The Rio Olympics could truly catch fire this weekend when a long list of familiar faces and returning heroes make their Rio bows. Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jo Pavey, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Usain Bolt and Greg Rutherford all in action.
Excited yet? Here’s what not to miss this weekend.
Friday
Rio’s Olympic Stadium opens will stage competition for the first time on Friday, opening its doors to British heptathletes hopes Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis-Hill at 1:35pm.
Cross-generational shooting duo Amber Hill and Elena Allen will also carry realistic British medal hopes in the women’s skeet from 1pm.
At 3:10pm the evergreen Jo Pavey, performing her fifth consecutive Olympics at 42, will race in the women’s 10,000m final.
In the velodrome, Bradley Wiggins’ team pursuit team will defend Britain’s gold medal in the men’s team final from 10:20pm.
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Saturday
Mo Farah’s title defence in the men’s 10,000m final begins at 1.25am before the long jump final is set to reach its climax at around 2am. The fate of Ennis-Hill and Johnson-Thompson will be decided in the final heptathlon event — the 800m — at 02:53am.
And in the midst of all that, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will race for a third consecutive 100m gold at 2:35am.
At a more reasonable time of 11.30am to 7.30pm is the men’s golf. Britain’s Danny Willett and Justin Rose are both realistic medal hopes.
In rowing, Great Britain’s reigning world champion team will contest gold in the men’s eight finals at 3:24pm.
The same can be said of the women in the velodrome racing for team pursuit gold at 8:53pm.
Finally, tune into the ongoings at the Olympic Stadium at 4pm for the games’ first sighting of Usain Bolt.
Sunday
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Usain Bolt’s bid for a historic third back-to-back 100m gold is set for the eye-watering time of 2.25am on Monday morning.
Tennis comes to a close earlier in the day with the men’s gold medal match — last won by Andy Murray — at 4pm.
At 6pm Max Whitlock performs in the individual men’s floor and will go up against GM teammate Louis Smith in the pommel horse final at 7.29pm.
Mark Cavendish makes his first velodrome appearance of the games in the men’s omnium scratch race at 8:40pm while at 9.04pm Jason Kenny is expected to be among the contenders for gold in the men’s sprint final.