It's track time.
The athletics events at the London Olympics finally kick off Friday after a week of sitting around and waiting. The showdown starts with the opening heats of the women's 100, where Carmelita Jeter represents America's best chance to break the Jamaica's Olympic rule.
A gold medal will be awarded in the shot put, and visitors will get their first look at the setup of 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium since the opening ceremony.
With no swimmers or gymnasts leaping forward to become the runaway stars of London, the door is open for the tracksters to seize it.
"I hope when the Olympics come around, and we're on the big stage, people will take an interest in a story and want to keep following," U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix says.
— Eddie Pells — Twitter http://twitter.com/epells
EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.