A viewer’s guide to Olympic events

Modern pentathlon
Modern pentathlon consists of shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian and running. The 3,000-meter run is the final event, which athletes start at intervals based on how well they've performed in the other four disciplines. The first person to finish the run wins. The equestrian competition can throw a monkey wrench into even the best athlete's plans because horses are assigned by random draw. American Sheila Taormina became the first woman to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports. She previously competed in swimming and triathlon, so if she can hold her own in the shooting, fencing and equestrian events, she could become a surprise medalist in modern pentathlon. France's Amelie Caze won the women's world title earlier this year, and Russia's Ilia Frolov took the men's championship. Hungary's Viktor Horvath hurt his calf at the world championships, but he's still considered a contender in Beijing.

Rowing
The Chinese are dedicated to winning medals in rowing, and expect to become contenders on their home water. China has only four Olympic rowing medals, but Chinese crews won five of the 14 finals in a World Cup regatta earlier this summer. The idea of China winning gold medals in rowing even four years ago was unrealistic. Now it seems the Beijing Games might be the perfect spot for the country to win its first ever gold medal — and a few more. One medal could come in the prestigious men's eight. The United States won its first gold medal in 40 years in that event in Athens. Three members of that crew return, including standout Bryan Volpenhein. Volpenhein quit the sport after Athens to attend culinary school, only to return with a deeper love of rowing — and for cooking his teammates healthy dinners. He's the one to watch if the U.S. has an appetite for a repeat.

Sailing
For sheer speed in sailing, watch the wild Tornado catamarans, the new RS:X windsurfers — which skim across the water — and the manta-ray like 49ers, tough to handle two-person dinghies poised for spectacular flips if the crew makes a mistake. Other boats, like the two-person Star and the three-crew Yngling, might be slower, but that only makes it easier to follow what some liken to a game of chess on water, as sailors engage in a battle of tactics. The winners in each class are decided in the series of point-giving races, leading up to a final medal race. In the Finn class, Britain's Ben Ainslie is going for his fourth straight Olympic medal, while American Anna Tunnicliffe is a hot prospect in the Laser Radial, and Australian newcomer Tom Slingsby is favored in the Laser. American John Dane III is making his Olympic debut, after 40 years of trying, in the Star dinghy with his son-in-law Austin Sperry.

Shooting
U.S. fans will want to keep their eyes on the shooting events. China has several contenders who could prove vital in the host nation's attempt to finish with the most overall gold medals. Du Li competes the day after the opening ceremony in the 10-meter air rifle, an event she won four years ago. There are some American contenders too, most notably Matt Emmons, who defends his title in the 50-meter prone rifle. He'll also try to atone for an extraordinary gaffe in 2004 in the 50-meter three-position rifle. In Athens, he was leading with one shot remaining when he accidentally fired at the wrong person's target. There are three types of shooting events: rifle, pistol and shotgun. In rifle and pistol, competitors earn points for shooting close to the center of a target. Shotgun shooters aim at targets released through the air.

Softball
Softball is taking its final Olympic swing for at least eight years, and the U.S. team is hoping it can connect for its fourth straight gold medal. The Americans have won the three previous tournaments since the sport was introduced at the 1996 games in Atlanta. Four years ago, the U.S. steamrolled to gold, winning nine games by a combined 51-1. This year's team includes 10 members from the '04 squad, including pitcher Jennie Finch who may be known to non-softball fans for her appearance on "The Celebrity Apprentice," where she was fired by mogul Donald Trump. For the first time since '96, the U.S. team will not have Lisa Fernandez, regarded as softball's best player. She was left off coach Mike Candrea's final 15-player roster for China. Fernandez pitched in each of the three previous gold-medal games for the United States. Japan, Australia, China and Canada figure to challenge for medals in the eight-team field, which will begin competition on Aug. 12. The U.S. is 24-2 in Olympic competition and is riding a 14-game winning streak. Despite being played in over 130 nations, softball was dropped — along with baseball — from the 2012 games in London by an International Olympic Committee vote. The sport is pushing for reinstatement in 2016.

Soccer
In women's soccer, Brazil, Germany and the United States arrived in China as the three favorites to win gold. Then the defending Olympic champion Americans lost 2-0 to Norway in the preliminary round Wednesday, before the games officially opened. Brazil and Germany, in the same group, played to a scoreless tie. U.S. hopes received a blow in mid-July, when leading scorer Abby Wambach broke her left leg in a warm-up match against Brazil, forcing her to miss the games. Germany won the women's 2007 World Cup — which was also played on Chinese soil — without conceding a goal. Three-time FIFA player of the Year Birgid Prinz leads the Germans. Brazil, boasting current FIFA Player of the Year Marta, is looking to improve on its runner-up finish at the 2007 World Cup and at the 2004 Summer Games. On the men's side, the big question was whether FC Barcelona would order star Lionel Messi to leave defending champion Argentina to play in a Champions League match in Europe. The U.S. is led by Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley.

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Swimming
The big story is Michael Phelps, who takes another crack at Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals. Phelps came close in 2004 — six golds and two bronzes — and he's entered the same eight events in Beijing. His top competition figures to come from fellow Americans Ryan Lochte and Ian Crocker. Forty-one-year-old Dara Torres swims in her record fifth Olympics, two years after having a child. Eric Shanteau will compete in the breaststroke after deciding to put off surgery for testicular cancer until after the Games. Leisel Jones and Libby Trickett lead a powerful Australian women's team, while the Americans counter with Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff. Another Aussie, Grant Hackett, goes for his third straight gold in the 1,500 meters. Look for world records galore as the competitors wear new high-tech suits such as Speedo's LZR Racer. Open water swimming makes its Olympic debut with 10-kilometer events for men and women.

Synchronized swimming
As usual, the Russians are the ones to beat. The Anastasias — Davydova and Ermakova — will be heavily favored in the duet. Their top competition will likely come from Spain's Gemma Mengual and Andrea Fuentes, and the home crowd will try to spur on twin sisters Jiang Tingting and Jiang Wenwen. The Russians also are favored in the team event, going for their third straight Olympic title. They have swept the event at the last five world championships and the last nine European championships. Spain and Japan likely to provide the most serious challenge. The once-powerful Americans are rebuilding and seem unlikely to reach the medal podium.

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