Another American swimming star is 41-year-old Dara Torres. She is a legendary athlete who competed in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000 Olympic Games and won nine medals, including four golds, one silver and four bronzes.

With 15 Olympic medallists, 31 medallists in track and field world outdoor championships, and 11 holders of American national records, the U.S. track and field team is also a dream team. The team pocketed 25 medals including eight golds at the 2004 Athens Games, and 26 medals including 14 golds at the 2007 World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Osaka. Up to this July, the United States topped the list of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 14 events, of which eight were men's events and six were women's events. The team is expected to win more than 12 golds in Beijing.

The U.S. men's basketball team is perhaps the most eye-catching team in Beijing. Basketball was born in the United States, and is one of the favorite sports of Americans. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, the U.S. team only earned a bronze, which was unbefitting for such a dream team. To reclaim U.S. dominance in basketball, a number of top NBA players, including Kobe Bryant, joined the national team and sweated it out for the Beijing Games. With such an assembly of NBA mega-stars, this U.S. team is the most expensive in the Olympic history.

In addition to the above-mentioned traditional events, the United States has a competitive edge in gymnastics, shooting, tennis, fencing, softball, women's basketball and women's football.

Russia, a resurrected sports power

Dozens of kilometers from Moscow stands the Podolsk Olympic Training Center. The colossal sports complex built more than a half-century ago is dilapidated, just as some other relics of the Cold War era. The center has witnessed the ups and downs of sport in Russia.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States competed in literally any field, and sports of course were no exception. Ever since its debut in the Olympic Games in 1952, the Soviet Union has been a dominating power in the summer Olympics, often alternating with the United States for first and second place in the medal table. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, its legacy was passed down to Russia. Russia stumbled in terms of Olympic performance. Investment in sports was cut sharply, and many athletes were sent home, while the remaining athletes and coaches had a hard time making a living. As talented players left, the national team lost some of its steam. In 1992, the Commonwealth of Independent States, primarily made up of Russians, managed to ascend to the top of the Summer Games scorecard with 45 gold medals. Yet in 1996, when Russia first competed as a country, it only bagged 26 gold medals, lagging far behind the United States. In 2000, although Russia won 32 gold medals in Sydney, it was still behind the United States. Four years later in Athens, while China rose to second place in terms of gold medals, Russia slid to third place with 27.

After Vladimir Putin became president, Russia's economy improved. The government has doubled its attention to sports. In recent years, Russia has invested generously in sports, and the investment seems to be gradually paying off. Russia hopes that sports will unite its people in rejuvenating the nation. It has rich sports resources, including cutting-edge training systems and first-rate players and coaches. These will help the country regain its past glory.