After blowing the competition out of the Water Cube, the US has faltered at the Bird’s Nest. Next to swimming, track and field has yielded the most gold medals for US athletes. However, this year things got off to a rocky start. Walter Dix was able to earn a bronze in the men’s 100-meter dash, but despite three entrants in the women’s final, the US came away empty handed. 400-meter favorite Sanya Richards faded to third after she didn’t have enough left for the home stretch. In the 100-meter hurdles, favorite Lolo Jones of the US tripped over a hurdle and fell out of the medals. However, Dawn Harper saved that one for the US, turning what would have been a second place finish into a gold medal.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Bernard Lagat. The 2004 gold medalist in the 1,500 meters failed to even qualify for the final this time around. It appeared that Lagat was trying to save some energy for the next race, but, in doing so, he did not assure himself a place in the final.

The biggest US success was a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. Angelo Taylor took the top spot on the podium.

Things may get better for the US. The men’s and women’s 200-meters offer a chance to go up against the Jamaican team that dominated them in the 100-meters. Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt are set for a US 1-2 finish in the men’s 400-meters. The main question: who will be one and who will be two?

Bernard Lagat will get another chance at gold in the men’s 5,000-meters. Some people think that he was saving himself for the 5,000-meters when he failed to qualify for the 1,500 final.

And then there are the relays, with the US coming up against Jamaica and Great Britain.

There were a few surprises today at the Olympics.

Nigeria handled Belgium quite easily, advancing to the gold medal match in soccer with a 4-1 win. Brazil, primed to finally break their Olympic gold medal drought, once again ran into Argentina. The defending Olympic champs came out on top, sending Brazil home frustrated once again.

Shawn Johnson was finally able to overcome her Chinese competition and win gold on the balance beam. It was the first gold for the 16-year-old who was the most promising gymnast coming into the Games. Johnson also won silver three times, once in the team competition, once in the all-around, and once on the floor exercise.

The US’s best hope in the women’s 400-meters blamed her third place finish on a cramp that hit her leg in the final 100-meters of the race. Sanya Richards finished third, a disappointment since she was favored to win gold and was leading until the very end of the race.

Lolo Jones faltered in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. She tripped over the final hurdle and fell to seventh. Fellow US team member Dawn Harper took advantage of the trip and went on to win gold.

American David Zhuang, the only US player in the men’s table tennis draw, lost his opening round match in 7 sets to Nigeria’s Segun Toriola.

The US beach volleyball dream team of May-Treanor and Walsh is only one match away from defending their gold medal from 4 years ago. They cruised past Brazil and will play hometown favorites Tian Jia and Wang Jie in the final. The Americans will be huge favorites, but China will have the crowd on their side.

The heavyweights took to the weightlifting stage yesterday. Andrei Aramnau, a 20-year-old from Belarus broke the world record with a total sum of 423 kg (932.6 pounds) on his two lifts.

Athletes have pedaled through the roads of Beijing and on the track. Now the stage is set for the first-time Olympic event of BMX. Here is a recap of the cycling events that have already happened and a look at what’s ahead.

Samuel Sanchez of Spain opened the Games in style by winning a grueling men’s road race in intense heat. The race passed many of Beijing’s best landmarks, but most were shrouded in haze. The race also featured multiple grueling climbs.

The women’s road race was drenched by downpours. These heavy rains made for tough going and numerous crashes, but the cool and fresh air was a welcome change from the previous day’s heat. The UK’s Nicole Cooke managed to stay upright and lead a pack of three riders across the finish line.

Kristen Armstrong of the US managed to pull out a win in the women’s time trial while Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland earned a gold in the men’s time trial to go along with the bronze he earned in the road race.

A lackluster performance on the track meant that the American track cycling team will be remembered only for the controversy they caused when the arrived in Beijing wearing masks. They cited worries about pollution as the reason for the masks, but were roundly criticized for their actions. British cyclists dominated on the track, taking home 7 of the 10 golds available.

BMX makes its Olympic debut tomorrow. Like snowboarding at the Winter Games, the sport is populated by X-Games superstars. Mike Day, Kyle Bennett and Donny Robinson will make up the US men’s squad, while Jill Kintner is the lone female rider for the Americans. The inclusion of BMX and snowboarding makes one wonder how long it will be before skateboarding and rollerblading make the transition from X-Games to Olympic Games.

China was once again golden in gymnastics. Yang Wei did what he was expected to do in the men’s individual all around competition. He cruised to victory, performing routines so difficult that it would have taken a truly special performance to beat him. The Americans, Jonathan Horton and Alexander Artimev finished out of the medals. Japan’s up and coming star, nineteen-year-old Kohei Uchimura, took silver. Uchimura will be looking to dominate in London 2012 the way Yang dominated this year.

The women get their turn in the all around today.

The United States basketball team rolled over Greece, the team that beat them in the 2006 men’s basketball world championships.

James Blake and Rodger Federer battled on the courts at the Olympic Green. To many people’s surprise, Blake came out on top, ending Federer’s bid for his first gold medal. It was a major upset, with many fans, and perhaps Federer himself, looking past Blake to a final between Federer and Rafael Nadal. If Nadal advances to the final, he will take over Federer’s number one ranking.

After disappointment in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Frenchman Alain Bernard earned some redemption with a gold medal in the individual 100-meter freestyle. The hulking Frenchman muscled his way to victory while American Jason Lezak, the man who overtook him on the final leg of the relay, was third.

The Australian women are carrying their country’s hopes during the Games. The men from Down Under have struggled in the pool. Stephanie Rice led the women’s 4×200 meter relay team to gold yesterday, smashing to world record in the process. The Chinese team, in the midst of their most impressive meet ever, earned the silver, while Natalie Coughlin and the US earned the bronze.

Kosuke Kitajima of Japan completed a sweep of breaststroke events, winning the 200 breaststroke but falling just short of breaking his own world record.

It was a gold medal day for China at the Olympics.

The host country completed their sweep of the team events in gymnastics by winning the women’s team gold yesterday. The US squad, led by 16-year-old Shawn Johnson, challenged the Chinese women, but the outcome was never really in doubt. To have any chance, the US would have had to perform flawlessly. Lackluster outings on the balance beam and floor exercises kept the gold out of reach. However, the high degree of difficulty in the routines by the Chinese gymnasts put the gold nearly out of reach before the competition even began. A young and inexperienced Romanian squad was able to overcome Russia and claim the bronze medal.

The Chinese men’s gymnastics team completed a dominating performance yesterday, cruising to victory over Japan. The US team, without stars Morgan and Paul Hamm, was able to hold on for the bronze after leading halfway through the competition. As with the women’s event, the outcome was never really in doubt.

Michael Phelps added to his gold medal count in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay and the 200-meter butterfly. He has won five gold medals thus far and still has three more events to go before he is done. He is on track to claim 8 gold medals, a record at the Olympics.

The top ranked US men’s beach volleyball squad of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers beat an experienced Argentine team to assure an advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. The duo lost their first match against a young Latvian team, but has managed to rebound and return to their dominating form.

The US men’s soccer team didn’t fare as well though. They lost to Nigeria 2-1 and will not be advancing to the knockout stage of the soccer tournament. Favored teams from The Netherlands, Argentina, and Brazil all won their final group match and will be among the 8 teams playing in the single elimination phase.

It has been a busy past 24 hours in the pool. The US team has been dominant with Michael Phelps adding to his hardware collection with a win and a world record in the 200-meter freestyle. Aaron Peirsol continued to dominate the 100-meter backstroke. He defended the gold he won in the event in Athens and also broke the world record. His teammate, Matt Grevers, earned the silver. Peirsol’s female counterpart, Natalie Coughlin, won her second straight gold in the women’s 100 backstroke.

Australian Leisel Jones won the women’s 100-meter breaststroke. Team Australia has done well in the women’s events, but the men have not been able to show any dominance thus far.

China’s men’s gymnastics squad avenged their loss of 4 years ago in Athens. China dominated the team event. The US was in the lead halfway through the competition, but the end result was never really in doubt as China cruised through the events to take an easy victory. The US was unable to upset Japan and claim the silver, but strong performances from Jonathan Horton, Alexander Artemev, and Raj Bhavsar earned the US the 3rd spot on the podium.

The lackluster showing continued for US boxing. After last minute withdraws and questions about the training methods and tactical decisions of coach Dan Campbell, the US was dealt another blow yesterday. Rau’shee Warren, one of the boxers favored to make it to the podium for team US, lost a close battle against South Korea’s Lee Ok-sung. It was a major upset for the Korean, but one that was handed to him when Warren, thinking he had won the fight, stopped punching midway through the final round. Welterweight Demetrius Andrade is the best remaining hope for the US to earn a medal.

US basketball cruised past Angola in their second match. Another win and they will be assured of a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament.

Whether on the beach or on the indoor courts, Volleyball has been responsible for some of the early drama in Beijing.

The US men’s indoor team, which entered the tournament with high hopes, was able to come out of their first match with a win. Barely. After leading Venezuela 2-0, the US dropped two straight games before stopping the momentum and pulling out the deciding game in commanding fashion. The win was a must for the US because their next match is against a strong Italian squad that breezed past Japan 3-1.

The US women beat Japan in their opening match, but then would not even get a game off Cuba in their second outing. Cuba looked extremely dominant in their 3-0 victory over the US squad. The Cubans are headed for a showdown with a strong team from China on Wednesday. With Brazil and Italy both in the other group, Cuba will have a good shot at a perfect record in group play and is favored to reach the gold medal match.

On the beach, Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs upset top US men’s pair, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, in their opening match. The US duo rebounded to win their second match, while the Latvians lost, effectively evening the standings for the final match in the group.

Brazilians Ricardo Santos and Emanual Rego, the defending gold medalists are looking strong with a 2-0 record.

The Chinese women’s team of Tian Jia and Wang Jie won despite a challenge from an underrated Belgian side. Both US women’s teams are performing well early in the tournament. Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs improved to 2-0 in group play. But all eyes were on the other US team. The famed Walsh and May duo is currently on a 102 match win streak and they do not seem to be slowing down.

Swimming has managed to avoid most of the doping allegations that have threatened the legitimacy of sports like track, cycling, and weightlifting. Though some swimmers have been caught using performance enhancing drugs in the past, the problem is nowhere near as dramatic or widespread as it is in track, where stars like Marion Jones and Justin Gatlin have been suspended and, in Marion’s case jailed, for their use of steroids.

This year, track has managed to avoid any major steroid scandals, but it was recently revealed that swimmer Jessica Hardy tested positive for a banned anabolic substance. Though she has not yet spoken to the public, her lawyer confirmed that she did test positive for a little-used performance enhancer called Clenbuterol. The drug is sometimes used to treat asthma, but can also be used to increase lung capacity and overall stamina.

Many US swimmers, including Gary Hall Jr., have said that USA Swimming has gone out of its way to educate swimmers on which drugs are not allowed. While this approach might be responsible for the low numbers of positive drug tests amongst US swimmers, it leaves Hardy with no opportunity to plead innocence because of ignorance.

The typical suspension for a first time steroid offender is 2 years. Hardy may choose to appear before the US Anti Doping Agency to plead her case. In the past, athletes have been able to halve their suspension time. Even if Hardy and her lawyer are successful, there is no scenario that will allow Hardy to compete in the Beijing Olympics. That is unless the results of the positive test are somehow disallowed.

Sports journalists and Olympic officials do not expect Hardy’s case to be the last. IOC head Jacques Rogge has said that testing for performance enhancing drugs will be increased at the Beijing Games and he expects as many as 40 positive tests.

Just to prove that doping isn’t the only kind of Olympic scandal: the media is inquiring about the age of three Chinese gymnasts. International Gymnastics Federation rules state that athletes must turn 16 during the year in which the Olympics are held in order to compete. Those under that age are considered ineligible.

Three Chinese gymnasts have been accused, mainly by foreign media, of being underage. Chinese officials dispute the evidence, saying that the three registered for the Olympics with their official ID cards, all of which state that they turn 16 this year.

Yang Yilin, He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan will, apparently, compete in Beijing and have already moved into the athlete’s village.

Associated Press reporters found online documents showing the gymnasts ages as younger than they claim. Registration for past competitions has shown different ages for the three. If these ages are correct, then none of them should be eligible to compete.

The head of the International Gymnastic Federation says that there is nothing that they can do for the time being: “If I don’t have written proof of something … we have to take for granted the passports that we’ve seen and have been checked by the IOC are OK.” All three sport valid Chinese passports that state their ages are over the legal limit to compete.

The age restrictions are in place to prevent younger athletes from becoming injured. The minimum age has been raised twice. The most recent was in 1997, when it was upped from 15 to 16.

US coach Bela Karolyi isn’t so sure about the authenticity. He claims that the gymnasts are under-age and that it would be easy for a totalitarian state like China to falsify passports.

Without proof, the IGF and IOC can do nothing. As it seems they are unlikely to investigate themselves, it will be up to independent sources to get things

The so-called Dream Team dominated the Olympic basketball competition in 1992. Recent performances by the US basketball squad in international competition have made those winning times seem like a distant memory. The US has always been dominant, save the sad performance in Athens in 2004. Are they proud of the US basketball record of 12 golds in 15 Olympic tournaments? Sure. But the US is expected to dominate this sport. They have long produced the best basketball talent and theyhave the best league in the world with the NBA.

But all that doesn’t matter. In 2004, the US squad was plagued by infighting and lackluster play. They limped to a bronze medal, a result that would have been a boon for most teams but was an embarrassment for the talented US squad.

This time around, the players selected to represent the US on the court aren’t taking thing lightly. They will be up against an ever-increasing group of international talent including a strong Chinese team that will undoubtedly have the home crowd behind them.

Other challenges could come from a strong Spanish squad that recently won the world championship.

The shorter three-point line could be a key component of the international game that the US can exploit. However, with a three pointer at 21 feet, it might prove a difficult shot. NBA players either shoot threes from the NBA’s 24 foot line or shorter range jump shots. It is actually quite rare to see NBA players square up for 20-footers. Most will drive from that range or dribble back and hoist up a three-point shot. However, the closer range should make for plenty of easy scoring opportunities for the US squad. That is, once they get over the unfamiliar range.

The biggest test will be a August 10th meeting against Yao Ming and the hometown China team.