A fan’s guide to Wednesday at the Games

Adam van Koeverden paddles for the podium:

The man known as Van Kayak already has a complete collection of Olympic hardware: He won gold and bronze in Athens (2004) and silver in Beijing (2008). And tomorrow, he might well earn another trip to the top of the podium. He easily dominated his opening and semi-final heats, leaving fellow kayakers behind by almost two seconds in both races. Barring unpredictables, he’s Canada’s best shot at a second gold in London.

Approximate time to watch: Men’s Kayak singles (K1) 1,000-m finals: CTV 4:30a.m. Eastern/1:30a.m. Pacific

Update: Van Koeverden wins silver.

Not your average cottage canoeing:

When the kayaking is done, be sure to switch over to canoeing, where Mark Oldershaw will try to bring home a very important family trophy. The third generation Olympian trains with his father, and his grandfather competed in the 10,000-m race at the 1948 Summer Games — in London, of course. After posting the third best time in the canoe 1,000-m semi-finals, Oldershaw could very well do what none in his family has done before: Take a trip to the podium.

Approximate time to watch: Men’s Canoe singles (C1) 1000-m finals: CTV 6a.m. Eastern/3a.m. Pacific

Update: Oldershaw wins the bronze medal.

Bolt’s encore:

Nobody has ever won back-to-back gold medals in the 200-m dash, but Usain Bolt may well write history once agains after doubling down on Olympic gold in the 100-m on Sunday. Watch him breeze through his semi-final heat on Wednesday.

Approximate time to watch: Men’s 200-m semi-finals: CTV 3p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific

Forget the UFC, WWE and all that stuff for just one day:

Carol Huynh is one tough cookie. At age of 27, she won the gold medal for women’s 48-kg freestyle wrestling in Beijing, and last year she was first in Mexico at the Pan-Am Games. When she steps into the circle on Wednesday, she’ll be just three wins away from another gold around her neck.

Approximate time to watch: Women’s 48kg freestyle wrestling: TSN 8:30a.m. Eastern/5:30a.m. Pacific

A British golden beach for an American duo:

One pair of women will find its golden beach right in the centre of rainy London on Wednesday. Two-time gold medalists Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor will be up against fellow Americans Jennifer Kessy and April Ross. Either way, Uncle Sam goes home with the gold, but can Jennings and May-Treanor pull off a a three-peat?

Approximate time to watch: Women’s beach volleyball final: TSN 4p.m. Eastern/1p.m. Pacific

Tuesday’s headlines:

Flag bearer at half mast:

Simon Whitfield looked like he might be able to pull it off again. With a gold and silver medal already to his name, and now competing in his fourth Olympic Games, the 37-year-old triathlete emerged from the water in 15th place, better than he could have hoped. A solid bike leg would have put him in medal contention for the final run, his specialty. But Whitfield never made it that far. His bike hit a speed bump, and his Olympic career will likely end with that crash. He had already made history, but he missed the happy ending.

Despatie dives to the bottom:

The two-time Olympic silver medallist finished a disappointing 11th in the final of the 3-metre springboard competition, with his last dive scoring an abysmal 22.10 (out of 100). A below-average first dip (a back two-and-a-half somersault), left him playing catch-up for medal contention until he belly-flopped on his last dive.

Sharing the bronze:

With luck turning against Whitfield and Despatie today, Derek Drouin’s surprise bronze medal may have slipped under the radar. Jumping 2.33 metres, Drouin shares third place with a jumper from Qatar and another from Great Britain. With a medal hanging around his neck, the 22-year-old from Sarnia surely didn’t care for some extra company on the podium.