Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

, who won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at , races Usain "Lightning" Bolt in New York on Saturday.

Gay is the latest model to roll off the and will go to Beijing with an excellent chance of becoming the 17th man from his country to win an Olympic gold in athletics' marquee event, the 100m.

The 25-year-old is 10 weeks away from the opportunity for greatness he has spent so long dreaming of and preparing for.

But then so is Bolt.

Great Britain's top men's crew, the coxless four, is in turmoil, but then what did you expect in Olympic year?

And why are we still focusing on the four when there are as many as nine crews in contention for gold in Beijing?

All of them will be looking to further cement their credentials as the international season steps up a gear with the second World Cup regatta in Lucerne this weekend.

I have mixed feeling about the .

That's me being very selfish, of course, as nothing would have given me greater pleasure that to see Leon and synchro partner Peter Waterfield go one better than and take gold in the platform event this time.

But I also know what a huge asset the 30-year-old will be alongside me in the commentary box.

I'm sure you've noticed a dramatic change in the tone of the coverage about the Beijing Olympics during the past two weeks.

A month ago China was under increasing international , but the changed all that.

Now the country has the world's sympathy and support as it comes to terms with the extent of the terrible natural disaster.

It's going to be very interesting to see if that tone will change again in the weeks leading up to the Games.

A monkey is going on a journey to the East, and he wants you to come with him, because he's the figurehead for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport this summer as we head towards the Beijing Olympics.

are not your average candidates to star in an Olympics campaign so how did it come about?

And how did the men behind - and - get involved?

Dolph Lundgren. .

Take a breath and just allow the consequences of that name to sink in. The enormity of it, what it means: the hair, the body, the images it conjures up.

Ready? , the finest flat top to have graced this planet. Need I go on? Here's an academic-turned-actor who, during the making of , took a pop at Sylvester Stallone and put him in hospital for four days. Fact.

He's been , he also took a swipe at , speaks five languages, got a Masters degree in chemical engineering (Masters of the Universe perhaps?) and he's pretty useful in judo and karate.

Imagine reading that CV when the giant Swede applied to be leader of the American modern pentathlon team ahead of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

After several days walking along the Great Wall of China, we had a great couple of days in Beijing to round off our trip.

There was sightseeing, sunshine, smog, singing and a poignant end to an athletics test event at the Olympic Stadium.

Now all I have to master before I return in August is how to say "cheese" in Chinese.