Working on the final touches for the big Olympic Preview viewer's guide!

We are putting up the final touches to the Olympic Preview featuring the nine athletes with Washington ties competing in the track and field portion of the Olympics in London.

The preview will be very similar to the ones we've produced for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as the 2009 and 2011 world championships--it will be a .pdf file that you can download.

Track & field gets underway on Friday August 3rd, as Team USA captain Aretha Thurmond takes to the ring in the women's discus qualifying.

To whet your interest, here's a link to the IAAF list of athletes entered in the track & field competition of the Olympics.  The final start lists and heat sheets will be drawn as we get closer to that day's competiton.

The time schedule of athletes with Washington ties competing is posted below:

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

All times listed are London time; Seattle is eight hours behind.

3 August 19:10 Women's Discus Qualifying (Aretha Thurmond)

4 August 19:30 Women's Discus Finals (Aretha Thurmond)

5 August None

6 August 10:00 Men's Discus Qualifying (Jarred Rome, Märt Israel)

11:45 Women's 1500 Heats (Ingvill Måkestad Bovin)

7 August 10:00 Women's Javelin Qualifying (Kara Patterson)

19:45 Men's Discus Finals (Jarred Rome, Märt Israel)

8 August 10:00 Men's Pole Vault Qualifying (Brad Walker)

10:45 Men's 5000 Heats (Bernard Lagat)

11:35 Women's 800 Heats (Haley Nemra)

19:45 Women's 1500 Semis (Ingvill Måkestad Bovin)

9 August 09:30 Women's High Jump Qualifying (Ebba Jungmark)

19:30 Women's 800 Semis (Haley Nemra)

21:00 Women's Javelin Finals (Kara Patterson)

10 August 19:00 Men's Pole Vault Finals (Brad Walker)

20:55 Women's 1500 Finals (Ingvill Måkestad Bovin)

11 August 19:00 Women's High Jump Finals (Ebba Jungmark)

19:30 Men's 5000 Finals (Bernard Lagat)

20:00 Women's 800 Finals (Haley Nemra)


NOTE: Times are subject to change.

One athlete missing from the University of Washington's Olympic hub but who we've always carried as an athlete with Washington ties is discus thrower Märt Israel (above/photos by Paul Merca) from Estonia, who was fourth at last year's IAAF world championships in Daegu.

Granted he was only at the UW for one year (2006-07 academic year), and was ruled ineligible after competing in one outdoor meet because of credits transferring over from his last school in Estonia.

Here's a link to his UW bio...