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Sport: Women's Basketball

Event: USA vs. China

Time: 11:45 a.m. ET

The U.S. men's basketball team gets most of the hype, but the women's squad has been dominating their competition just as much as their male counterparts.

They have won 37 straight games in the Olympics, a mind-boggling record. 

The team will face perhaps their toughest test on Sunday, as they will go up against a solid Chinese squad that's compiled a 3-1 record so far during these Games. They are only one point behind the Americans in Group A, and they should give Team USA a run for their money. 

This game is a must-see event. Either the Americans will continue rolling or the Chinese will make a historic stand against one of the greatest records of all time in the Olympics.  

Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Sport: Tennis

Event: Men's Final

Time: 9 a.m. ET

The last time these two met, Roger Federer sucked the life out of Wimbledon's Center Court by defeating Murray in front of his home crowd in the mem's final to win his 17th grand slam championship. 

Murray now has his chance for revenge. And, if he pulls off the feat, it'll be even more meaningful to him and his country than if he had won the 2012 Wimbledon tournament. 

Federer overcame a historically-long and difficult match in the semifinals when he beat Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro. The match lasted four hours and 26 minutes, and the final set was finally won by him by a score of 19-17. 

That's classic Federer, though. The tougher the challenge, the tougher he gets. 

Murray will have his hands full, but this is the proper place and time for him to finally get over the hump and win a meaningful match against one of his greatest rivals. If he does, he'll go down in history as one of the greatest Olympic British athletes of all time. 

 

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