LONDON - Silence will envelop the Olympic stadium on the evening of August 5 while the world's eight swiftest men crouch in their blocks awaiting the starter's gun.

What happens in the split second after the gun fires and the stadium resounds to the clamor generated by 80,000 spectators will in all likelihood determine the result of the men's 100 meters final.

If Usain Bolt's troublesome right hamstring has healed and he gets a good start there is nobody in the world who can catch the defending champion. If he takes too long to unwind his long legs and body, his Jamaican club mate and world champion Yohan Blake is the probable winner.

The 100 meters is the most unforgiving of all foot races and one mistake by any of the finalists, as Bolt knows from bitter personal experience after false starting at the world championships last year, will mean the race is over.

Unlike the theatre, where Hamlet will always die in the final act, unpredictability and the unexpected give sport its special appeal and there are no guarantees that any of the contestants who line up in Saturday's first round will still be contenders on Sunday night.

But if Bolt and Blake do come through unscathed, Sunday's final will rival the Carl Lewis-Ben Johnson clash at the 1988 Seoul Olympics for drama and excitement.

The field should also feature American Tyson Gay and another Jamaican Asafa Powell who have both run faster than Blake plus the 2004 champion Justin Gatlin who has returned from a doping ban.

Jamaica is enjoying a remarkable era in both men's and women's sprinting. Jamaicans took five of the six medals at stake in the women's 100 and 200 in Beijing four years ago as well as the 400 meters hurdles title.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the defending 100 meters champion and is the world leader this year with a time of 10.70 seconds. Her main challenge is likely to come from the American world champion Carmelita Jeter. - Reuters