USAIN BOLT, 29
JAMAICA
EVENTS
- 100m (Aug 13 from 8.30pm)
- 200m (Aug 16 from 10.50pm)
- 4x100m (Aug 18 from 10.40pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 3 golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m) at 2008 Olympics in world-record time
- 3 golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m) at 2012 Olympics
- 11 world titles from 2009 to 2015
FUN FACT
Bolt ate approximately 1,000 chicken nuggets over 10 days at Beijing 2008 en route to winning his three golds, as he thought Chinese food was "odd".
JUSTIN GATLIN, 34
UNITED STATES
EVENTS
- 100m (Aug 13 from 8.30pm)
- 200m (Aug 16 from 10.50pm)
- 4x100m (Aug 18 from 10.40pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 2 golds (100m, 4x100m) and 1 bronze (200m) at 2004 Olympics
- 1 bronze (100m) at 2012 Olympics
- 2 world titles in 2005 (100m, 200m)
FUN FACT
Gatlin and Bolt share a healthy rivalry, often exchanging playful banter about each other's age. Bolt's favourite nickname for Gatlin is "old man", while the latter often calls Bolt "middle-aged man".
MO FARAH, 33
BRITAIN
EVENTS
- 5,000m (Aug 17, 9.05pm)
- 10,000m (Aug 14, 8.27am)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 2 gold medals (5,000m, 10,000m) at 2012 Olympics
- 5 world titles from 2011 to 2015
FUN FACT
While Farah has his sights set on retaining his double Olympic golds, his 2016 season will not end in Rio; the 33-year-old will aim for a third successive win at the Great North Run half-marathon in England.
JESSICA ENNIS-HILL, 30
BRITAIN
EVENTS
- Heptathlon (from Aug 12, 8.35pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 1 gold (heptathlon) at 2012 Olympics
- 2 world titles in 2009 and 2015
FUN FACT
The heptathlon comprises seven different elements - 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin, 800m. Standing at 1.65m and weighing 57 kg, Ennis-Hill is smaller than most heptathletes, who are usually 1.8m tall and weigh about 67kg.
CASTER SEMENYA, 25
SOUTH AFRICA
EVENTS
- 800m (Aug 17, 9.55pm or 10.03pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 1 silver (800m) at 2012 Olympics
- 1 world title in 2009
FUN FACT
Having run the fastest 800m times (1min 56.64sec) twice this year, Semenya is the clear favourite to take the 800m gold in Rio. But the event is not her favourite - she prefers the 1,500m race as it allows her to "sit back and relax, and wait for the right moment".
VALERIE ADAMS, 31
NEW ZEALAND
EVENTS
- Shot put (Aug 12, 9.05pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 1 gold at 2008 Olympics
- 1 gold at 2012 Olympics
- 4 world titles from 2007 to 2013
FUN FACT
Adams received New Zealand Post's very first gold coin produced for the 2016 Games. Only 250 were produced, and her coin was the first to be minted.
TIMOTHEE YAP, 21
SINGAPORE
EVENT
- 100m (Aug 13 from 8.30pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Personal best of 10.62sec
FUN FACT
Formerly a hurdler, Yap made the switch to sprints only last year.
NEO JIE SHI, 31
SINGAPORE
EVENT
- Marathon (Aug 14, 8.30pm)
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Top-10 finish at Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore last December
- Finished eighth out of 10 in the marathon at last year's SEA Games
FUN FACT
Neo started running regularly only during her university days
