A viewer’s guide to Olympic events

Canoe/kayak
Should the United States reach the kayak flatwater medal stand for the first time since 1992, it will have Carrie Johnson and Rami Zur to thank. Both athletes have overcome physical hardships to return to the Olympics. Johnson has battled a severe digestive disorder and Zur suffered a horrendous spinal injury that could have paralyzed him. Now, they might be Team USA's best hope, but other countries are coming loaded. Germany won seven flatwater medals in Athens, and Hungary — which won six — is aiming for its third straight men's four (K-4) gold in Beijing. The team of Gabor Horvath, Akos Vereckei, Zoltan Kammerer and Botond Storcz won in Sydney and Athens, and is the only two-time defending flatwater champion heading into Beijing.

Cycling
BMX makes its debut on the Olympic stage, and all four American riders who've brought their little bikes to Beijing for the bumpy, jumpy, dusty race have legitimate medal hopes, including world champions Donny Robinson and Kyle Bennett. On the velodrome, get to know 18-year-old medal challenger Taylor Phinney, the closest thing there is to an American cycling legacy. His mother is 1984 Olympic gold medalist Connie Carpenter-Phinney, his father is former Tour de France stage winner Davis Phinney, and some people within the sport have already labeled the teen "The Next Lance." In road cycling, George Hincapie — one of Lance Armstrong's former teammates — takes his fifth shot at an Olympic medal, and former world champion Kristin Armstrong (no relation to the seven-time Tour de France king, or his ex-wife of the same name) will be in the mix for a gold medal in the women's time trial.

Diving
Watch for a possible Chinese sweep of the eight diving medals in front of a passionate home crowd, with Germany's Sacha Klein on 10-meter platform having the best chance to break up the Chinese juggernaut. Teenager David Boudia on individual platform and synchronized platform, along with three-time Olympian Troy Dumais on springboard, give the U.S. its best chance at a medal. The Americans were shut out in Athens.

Equestrian
Germany's always the team to beat in the three Olympic equestrian sports, but they're looking vulnerable. The equestrian events are being held in Hong Kong due to quarantine restrictions on mainland China, and the riders there are fretting over how the heat and humidity will affect their horses and the competition overall. The French, British and Australians all look strong in the equestrian triathlon of eventing. German show jumpers will be glancing over their shoulders at the British and American, while the Dutch look strong to deny the Germans team gold in dressage for the first time since 1984.

Fencing
At first, it's hard to distinguish between fencing's three disciplines — epee, foil and saber. The biggest differences involve the target areas. In epee, the entire body is considered part of the target. In foil, the target area is smaller — from the shoulders to the groin in front and to the waist in back. In saber, the target zone is everywhere above the waist except the hands. The U.S. has made strides recently in saber, especially on the women's side, where 2004 gold medalist Mariel Zagunis is expected to contend again. She's joined by fellow Americans Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward. Medals are awarded for both individual and team competitions. In team matches, three fencers for each team rotate over nine rounds.

Field hockey
Australia is the defending men's Olympic champion and ranked No. 1 in the world. Its star player, forward Jamie Dwyer, is the reigning world player of the year. On the women's side, Germany is the defending gold medalist. The U.S. women qualified, and American goalie Amy Tran is considered one of the world's best. The Netherlands is ranked No. 1 in the world. Defender Minke Booij, the 2006 world player of the year, is an anchor for the Dutch, and forward Marilyn Agliotti and defender Janneke Schopman are other key contributors. One rule of note: Only the flat side of the stick can be used to hit the ball, so backhanded shots like in ice hockey aren't used in field hockey. Also, all goals must be scored from within a 16-yard arc extending from the goal. India — which has won eight men's Olympic titles — failed to qualify for Beijing, causing a national uproar.

Gymnastics

INTERACTIVE Meet the U.S. women's gymnastics team NBCOlympics.com

Due to a new scoring system where the 10 no longer is perfection, look for gymnasts to attempt more difficult elements and push their routines to the edge to get higher scores. That's especially true of the Chinese and American women. All-around world champion Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin headline a strong and deep U.S. women's team, with Johnson especially good on beam and floor. China's Cheng Fei (vault), He Kexin (bars) and Li Shanshan (beam) will provide strong challenges for the Americans. China's Yang Wei is a heavy favorite in all-around after the withdrawal of men's defending champion Paul Hamm. The United States will struggle to take any medals away from Yang, Li Xiaopeng (parallel bars), Xiao Qin (pommel horse) and Diego Hypolito of Brazil (floor). Russia figures to dominate rhythmic, where the U.S. has no competitor, and trampoline.

Judo
Look for drama from the smallest and the biggest competitors. Japan's Ryoko Tani, who won her seventh world championship in the women's lightest division last year, will be fighting for her third Olympic title. But at 32 and now a mother, she is not the unbeatable figure she once was, and will be challenged by several rivals, including Cuba's Yanet Bermoy. Japan won a record eight gold medals in judo in Athens, a feat it will be hard-pressed to match in Beijing. At the other end of the scale, French teenager Teddy Riner is favored to continue his impressive ascent to the judo summit in the men's heavyweight class. The Guadeloupe-born Riner beat Japanese legend Kosei Inoue for the world crown last year, and won the junior Europeans and junior worlds in 2006. He is the youngest man to win the judo heavyweight world championship.

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