Rotorua athletes, swimmer Carl O'Donnell and heptathlete Sarah Cowley get their Olympics underway tonight.
O'Donnell in the men's 4X100m medley relay will be looking to get his Olympics started in the best possible way.
The 25-year-old is part of the New Zealand men's 4X100m medley who will race in tonight's second
heat at 10.49pm.
O'Donnell's team are the fifth fastest qualifier 3:35.09 in their heat behind World and Olympic record holders America (3:32.06) followed by Germany (3:32.60), Japan (3:32.89) and Hungary 3:34.57). Poland, Frace and South Africa make up the other qualifiers in their heat.
The Tuhoe and Ngati Awa descendant will swim the final leg of the relay; the 100m freestyle. He is joined by his teammates Daniel Bell (butterfly), Glen Snyders (breaststroke) and Gareth Kean (backstroke).
Carl's form leading into the Olympics has been dynamic. At this year's swimming champs, he clocked a personal best 50.11s for the 100m. The team are ranked in the top eight and if they make the A final anything can happen.
The favourites for the event are the Americans who hold the World and Olympic record of 3.29.34 set at the last Olympic games.
Silver medallists in Beijing, Australia are the top qualifier in heat one and have tough competition from Italy and Netherlands. Canada, Brazil, Russia, China and crowd favourites Great Britain make up the eight in heat one but have slower qualifying times compared with New Zealand. The top eight go through to the final.
Another Rotorua Olympian who gets her campaign underway is heptathlete Sarah Cowley.
The 28-year-old, like O'Donnell is competing at her first Olympics.
A former Rotorua Girls' High School student and Commonwealth Games athlete begins the competition with the 100m hurdles followed by the high jump tonight with the shot put and 200m, long jump and javelin throw tomorrow morning, culminating in the 800m run on Sunday. Ranked in the top 20 Cowley was in with a chance.
Competing times:
Swimming:
4X100m medley; Heats 10.49pm tonight (NZ time); Finals 7.27am tomorrow.
Athletics:
Heptathlon; (Tonight NZ time) 100m hurdles, 9.05pm; high jump, 10.15pm;
(Tomorrow) shot put, 6am; 200m, 7.45am; long jump, 9.05am; javelin, 10.40am;
(Sunday) 800m 8.35am.
