Day 3 of the Olympics--Evening session...

8:15 am--62 seconds with 800 to go; Kenenisa Bekele (left/file photo by Paul Merca) smoked the last 400! 27:07.17 for a new Olympic record. Sihine (27:02.77) is again the bridesmaid, and Kenyan Micah Kogo gets third in 27:04.11, with countryman Moses Masai fourth in the same time. Tadese fifth in 27:05.11, and Geb sixth in 27:06.68.

Bekele runs 53.42 for the last 400! Wowser (is that a word? If it isn't, it is now!)

For the Americans, Galen Rupp 27:36.99 for 14th; Abdi two places back in 27:52.53. Jorge Torres was 28:13.93 for 27th.

According to Parker, "Looked like Abdi went after the AR and couldn't hang on. He and Rupp did pretty well until it got really serious".

We're going to sign off now...but before we do, we've been tipped off from Beijing that there's a protest by the US involving the women's 100--the US staff is claiming that there was a false start that wasn't called. It sure didn't look like it on the video replay.

8:10 am--Down to a mile to go. Geb is in second; Tadese third, and Sihine & Bekele stalking; and here goes Bekele. Hang on to your seat--here we go!

8:05 am--The Kenyans are moving up to take the front. Still about 15 runners in contention. In the women's triple jump, Francoise Mbango retains her title, as she jumps 15.39m (50-6), a new Olympic record for the woman from Cameroon. Lebedeva second, and Devetzi third.

Now ten runners left in contention with 2k to go in the 10k.

8:00 am--There's some team tactics going on...the Eritreans are taking out the pace, trying to set it up for Zersanay Tadese, the 2007 world cross country champ from Mombasa.

7:51 am--5:27 at 2k. The usual suspects are up there, but just looking for running room.

An update from Parker in the women's 100--time to the thousandth of a second for both Sherone SIMPSON and Kerron STEWART was 10.979, rounded off to 10.98 for both athletes.

7:45 am--39 men are on the start list for the men's 10000--a lotta folks, including world record holder Kenenisa Bekele from Ethiopia, Zersanay Tadese from Eritrea, the great Haile Gebreselassie, etc. Galen Rupp, Jorge Torres, & Abdi Abdirahman are the Americans in the field! As they go to 1k, they cross it in 2:50.

7:25 am--Jamaican sweep--Fraser 10.78! Waiting for who got second and third between Stewart & Simpson. 10.98 for both of them; trying to sort it out--probably going to the 1/1000ths! FYI, temperature at race time is around 68 degrees.

FYI Parker informs us that this is the first-ever sweep for one country in the women's 100m. The last 100m sweep was the USA men in Stockholm, 1912.

They can't sort it out--tie for second between Stewart & Simpson!

7:20 am--Women's 100 on the track; three Americans; three Jamaicans...doesn't get any better than this--Fraser, Simpson & Stewart for Jamaica; Lee, Edwards & Williams for the USA.

7:15 am--Lagat 3:37.79 for sixth; the first heat was faster, so he does not get in. Manzano 3:50.33 for 12th. Will be interesting to see what Lagat says in the mixed zone. In the high jump, world champ Donald Thomas doesn't advance.

7:05 am--Not particularly quick start to heat 2. Just over 60 at 400. Leo Manzano goes to the front. Sullivan, Augustine Choge, Mehdi Baala are in position. 2:02 at 800. 2:57 at 1200. Lagat made a strong move with 250, but faded down the homestretch. Don't think he'll get into the finals.

7:00 am--In semi 1, American Lopez Lomong was never a factor, finishing last in 3:41.00. Kiprop, one of the favorites from Kenya wins it (top 5 plus 2) in 3:37.04. In heat 2 Manzano & Lagat will run, with Nick Willis of New Zealand, Rashid Ramzi from Bahrain, among others.

6:50 am--Getting close to the 1500 semis. Tatyana Lebedeva from Russia in the triple jump has one of the more interesting hairstyles--almost looks like a cinnamon roll swirl!

6:43 am--Russia's Gulnara Galkina-Samitova 8:58.81 for a new World Record and the first sub-9. Eunice Jepkorir from Kenya outkicks Volkova for silver, 9:07.41 to 9:07.64; the USA's Jenny Barringer from Colorado via Ovieda, Florida sets an American record in 9:22.26, good for ninth. Anna Willard was 10th in 9:25.63.

6:25 am--Women's triple jump finals will get underway in just a bit. Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia, Yargelis Savigne from Cuba, and Piyi Devetzi from Greece are the ones to watch. Women's steeple finals will get underway shortly as well.

6:10 am--Women's 400 is going on...Sanya Richards just won heat 2. On the field, men's high jump qualifying is going on, with the bar at 2.20m (7-2 1/2). We are less than an hour away from Bernard Lagat in the 1500 semis.

5:35 am--Women's 400 meter hurdles is up on the track...meanwhile on the field, the men's hammer is over, with Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia your winner at 82.02/269-1.

4:55 am--Parker reports, " There's a hint of rain in the air tonight in the stadium, maybe a smidge cool for the sprinters". Meanwhile, Kerron Stewart wins heat 2 in 11.05, and Torri Edwards second at 11.18, so all three Americans and all three Jamaicans move to the finals in about 2 hours. Defending Olympic champ Yulia Nestsiarenka of Belarus doesn't move on.

4:45 am--Women's 100m semis underway, with the Jamaicans and the Americans with a 11.00 from Shelley Ann Fraser. Muna Lee second, Lauryn Williams third, Simpson fourth. Make sure you go to the track page at nbcolympics.com for real-time scoring.

4:35 am--After the five heats of the 100 hurdles, Lolo Jones runs the fourth fastest time at 12.71.

4:20 am--Parker Morse from the IAAF passes this along--"We've just had a press release confirming that Deena Kastor's injury in this morning's marathon is in fact a broken right foot. Kastor, the 2004 bronze medalist, dropped out just before the 5km mark."

4:05 am--Welcome to the evening session of day 3 of the Olympics, or "ni hao" as the Chinese say.

Men's hammer is about to get underway, and on the track is the first round of the women's 100 hurdles, featuring Lolo Jones, the runaway winner of the Olympic Trials in Eugene.

As far as runners from the state of Washington tonight, Bernard Lagat and the two other Americans, Leo Manzano and Lopez Lomong, run in the semis of the men's 1500. We'll have the first gold medalist in the women's steeplechase, and the finals of the men's 10000. Will the 10000 be the last time we'll see the great Ethiopian Haile Gebreselassie on the track at the Olympics?

While we're here, we'd like to do a shameless plug to encourage you to pick up the September issue of Northwest Runner magazine, featuring our Olympic Games preview. Many of you who read the blog are subscribers to Northwest Runner, and appreciate the support. Some of you are probably linking to this blog through either the Northwest Runner website or one of the Running Network affiliate web site. If you are, welcome aboard!