It's Showtime - Top 5 rivalries of 2012 London Olympics

Chelsea won the Champions League, the Spanish Armada successfully defended the Euros and Roger Federer regained his supremacy in Wimbledon. If this is not enough for you sports enthusiasts, then wait till July 27th for the world’s foremost sporting competition.

The time is ticking and the pressure is mounting up. With the training sessions going at full flow, there’s no time to look back. The athletes will be counting the days until the games begin, the wait will surely be torturous. With added pressure of high expectations from everyone back there in their homeland, with their fans and beloved ones praying their hearts out so that they return with a medal for their motherland, all of them would be aiming for nothing less than a podium finish. They are just one step closer from adding another feather to their cap, doubtlessly the biggest and the most appealing of them all. So let’s take a peek into some of the most anticipating rivalries that we should keep an eye on at London.

1. Usain Bolt vs Yohan Blake

‘The’ event of London 2012 would be the men’s blue ribbon event. The Beijing edition saw Bolt overpowering his rivals without even breaking a sweat. The superhuman athlete seemed to be unbeatable, but numerous injuries and absences from the track has set the 25 year old back. The tides have changed since then. At London 2012, the odds are definitely stacked against the defending champion. The spotlight now shifts to his fellow Jamaican training partner and the defending world champion Yohan Blake. Having conceded defeat to Blake, not just once but twice, during the Jamaican trials in both 100m and 200m, Bolt will find the going tough in London. While other rivals like Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin haven’t been consistent enough to push themselves to be a strong contender for the numero uno spot at London. That being said, what we will witness on August 5th will be pure awesome entertainment. It will be even more electric than usual in London.

2. Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal

One of the most talked about rivalries for the past few years, they are two of the best in the business and undoubtedly one of those few most-gifted athletes we have ever seen. Whenever they step inside that firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center, be sure that they are going to create magic. Whenever they are down, beyond shadow of a doubt, be sure that they will rise from the ashes. Nadal leads the nine year old rivalry 18-10, but it’s just numbers. The quality of their game will leave us awestruck. For years, we have been witnessing their domination in the international circuit, but last year we saw the rise of a new star named Novak Djokovic. After capturing three of the four Grand Slams last year, Djoker has been on a roll. Having successfully defending his Australian Open title earlier this year, he fell in the final hurdle to the ‘King Of Clay’ Rafael Nadal in the finals of Roland Garros and lost to the ‘Maestro’ and the eventual winner Roger Federer during their semi final clash at Wimbledon. The spotlight again shifts to the grass courts of Wimbledon, which will host the tennis events during the 30th edition of the summer Olympics. Rafa, the reigning champion, will have to find a way to get the better of Fedex and Djoker. Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Juan Martin del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be others to watch out for.

3. Michael Phelps vs Ryan Lochte

Mark Spitz, Doug Russell, Jim Montgomery.. The list of great Americans in the pool is never ending. 16 Olympic medals, at the first sight, some might be wondering if it’s the overall medal count of countries like Azerbaijan or Lithuania! Though it’s true, it’s not relevant here. We are talking about ‘The Baltimore Bullet’/’The Flying Fish”. The smaller minded people know him as Michael Phelps. His unprecedented success at Beijing(eight gold medals) earned him Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the year” award in 2008. Set to compete in seven events in London, like other defending champions as mentioned above, he will have to sweat it out in order to do an encore of his 2008 heroics. His biggest rival will be his fellow American Ryan Lochte. They have been going head to head for the past 8 years, with Lochte being the underdog on paper. They share 11 world records between them(Phelps-6, Lochte-5) and we could expect to see a few more crumble at the grandest stage. It’s all but assured that Michael Phelps will earn the three medals he needs to pass Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina as the most decorated Olympian of all-time, but can he over power Lochte this time, when one of the greatest rivalries take center stage at London? Time will definitely tell.

4. Allyson Felix vs Veronica Campbell Brown

Despite running neck to neck for the past 8 years, they haven’t got enough media attention as those received by their male counterparts like Gay and Bolt. Felix, an American and Brown, a Jamaican, have been dueling each other in the 200m since 2004 and have been exchanging their top spots as the world’s best and second best. Felix is a three time world champion but has been quoted as saying that she would trade those in for the two Olympic Golds held by her Jamaican counterpart – Brown has tasted success in both Athens and Beijing by notching the top spot. Carmelita Jeter and Murielle Ahoure are the others who will test Felix’s and Brown’s nerves at London.

5. Wangs vs Saina Nehwal

Wang Yihan, the world’s top player, and number two Wang Xin will be spearheading Chinese challenge in London along with Li Xuerui, who was picked at the expense of former world No. 1, Wang Shixian. There was a time when Chinese were unstoppable in badminton. But now, the scenario has changed in the women’s section. The young Indian sensation, Saina Nehwal, is the new kid on the block, giving the Chinese a run for their money. Critics believe that in London, if not the Chinese, it will definitely be Saina who would be triumphant. Germany’s Juliane Schenk and experienced Danish competitor Tine Baun are the others running for getting the taste of Olympic glory.

We’ve seen some of the jaw dropping rivalries that will take center stage in London but there are still many individuals who will definitely come up with a spirited performance. Jessica Ennis in Heptathlon, Yelena Isinbeyava in women’s pole vault, Serena Williams in tennis, Anky van Grunsven in individual dressage, Yoshida Saori in wrestling, Mary Kom in boxing, Tom Daley in diving and Im Dong-Hyun & Deepika Kumari in archery are a few to keep an eye on in London 2012.