Olympics 2012 Schedule: Top Gold-Medal Events to Watch on Day 13

With the 2012 London Olympics winding down over the next couple days, the schedule has clearly gotten a bit lighter, but there is no shortage of exciting events remaining on the slate. Day 13 promises to be a very entertaining day for Olympic fans as plenty of medals will be handed out, including some that Team USA will be major players for.

As has been the case for the past several days, track and field will carry the load, but things will be wrapping up on the sand and in the pool as well. There are several sports on the Olympic program that casual fans only have an opportunity to watch every four years, and Day 13 will provide a chance for viewers to get their final taste of several such sports.

Here are the three top gold-medal events that you absolutely must watch on Thursday, including when and where you can catch them.

Men's 200-Meter Dash (2:05 p.m. ET on NBCOlympics.com or 8 p.m. on NBC—Tape Delay)

The men's 100-meter dash may be considered the premier event in track and field, but the 200-meter dash isn't too far off either as many of the top stars from the 100 will be looking to win a medal in the 200 as well. Jamaica's Usain Bolt is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the event and the heavy favorite to repeat, but he will receive some stiff competition. Countryman Yohan Blake is certainly the one to watch when it comes to possibly dethroning Bolt as he actually posted a better qualifying time.

The United States promises to have a presence as well with Maurice Mitchell and Wallace Spearmon being threats to medal. A Jamaican sweep is a very real possibility too, with Warren Weir joining Bolt and Blake. Even if Bolt blows away the field in this race like he did in Beijing, it will be well worth watching since nobody has defended the double in the 100 and 200 since iconic American runner Carl Lewis.

Women's Water Polo Final (3 p.m. ET on NBCOlympics.com or NBC)

The women's water polo final will feature a battle of unbeatens on Thursday as Team USA and Spain will lock horns for the second time during the London Olympics. When the two sides met the first time, they played a very even match that ended in a 9-9 tie. Each team won all of their other games, though, and enter the gold-medal contest with a ton of confidence. The American women entered London as one of the favorites to take gold and will have a chance to make good on that hype.

Team USA has won a medal in each of the three Olympics that women's water polo has been contested, but gold has eluded them. Spain, on the other hand, has never secured a medal in the event, so this is already La Roja's most successful venture. Team USA won silver in Beijing, but the London team is much younger and more skilled thanks, in part, to the fantastic play of Maggie Steffens. These two teams learned a lot about each other in their previous meeting and it should make for a highly-entertaining final.

Men's Beach Volleyball Final (4 p.m. ET on NBCOlympics.com or NBC)

The American teams of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, as well as Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, will be leaving London without medals, but the men's beach volleyball final is still an intriguing event that you won't want to miss on Day 13. The gold-medal match will pit Brazil's top-ranked pairing of Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti against the German squad of Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann. Emanuel and Alison are clearly the favorites as they have dominated the scene for the past three years, but the Germans won't go quietly.

The 39-year-old Emanuel has already clinched his third Olympic medal, and he is hoping that it will be gold to match the one he took in Athens. The 26-year-old Cerutti is in his first Olympics, however, and is equally hungry. The Brazilian duo has a great mixture of experience and youth that has served them well throughout this tournament. Germany is going to give it everything it has, but Brazil may be too tough to tame.

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