Dates set for Olympic destiny in London 2012

 Andre Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

August 5 and August 9, 2012 are the dates that Beijing 2008 Olympic Games hero Usain Bolt and his legion of fans across the world will be most interested in, when the greatest show in the world moves to Britain for London 2012.

With just about 18 months to go before the start of the highly anticipated sporting spectacle, excitement around the event reached a new crescendo with the recent publishing of the athletics schedules; and it is little surprise that Usain Bolt, the man who stole the headlines at the last Games, is once again the centre of attention.

Once healthy, Bolt is expected to continue his domination of the 100m and 200m, which will be decided on the 5th and 9th, respectively. Asafa Powell and Nesta Carter are also expected to qualify for the championships and represent well in the shorter sprint, while Yohan Blake should figure in both the 100m and 200m.

However, Bolt will certainly not be the only Jamaican on show and most definitely won't be the first one to grace London's 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in 2012. In fact, the island's first medal hope actually lies in one of the less-hyped events, shot put, with national champion Dorian Scott expected to feature in the finals on the opening day of athletic competition on August 3, 2012.

Athletes such as 400 metres runners Novlene Williams-Mills and Shericka Williams, who struck silver in Beijing, as well as 400m hurdler Isa Phillips may also start their campaigns on athletics' opening day; this, of course, all depends on whether they qualify and are fit for the Games.

Fraser-Pryce to defend crown

A day later, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will look to defend her crown with the scheduled running of the women's 100m final. The likes of Veronica Campbell-Brown, Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson, however, may very well have something to say about that on the day. Williams-Mills and Williams will also hope to feature in the women's 400m final on August 5.

Campbell-Brown will most likely renew rivalry with American Allyson Felix in the final of the women's 200m on Wednesday, August 8, the same day that the women's 400m hurdles final, which could feature defending champion Melaine Walker and Kaliese Spencer, will be contested.

Jamaica's men will be hoping to be in a position to mine their first Olympic 4x400m relay medal since the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, when the final runs off on Friday, August 10. The women should also be in action with the running of the 4x100m relay final, eager to make up for the baton exchange horror show of four years ago.

A day later, the men will most likely start as favourites to successfully defend their crown, and all eyes will once again be on the clock as the men's 4x100m relay final takes centre stage before the running of the women's mile relay, which most likely will bring down the curtain on Jamaica's track and field participation at the Games.

Tickets for all events at the Games will go on sale next month with those on the higher end of the scale costing as much as J$98,433.25, while the cheapest tickets are expected to go at approximately J$2,756, according to the latest exchange rates published by the Bank of Jamaica.