High five: What you mustn’t miss when the Games begin

Fairfax Media takes a look at the top five must-see events at the Rio Olympics.

Swimming, 4x100m freestyle relay

Relays at the Olympics bring plenty of drama and the 4x100m freestyle relay has the potential to be the most exciting event in the pool at Rio.

In 2012, France stunned the world by claiming the gold medal ahead of the Americans. That meant Michael Phelps won his first silver medal, a remarkable feat considering it was his 17th Olympic medal.

The French were anchored by Yannick Agnel who came storming back to take the gold.

The Americans will be out for revenge and the Australians will also fancy their chances.

Like all relays, there is plenty of potential for a dark-horse team to come from nowhere to win.

100m sprint

The 100m sprint is the glamour event of the track and field at the Olympics.

And adding to the appeal of the event this year is the pending retirement of world record holder Usain Bolt.

The Jamaican is the hot favourite to add to his six Olympic gold medals.

In the 100m sprint there is no room for error – the slightest of mistakes can ruin an entire race.

Bolt’s best time this year would leave him fourth behind Americans Justin Gatlin and Treyvon Bromwell and Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut.

With all the competition, we may have a chance of seeing Bolt sprint the entire 100m rather than pulling back in the last 5-10m like we have become accustomed to.

K1 200m women canoe sprint

It is hard to imagine anything getting in the way of Lisa Carrington’s bid to defend her gold medal in the sprint race.

If she succeeds she will join Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald as the only Kiwis to defend their canoe sprint Olympic titles.

With the race over in 45 seconds, Carrington will need a perfect start and a well-timed kick to bring it home.

Heading into the last Olympics, Carrington was not accompanied by much fanfare, but this time most of watching. the

1500m final

country will be New Zealand has a rich history in middle-distance events and this year there will be three Kiwis – Nick Willis, Julian Matthews and Hamish Carson – contesting the distance for the first time.

But regardless of how the Kiwis do, the 1500m final will be an event worth watching.

The strategy involved in the race can lead to some of the most exciting finishes on the track.

That was the case in 2012 when Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi claimed the gold medal after starting his charge on the back straight of the final lap.

Willis may not have the sprint finish of some of his rivals but if he can control the pace he will be in with a medal chance.

Sevens

The timing of sevens’ debut at the Olympics could not have been more perfect from a competition point of view.

For the first time in the sport’s history, we have seen a prolonged period of competitiveness.

Most of the general public will view anything other than a gold medal from New Zealand as a failure, but they won’t head in as favourites. That tag belongs to the Fijians and South Africans.

With so much down to form on the day, the USA, Spain and Kenya are all capable of putting together runs that could see them on the podium. Then you have to account for the added wrinkle of England combining with Ireland, Wales and Scotland to play as Great Britain.

That should all add up to some top-level sevens rugby.