Beijing: US track and field coaches are so confident of another dominating performance when Olympic competition begins on Friday that they have dubbed the American athletics delegation the "Dream Team".
World 100 meter champion Tyson Gay, two-time world and defending Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner, world 1500m and 5,000m champion Bernard Lagat and world 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement are among US stars likely to shine.
"This is the Dream Team," US men's coach Bubba Thornton said. "They are going to show up and you all are going to be pleased with what you see."
Track and field has been a gold mine in the past for Americans, who took 25 medals in the disciplines at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 26 medals at the IAAF World Championships last year in Osaka.
A similar showing by the US contingent will be needed if the Americans hope to challenge pace-setters China for the overall medal crown.
"We're coming to play," Thornton said. "The focus and the energy has been pointed in a direction that's very positive. I'm thinking it's going to be real good."
Sprinters offer the best US women's hope for gold with two-time world champion Allyson Felix in the 200m, Jamaican-born Sanya Richards in the 400m and former world champions Lauryn Williams and Torri Edwards in the 100m.
"This will be our best Olympic Games because it will have a balance of veteran athletes and up and coming athletes," US women's coach Jeanette Bolden said. "Wearing that red, white and blue will bring everyone together."
Thornton does not want to commit to numeric goals but figures if he is hearing "The Star-Spangled Banner" often enough, things are going well. We're not in the counting business," Thornton said.
"I hope they have heard our national anthem enough that they are humming it when they leave the stadium."
Gay hopes to have Jamaican rivals Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell singing his tune in what could be an epic 100m showdown. Gay has had a month to recover from a hamstring strain that sent him tumbling in the 200m at the US trials.
"My hamstring is 100 per cent," Gay said. "I'm fully confident the hamstring will hold up through four rounds of the 100m. I have no aches and no twitches."
Gay won the US 100m final in a wind-aided 9.68 seconds, the fastest 100m ever clocked under any conditions, in his final full race before the injury.
But Gay has not raced in a month, which could be a disadvantage against Bolt, who set a world record of 9.72 secs on May 31 in beating Gay in New York, and Powell, whose old mark of 9.76 secs tumbled.
"I am not at all concerned that I haven't got a race under my belt," Gay said.
"I would rather be 100 percent than risk it by being 88 percent fit. I've had a chance in practice to see where I'm at. That was a confidence booster."
Wariner's top 400m rival could be compatriot LaShawn Merritt, the latest pupil of Wariner's ex-coach, Clyde Hart. Wariner lost to Merritt at the US trials but has beaten him twice since.
Kenyan-born Lagat pulled a double in the 1500m and 5,000m at last year's worlds and looks to repeat the feat here while Clement, 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson and 2000 Olympic winner Angelo Taylor eye a 400m hurdles clean-sweep.
World champions Reese Hoffa in the shot-putt and Brad Walker in the pole vault could take gold, as might Bryan Clay, the 2005 world decathlon champion who won a world indoor title this year.
Clay's total of 8,832 points at the US Olympic trials last month was the highest total in the world for four years and by an American in 16 years.
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