Some back-in-the-U.S, jet-legged final thoughts after the Olympic track meet in Beijing:
BEIJING -- Bernard Lagat looked like his old self again on Wednesday night. Granted, it was only a semifinal heat of the 5,000 meters, but after failing to qualify earlier in the week for the final of the 1,500, a race he called his priority, Lagat needed a good showing in the 5,000 semis -- maybe to boost his confidence, maybe to regain his form.
Well, there's always 48 Hours Mystery on CBS, and ABC appears to be showing another can't-miss episode of Eli Stone. Of course, if you're reading this, it's a safe bet you'll be watching the Michael Phelps coronation. If Phelps and his teammates win the 4x100 medley relay (bet the house, the vacation house and all your other possessions on it), he will become the all-time leader in gold medals in a single games with eight. The scheduled time of the race is 10:58 p.m., the final event of the swimming program in Beijing. "The U.S. should win unless something goes wrong," says Sports Illustrated's Brian Cazeneuve. "But keep in mind that the last time they swam this event at a major competition -- the world championships in 2007 -- something went very wrong. The team was disqualified because of an illegal exchange. Barring that, I just don't think there is a team with four swimmers at the level of the U.S."
The running man
updated: Thu Jul 10 2008 12:35:00
At home in Ethiopia. The running man talks family, business and charity.