US Olympic Track Trials 2012: Power Ranking USA's 10 Best Track & Field Events

With the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials beginning today, the fastest and the strongest athletes in our nation will be testing each other to see who will punch their ticket to London.

The speed of the 100-meter dash, the endurance of the Olympic marathon and the strength of the shot put all combine to create an exciting environment during the Olympic Track and Field competitions.

So many events and heats make it daunting to keep up with each time run and every distance thrown. But making a decision on who to watch or which event to watch can be even more daunting.

So, what events and which runners will lead Team USA in London?

10. Women's 100-Meter Hurdles

In the 2008 Olympics, Dawn Harper shocked the world by taking the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles.

This summer she’s back again to lead the U.S. in this event.

Hurdlers Danielle Carruthers and Kellie Wells are also strong competitors, with Carruthers taking second place in the 2011 World Championship.

Harper, along with Carruthers and Wells, make the 100-meter hurdles a solid event for Team USA.

9. Women's 200-Meter Sprint

Sprinters Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix have seen it all, from Olympic success to injury and failure. 

Felix has earned medals in two different Olympics, Athens in 2004 and then again in Beijing in 2008.

Jeter has been running on the national stage since 2007, but she missed the cut in the 2008 Olympic trials.

Jeter has pushed herself back into the spotlight though, with a second place finish in the 2011 World Championships.

Although the women’s 200-meter sprint may not be the strongest event for the U.S., the experience of Jeter and Felix make the squad very solid

8. Men's Triple Jump

The triple jump event has recently been getting stronger for the U.S. track team with the emergence Christian Taylor and Will Claye.

As teammates at the University of Florida, Taylor and Claye have both began proving themselves on the international stage in 2011. 

Before even graduating Florida, the triple-jumping duo of Taylor and Claye placed first and third respectively in the triple jump at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Although they are young and raw, these two studs will help solidify the triple jump event for the U.S. Olympic team.

7. Women's 100-Meter Dash

Much like in the 200, the 100-meter sprint team for the U.S. has veterans such as Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix leading the pack. 

But this event is quietly one of the stronger track and field events for Team USA.

Why?

Team USA's secret ingredient, Alexandria Anderson.

Anderson is young, fast and driven, bringing the women’s 100-meter team the spark it needs.

6. Women's 4x100-Meter Relay

The women’s 4x100-meter relay team consists of Carmelita Jeter, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Shalonda Solomon.

The relay team has an inspiring mix of young speed from Knight and Solomon paired with the veteran experience of Jeter and Felix.

The relay team took the gold in the 2011 World Championships with a time of 41.56 seconds, according to IAAF.org. 

With veterans like Jeter and Felix and the fresh legs of Knight and Solomon, this event may make some noise in London.

5. Men's 200-Meter Sprint

Sprinter Walter Dix leads Team USA’s 200-meter event team.

Dix has been emerging in the past few years, earning medals in the U.S. Championships and World Championships since 2010.

The USA Track and Field website has Dix’s personal best in the 200-meter dash at 19.53 seconds, only tenths of a second from Usain Bolt's world-record time of 19.19 seconds. 

Although Dix has yet to beat Usain Bolt in international competition, this event is still strong for Team USA.

4. Men's 4x400-Meter Relay

Four years ago, the U.S. 4x400-meter relay team won the gold medal in Beijing with an Olympic record time of two minutes and 55.39 seconds, according to ESPN.com.

The relay team, including Greg Nixon, Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor, and LaShawn Merritt has continued their dominance, with a gold medal in the 2011 World Championships. 

Age isn’t on their side, though, and veteran Angelo Taylor is not getting any younger.

That being said, they are still a strong relay team.

3. Men's 110-Meter Hurdles

The U.S. 110-meter hurdle team has three very strong runners: David Payne, Jason Richardson, and David Oliver.

These guys are good—Payne and Oliver each earned medals in Beijing in 2008, and Richardson earned gold in the 2011 World Championships -- and all three have experienced success on the international stage.

Payne, Richardson and Oliver have personal bests that are within tenths of a second of each other.

This event is very strong for Team USA, and this trio will be tough to beat in London.

2. Men's Decathlon

The decathlon is a freakishly tough event. Ten different track and field events are all combined into one category, testing speed, endurance, hand-eye coordination and overall athleticism.

Team USA’s decathlon competitors, Trey Hardee and Ashton Eaton, are freakish athletes. 

Both earned medals in the 2011 World Championships, with Hardee earning gold and Eaton getting silver. Hardee is going to be the man to beat in London.

These guys are great athletes and make the decathlon one of Team USA’s top events.

1. Men's 100-Meter Dash

Walter Dix and Tyson Gay lead the 100-meter event, and both are serious Olympic medal contenders for this summer.

These two are just old-school fast.

Dix’s blazing speed has him ranked 14^th in the world in 2011 in the outdoor 100-meter run, according to the USA Track and Field website.

Both sprinters have been on the international stage before and know what to expect.

Although the popularity of Usain Bolt has made the 100-meter dash a little over-hyped, it’s still the America’s No. 1 event in the Olympics.