Friday's hot links...

Don't read this part if you're planning to watch NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies from Beijing...

Li Ning, the Chinese gymnast and CEO of the Li Ning athletic sportswear company who won six medals at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, lit the Olympic cauldron, suspended in the air by a series of cables.

You can read the New York Times' account of the Opening Ceremonies here...

OK, now you can read the track & field portion of the hot links...

For those who speculated that defending Olympic and world champion hurdler Liu Xiang was going to light the flame, or even carry the torch into the National Stadium, it didn't happen...he's been laying low.

Here's an AFP story on Liu's training...

Russian steeplechaser Roman Usov is the latest runner to get the boot from its Olympic team for failing a drug test. You can read it here...

Here's an article and quotes from Lopez Lomong, the 1500 meter runner who carried the American flag into the National Stadium, from sfgate.com...you can read it here...

paulmerca.blogspot.com received an email from Mart Israel from Estonia, who will be competing in the discus. The former University of Washington standout is at their training camp in Marugame, Japan. He and the other Estonian discus throwers, which include defending world champion Gerd Kanter, will arrive in Beijing on August 14th.



Finally, here's a link to a Purdue University release on Vancouver's Kara Patterson (photo courtesy Purdue University), eititled, "Running Down A Dream"...you can read it here.

We have unconfirmed reports from Beijing that Kara was towards the front of the line of American athletes during the parade of nations.

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