Marathoners can breathe easier now

BEIJING – Forget disturbing weather forecasts and pollution-index numbers.

The choked, clogged air of Week 1 seemed like a distant memory on the eve of the men’s Olympic marathon. Blue skies and sun have been the norm in the latter stages of the Olympic Games, and the forecast is for the low 70s when the race starts Sunday at 7:30 a.m. (4:30 p.m. PDT Saturday) at Tiananmen Square.

Wonder if marathon world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie, who made a big media splash when he declined to run it because of valid concerns about the polluted air, is feeling any sense of regret?

Gebrselassie, who finished sixth in the 10,000 meters here, said Martin Lel of Kenya holds the edge in the marathon, and it certainly seems the safe choice, considering Lel became the first man to win both the London and New York marathons in the same year.

Lel and his countryman Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya would be considered favorites based on their credentials, but the Olympic marathon is often wildly unpredictable.

The U.S. entrants are trials winner and first-time Olympian Ryan Hall, Brian Sell and Dathan Ritzenhein.

Women’s basketball

Come tonight (7 a.m. today PDT), Lisa Leslie and her U.S. teammates will hang either a silver or gold medal around their necks after they face Australia.

The only way Leslie will break out the three gold medals she brought here for motivation is if they have company of the same color.

At 36, Leslie is vying to become the first person in Olympic basketball history to own four consecutive gold medals.

With her international career winding down, her teammates remain appreciative of the legacy she will leave.

“She hasn’t said a word about it, but Lisa deserves everything that comes to her,” guard Diana Taurasi said. “She’s been such a great leader and role model. Everyone on this team, we grew up watching her play. I remember my first WNBA game was at the Great Western Forum watching her. This year has been closure in a lot of ways.”

This could be the final Olympics for other U.S. stalwarts, such as Katie Smith. Yet it’s Leslie, of course, who casts the longest shadow because of her skill level, leadership ability and 19-year commitment as one of the figureheads of USA Basketball.

Track and field

After the U.S. men’s and women’s 400-meter relay teams both dropped the baton and missed the event’s final, a huge emphasis was placed on having sticky fingers.

There were no drops as the U.S. men’s and women’s 1,600 relay teams safely made it out of Friday’s heats and into tonight’s finals (early Saturday morning PDT).

“We got the baton around the track safely,” Mary Wineberg said. “There always are good situations that come out of every circle. The important thing tomorrow is to run the best we can and win a gold medal.”

Also tonight in Beijing, former Washington State University star Bernard Lagat runs in the men’s 5,000 final.