BEIJING: Yao Ming will get his first taste of the Beijing Olympics today in the toughest possible situation - against the US men’s basketball team.
Yao, along with Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, are the two biggest names at the Games, which are in the world’s most populous country for the first time.
Fourteen more gold medals will be awarded today, including four in the pool, where Michael Phelps is trying to win eight gold medals at one Olympics.
The men will swim in the 400 individual medley final and the 400 freestyle final, while the women compete for gold in the 400 individual medley and the 4x100 freestyle relay.
Tennis also starts, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal entered in the men’s competition and top-ranked Jelena Jankovic in doubt for her match with a sore right calf.
More gold medals will be awarded in archery, cycling, synchronized diving, fencing, judo, shooting and weightlifting.
The badminton competition is again playing today, along with athletes competing in beach volleyball, boxing, equestrian, field hockey, gymnastics, rowing, sailing, football, team handball, volleyball and water polo.
The field for the men’s basketball tournament is one of the strongest ever. Besides the United States, which includes Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, may the favorite, but defending champion Argentina, world champion Spain and European champion Russia are also medal contenders.
Argentina faces Lithuania today, while Spain is playing 2005 European champion Greece and Russia is taking on Iran. The US-China match, however, is likely to be the marquee event of the day.
“I think that is going to be one of the most-watched games in sports history,” United States forward Carmelo Anthony said. “It’s going to be exciting.”
Yao, who plays for the Houston Rockets, is China’s greatest athletic superstar, but United States coach Mike Krzyzewski is prepared.
“He’s not going to score 100 points, and we hope to come close to scoring 100 points,” Krzyzewski said. “I think you have to make sure that he doesn’t dominate the game.” Other contenders include Susanne Ljungskog of Sweden, Kristin Armstrong of the United States and Nicole Cooke of Britain, while 49-year-old Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli of France is also competing.
“A medal always has value,” said Longo-Ciprelli, who has won gold and silver in the road race. “If I come back from China with a medal, I’ll be happy.”
