Olympics Day Five Preview British cyclist Nicole Cooke will attempt to win her second gold medal

[infovivek 0]

Cooke, fresh from victory in the road race, lines up with team-mate Emma Pooley at 0430 BST, while GB's Steve Cummings starts the men's race at 0630.American Michael Phelps bids for his fourth and fifth golds in the 200m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay.In the gymnastics, China and the US are favourites for the women's team title.The Chinese won the 2006 world championship in Denmark but the United States came out on top by less than a point in Germany a year later.Led by 16-year-old Shawn Johnson the US will attempt to repeat that achievement and claim one of 17 golds up for grabs on Wednesday.The hosts came out on top in qualifying with a combined total of 248.275 points as the US earned 246.800, Russia 244.400 and reigning champions Romania finished a distant fourth.Struggling for form, the Romanians look a shadow of the team that won four of the six women's golds on offer at the 2004 Athens Olympics.In the women's time trial, both Cooke and Pooley are considered to have an outside chance of a medal in the 15-mile race, a single lap of the Juyongguan circuit.Stephanie RiceRice heads a world class field in the women's 200m individual medleyHanka Kupfernagel of Germany goes into the race as favourite but Pooley has been training specifically for this event."I'm confident for both of them," said the women's road manager Julian Winn. "Emma has been working hard and has said since the start of the year this would be her target."Nicole has just achieved an amazing thing which could be distracting but, on the other hand, it could also have the effect of really firing her up."Phelps, meanwhile, returns to the Water Cube after claiming gold in the 400m individual medley, 4x100m freestyle relay and men's 200m freestyle.The 23-year-old hopes to defend his 200m butterfly title and then takes part in the 4x200m relay as the defending champions the US start as favourites ahead of Australia, Canada and Italy.But the most eagerly anticipated event in the pool on day five sees Katie Hoff, Olympic record holder Kirsty Coventry, world record holder Stephanie Rice and Natalie Coughlin battle it out in the women's 200m individual medley final.Britain's best hope for a medal comes when Caitlin McClatchey contests the women's 200m freestyle at 0311 BST.McClatchey qualified after finishing third in her semi-final, clocking a time of 1:57.73 behind Italy's Federica Pellegrini and Camelia Alina Potec of Romania.World and Olympic record holder Pellegrini will start as favourite in lane three.Team GB's men's coxless fourTeam GB's men's coxless four are bidding to win a third consecutive goldAlso in action are Nicholas Robinson-Baker and Ben Swain, the British pair diving first in the men's synchronised 3m springboard final, which gets under way at 0730 BST.It is a big day of semi-finals on the Shunyi rowing lake as Team GB's flagship boat, the men's coxless four, continue their quest for a third consecutive Olympic gold.Alan Campbell tests himself against world record holder Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand in the men's single sculls and the pairing of Matthew Wells and Stephen Rowbotham return to the water in the men's double sculls.Having finished second in their heat, Team GB's women's eight have one last chance to qualify for the final through the repechage.In the fencing hall Britain's Richard Kruse takes on Virgil Saliscan of Romania in the men's individual foil round of 32.Kruse has been GB's number one for the last four years and finished eighth in Athens four years ago - the best Olympic show by a GB fencer since Tokyo in 1964.Other champions will be crowned in shooting, weightlifting, wrestling and judo.Baseball opens what could be its final Olympic competition with defending champion Cuba playing Japan and the United States facing South Korea.