Oh man, the Olympics are getting close! The torch has been lit and is on its way to Brazil. Nike has unveiled lots of national team uniforms. Athletes and teams have started qualifying. NBC has announced its Opening Ceremony coverage team. But there's still a lot that will happen between now and the cauldron being lit in the Maracana on August 5. And there still a lot of questions.
In honor of the 100-day countdown, here are some of those questions, as well as some of the things I'm most looking forward to in Rio (I won't go all the way to 100, instead I'll do a quarter of that):
1. Will the Russian track & field team be there? This goes beyond whether or not people think the Russians deserve to be there. Their presence (or lack thereof) affects the medal chances for a lot of countries.
2. Who will light the cauldron? The clubhouse favorite is Pele, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Oscar Schmidt or Joaquim Cruz get the honor.
3. Will all the venues be ready? For all the doomsday scenarios we've heard about construction delays, I'm willing to bet everything's ready in time and the Games go on without a hitch.
4. What about Zika? Obviously, Zika is a big concern, and it's probably going to keep a lot of people away. Their concerns are valid, but I think everything's going to be fine. August is the Brazilian winter, remember.
5. How will the golf tournament go? Golf's return should be a glorious event. Instead, all we're hearing about is PGA players who are dropping out because of scheduling concerns. Hopefully, enough of the top pros decide to play and make it a great event.
6. Will Usain Bolt get a third triple? If he does, he'll take Carl Lewis' place as the greatest track & field Olympian in history.
7. Can Kerri Walsh win her third straight gold? She needs to qualify first. Even if she does, I think it'll be difficult. Women's beach volleyball is one of the golds Brazil wants the most.
8. Will Brazil get that elusive men's soccer gold medal? They're pulling out all the stops to win gold on home soil in the national sport. Neymar will play in the Olympics instead of Copa America. You can tell which event is Brazil's priority.
9. How many medals will Michael Phelps add to his collection? When he "retired" after London, the count was at 22. I bet it easily gets to 25.
10. Who will be the swimming star of these Games? Katie Ledecky seems like a good candidate, but Michael Phelps is Michael Phelps.
11. What about the refugee Olympians? Nice gesture by the IOC to identify potential Olympians from war-torn countries and give them the opportunity to compete in Rio. Will any of them be good enough to end up on the medals stand?
12. What countries will make their Olympic debuts in Rio? Along with the Refugee team, Kosovo and South Sudan have finally gained full IOC recognition, bringing the number of nations marching into the stadium at the Opening Ceremony to a record 207 countries (pending what happens with Kuwait).
13. Will NBC set a ratings record? Almost certainly. They set a record in London, which is five hours ahead of New York. Rio's only one hour ahead of the East Coast, making this the most-live television event in history.
14. How many medals will Brazil win? London was their best-ever showing, 17 medals. With the home field advantage, they look poised to top that.
15. Is rugby sevens here to stay? I'd have to think so. Rugby sevens is awesome, and fans are going to love it. It's only guaranteed for Rio and Tokyo, but this seems like a permanent addition.
16. Will they catch the doping cheats early enough? Doping is at the forefront in the lead-up to these Olympics. From the Russian track & field team to Meldonium to whatever else they come up with between now and then, let's hope they catch the cheaters before having to rewrite the record books and reallocate medals years later.
17. How many medals will the U.S. team win? The U.S. has topped the medal table at four of the last five Olympics and only hasn't hit the 100-mark twice since 1984 (Seoul and Sydney). Should the U.S. reach 101, that'll bring the all-time medal total to 2,500. Also, who will win the 1,000th American gold (which will be the 24th won in Rio)?
18. Can the American gymnasts continue their dominance? They've won the last two Olympic golds and three straight World Championships. There really isn't another country in the same league at the moment, so it would be a shock if they don't win that third consecutive Olympic title.
19. Will anyone come close to challenging the American basketball teams? I doubt it. The women haven't lost since the 1992 semifinals, and the men have rolled to the last two gold medals after that disappointing bronze in Athens. If I had to say one was more of a lock than the other, I'd say it's the women.
20. How about the American women's soccer team? Winning the Olympic gold medal is kind of their thing. This will be the sixth Olympic women's soccer tournament, and they've won four of the previous five, including the last three. Interestingly, though, their only Olympic loss came in 2000, which is the only other time they entered the tournament as World Cup champions.
21. Will Allyson Felix pull off the double? They changed the schedule so that she can attempt to win gold in both the 200 and 400. She'd be the first person in 20 years to pull off the feat (Michael Johnson and Marie-Jose Perec actually both did it in Atlanta).
22. Will Fabiana Murer win the women's pole vault? She's probably Brazil's best chance for gold in track & field. A Murer win would have the same impact as Cathy Freeman's 400-meter gold in Sydney or Great Britain's three-gold night in London.
23. What will be the best venue? In London, the best venue was Horse Guards Parade for beach volleyball. in Rio, there are three candidates: rowing underneath the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, beach volleyball on the world-famous Copacabana Beach, and soccer at the historic Maracana.
24. Is this actually the last Olympics for two all-time greats? Michael Phelps has already un-retired once. Now he's back for a fourth Olympic run. Usain Bolt has indicated this will be his final Olympics, too. But can they be believed? Will either (or both) show up in Tokyo?
25. Who will be the U.S. flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony? It's still way too early to make that call, especially with a team of 500-plus athletes headed to Rio.
So many more questions that will come up and be answered in the next three months. August 5 can't come close enough. The Rio Olympics are only 100 days away!
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