Day 5 of track and field at the Games of the XXX Summer Olympiad barely allows us to catch our collective breath. While there are only two running event finals, they're the highly-anticipated women's 100 hurdles, featuring Sally Pearson and Lolo Jones, and the men's 1500 meters, in which Michigan-based Kiwi Nick Willis is hoping to win an always unpredictable event, and the wily Matthew Centrowitz and Leo Manzano lurk as sleeper medal threats.

There will also be the men's high jump with World Champion Jesse Williams, the men's discus, semifinals of the men's 800, and heats of the women's 5000.

TV Schedule

All times Eastern; check local listings at NBCOlympics.com

NBC	10:00-10:30am	Qualifying rounds in Track & Field, including the men's 110m hurdles and 200m, and the women's 5000m.
NBC	11:45am-noon	More qualifying rounds in Track & Field, including the men's 110m hurdles and 200m, and the women's 5000m.
NBC	12:30-1:00pm	More qualifying rounds in Track & Field, including the men's 110m hurdles and 200m, and the women's 5000m.
NBC	8:00pm-midnight	Individual event finals in men's and women's Gymnastics and Track & Field, plus a key women's Beach Volleyball semifinal.
NBC	12:35-1:35am	Finals in men's springboard Diving, and the men's discus throw.

Day 5 results
Day 5 Event by Event Updates
Olympic Track & Field Schedule
(all events covered live at NBCOlympics.com)

For a deeper look at each event, check out my blog at tracksuperfan.com.

Let's take a look at the main events one at a time, in chronological order.

Women's 5000 meters heats

5:55 AM ET

There are two heats, and the first five in each heat plus the next five fastest will qualify to Friday's final.

After her 10,000 meter win, the Ethiopian federation made a late switch and added Tirunesh Dibaba to the 5,000 meters. She's in the first heat along with teammate Meseret Defar, so the gold and bronze medalists from 2008 are both in the same heat. The only other runner in this heat who has gone sub-15:00 in 2012 is Kenyan Viola Kibiwott. Of the fifteen other entrants, eleven have 2012 best times of 15:08 and 15:20, putting Team USA's Julie Culley and Britain's Barbara Parker both right in the middle and with a fighting chance to make the final.

The second heat is headlined by the silver and bronze medalists from Friday's 10k, Kenyans Sally Kipyego and Vivian Cheruyiot. Ethiopian Gelete Burka appears head and shoulders above the rest. Somewhat like the first heat, the next ten runners by 2012 best time are clustered between 15:09 and 15:19, which means the road to the finals could be wide open for the likes of Americans Molly Huddle and Kim Conley, Britons Jo Pavey and Julia Bleasdale, and Canada's Sheila Reid.

Men's High Jump final

2:00 PM ET

Team USA brings three jumpers to the final: defending World Champion Jesse Williams, two-time NCAA champion Erik Kynard, and veteran Jamie Nieto. They are at the three points of an elite career, with 28-year-old Williams at the height of his powers, 21-year-old Kynard on the way up, and 35-year-old Nieto making these Olympics his swansong (he has said he will retire at the conclusion of this competition). Williams is one of the favorites to win, Kynard is quite capable of getting on the podium, and Nieto could make a difference as well (he did beat the two others at the Olympic Trials).

The favorite to win is Russian Ivan Ukhov, and the battle for gold is expected to come down to him, his teammate Andrey Silnov, and Williams. Ukhov jumps higher than anyone and if he's on his game he won't be beaten. That's an awfully big if, though, because many times he's gone into a big championship meet as the favorite and failed to win. The high jump is an event prone to inconsistency, and especially for Ukhov.

Two other young jumpers who are expected to be in the hunt for medals, possibly even gold, are Britain's Robby Grabarz and Canada's Derek Drouin. Both are young--Grabarz is 24, Drouin is 22--and tough competitors.

Women's 100m Hurdles semifinals

2:15 PM ET

Both the semis and the finals are today, less than two hours apart. The semis are a three-heat setup with the top two in each heat plus two more on time getting to the final. Australia's Sally Pearson is an overwhelming favorite for gold, but as Lolo Jones once famously said, they put the hurdles in your way for a reason. Jones is one of three Americans in the semis, along with defending Olympic champion Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells, who broke Pearson's win streak a few weeks ago. Canada also has three semifinalists in Phylicia George, heptathlete Jessica Zelinka, and Nikkita Holder.

Men's Discus Throw final

2:45 PM ET

One of the best unknown athletes in track and field is German discus thrower Robert Harting, who has dominated the event for the last several years. His greatest competition is likely to come from Lithuanian Virgilius Alekna who, at 40 years old, does not exactly fit the "youth of the world" phrase associated with the Olympics; he was a serious thrower before the Berlin Wall fell. Others expected to battle for the medals include Estonian Gerd Kanter and Poland's Piotr Malachowski. Aussie Benn Harradine is a great showman; he's competed in a "nude" bodysuit and a tuxedo, and once gave out pieces of cake to spectators according to the number of meters he threw.

Men's 800 Meters semifinals

2:55 PM ET

This again has the three-semi setup, with two from each heat and the next two fastest qualifying to Thursday's final. The 800 is probably the single most unpredictable running event there is, so hang on to your hat--you're in for a wild ride.

Heat one includes a name you should learn: Nigel Amos. The Botswanan won the World Junior Championships and has taken his PR all the way down to 1:43.11. Sudan's Abubaker Kaki is in this heat, along with 1:43 runners Anthony Chemut of Kenya and Adam Kszczot of Poland.

Heat two has world record holder David Rudisha, the closest you can get to a sure thing in championship middle-distance running. On paper, the next two best runners are American Nick Symmonds and Spaniard Kevin López. Russian Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the 2004 Olympic champion, barely scraped into the semis and is in this heat.

Heat three has one of the big surprises of the year in American running, Duane Solomon, who has taken nearly two seconds off his PR in 2012. He'll have his hands full with Ethiopian Mohammed Aman, who beat Rudisha last year, and Kenyan Timothy Kitum.

Women's 100m Hurdles final

4:00 PM

As stated above, Australia's Sally Pearson is expected to win this by a huge margin--but any hurdle race has ten ways to screw up. After her are expected to be a blanket finish of Americans in Dawn Harper, Kellie Wells, and Lolo Jones.

Men's 1500 meters final

4:15 PM ET

Kenyan Asbel Kiprop is the defending World champion, the defending Olympic champion, and the 2012 world leader. This is championship racing, though, and anything can happen. Kenyan Silas Kiplagat is always dangerous. Michigan-based Kiwi Nick Willis, the 2008 silver medalist, is running as well or better than he ever has. Other you can't ignore are Kenyan Nixon Chepsaba and Moroccan Abdalaati Iguider, the reigning World Indoor champion.

And then there are the Americans. Matthew Centrowitz was a surprise Worlds bronze medalist last year and has an almost surreal racing sense, always being in perfect position, avoiding shoves and fallen runners, and making his move at just the right time. Leo Manzano knows how to close fast too, and either one is capable of getting on the medal podium.

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