Olympic Swimming 2012: Picking Winners for Biggest Events of Day 2

The first day of swimming competitions at the 2012 Olympics gave us some unexpected results, and Day 2 will be just as unpredictable. 

Michael Phelps and the Americans will attempt to beat James Magnussen and the incredibly fast Aussies in the 4x100-meter relay.

Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington will go head-to-head with Italian star Federica Pelligrini and American star Allison Schmitt in the women's 400-meter freestyle.

U.S. swimmer Dana Vollmer will attempt to dominate the women's 100-meter butterfly, and on the men's side, American Brendan Hansen will give the 100-meter breaststroke his best effort.

Here's how I see these four races playing out.

Men's 4x100-Meter Freestyle Relay

This is the premier race of Day 2. It's like watching a drag race, except you're watching people...in the water.

Australia is the clear-cut favorite to win this race after its stellar showing at the 2011 World Championships. Magnussen is the world's fastest sprinter at this distance, and teammate James Roberts is only slightly slower.

The Americans won this event in the 2008 Summer Games to the dismay of the French team and the world, but I don't expect to see them to beat the Aussies.

Russia and France are dark horses to win, but they aren't likely to win.

Prediction: Australia wins by a half-a-second or more. 

Women's 400-Meter Freestyle

This race is going to be the second-most intense of the day, after the men's 4x100 free relay.

Pelligrini is the reigning world champ, Adlington is the reigning Olympic champ, and Schmitt is the dark horse. 

It would be nice to see Adlington win in front of the home crowd, but I don't see that happening.

Prediction: Pelligrini wins by a slim margin.

Women's 100-Meter Butterfly

Current world champion Vollmer is one of the heavy favorites to win this race, along with Swedish world-record holder Sarah Sjöström. 

Vollmer came out on fire in the heats, breaking a U.S. record, according to the Mercury News.

Australia's Alicia Coutts is also one of the women to watch in this event, though I'll be shocked if she finishes over Vollmer and Sjöström.

Prediction: Vollmer edges out Sjöström for the gold.

Men's 100-Meter Breaststroke

This event will be without its world champion, as Norway's Alexander Dale Oen died from cardiac arrest in a pre-Olympic training session.

This leaves the door wide open for Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima to win his third gold medal in a row in this event. America's Hansen will have something to say about that, along with South African Cameron van der Burgh. 

Prediction: Kitajima wins the gold in this event for the third straight Summer Games.

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