So swift and unexpected was his move that the runner from Uganda turned the last mile into a victory lap as he easily captured the Olympic marathon Sunday, along with the first medal for his country at the London Games.

Kiprotich finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 1 second, holding off the Kenyan duo of Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang. Kirui finished 26 seconds behind Kiprotich, while Kipsang, the leader much of the race, faded late but held on for bronze just ahead of American Meb Keflezighi.

On an extremely warm afternoon, the marathoners wound their way through a scenic route packed with swarms of fans. Kiprotich had such a big lead near the finish that he grabbed a flag from the stands and wore it on his way to the finish.

After finishing, he dropped to his knees, bowed and then raised his hands high over his head.

The Kenyans, who were looking at a possible podium sweep, just couldn't keep up. Kirui and Kipsang were competing in memory of the late Sammy Wanjiru, who won the country's first Olympic marathon crown four years ago in Beijing. Wanjiru died last year after a fall from a second-story balcony during a domestic dispute.

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His Olympic gold medal in the decathlon was all but sealed when he reached the last event, the 1,500 meters, where he simply needed to finish in an average time to win the event on Thursday night.

The world-record holder cruised over the four laps, crossed the line and — even as exhausted as he was — started celebrating.

Eaton finished the two-day competition with 8,869 points to defeat fellow American Trey Hardee by 198. It's the first time the Americans have gone 1-2 in the Olympic decathlon since Milton Gray Campbell and Rafer Johnson in 1956.

"That's what Trey and I really, really wanted," said Eaton, who's from Eugene, Ore.

Especially this year, on the 100th anniversary of the event. At the 1912 Olympics, Jim Thorpe won the inaugural title.

Thanks to Eaton, the decathlon gold is staying in the United States. Eaton joins 2008 winner Bryan Clay and, of course, Bruce Jenner, in earning the honor as "The World's Greatest Athlete."

Even Usain Bolt, the star of the night with his victory in the 200 meters, was impressed.

"I'm a great athlete, but to do 10 events, especially the 1,500 — I've got to give it to him," Bolt said.

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As the premier track and field event of the London Games gets started with opening heats Saturday, it seems everyone has an opinion about who's going to win — and the answers tend to be Bolt or Blake.

There are other contenders. There's the third Jamaican in the field, Asafa Powell. There's U.S.-record holder Tyson Gay, surgically repaired hip and all. And there even is another past Olympic champion, Justin Gatlin of the U.S., who walked off the stage in Athens four years ago with the 100 gold.

But in 2006, Gatlin tested positive for excessive testosterone, leading to a four-year ban that prevented him from defending his title in Beijing.

Now 30, his prime years perhaps in the past, Gatlin has picked up his career. And guess what? He still believes he has a shot to reclaim his crown, even if he readily admits it's a long shot.

"There are other guys out there who have the upper hand on me since I've been gone for four years," said Gatlin, who won the 100 at the U.S. trials in June. "It's going to be an uphill fight for me to claw to the top."

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When the women begin the 100-meter heats Friday, the Americans might find that's easier said than done.

Lining up for Jamaica will be 2008 gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, silver medalist Kerron Stewart and Veronica Campbell-Brown, who has five Olympic medals but wasn't fast enough to qualify for the 100 in Beijing.

And the U.S.?

Well, there's 100 world champion Carmelita Jeter of Gardena, Calif., but she's joined by a converted long jumper, Tianna Madison of Sanford, Fla. And there's Allyson Felix of Santa Clarita, Calif., who readily admits the 100 is little more than a warmup for her "real" event, the 200.

"We do enjoy racing against each other," Campbell-Brown said.

The Jamaicans really do. They keep outdoing the Americans. There was Jamaica's three-medal haul in the 100 four years ago. And two of the three medals in the women's 200, too.

"It didn't matter who it was who beat you, you wanted a rematch and you wanted to get out there and prove yourself," Felix said.

Heading into the last Olympics, this was actually viewed as a genuine rivalry, with opinions divided about which country was better.

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Now that he's here the question is whether he will be healthy enough to defend his Olympic 400-meter title.

Merritt, who returned to track last season after serving a 21-month drug suspension, is a heavy favorite in the event that starts Saturday.

Or at least he was before hobbling off the track two weeks ago after tweaking his left hamstring in a tuneup race.

"It's difficult to tell" if Merritt will be completely healthy, his coach, Loren Seagrave, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday. Seagrave said Merritt has been resting and rehabbing the hamstring and is "much improved and pain free."

Merritt was steadily rounding back into form following his return last summer after being suspended for using a banned substance found in an over-the-counter male enhancement product.

Even after serving his punishment, Merritt wasn't sure he would be allowed to compete in London. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport threw out the International Olympic Committee rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next Summer or Winter Games.

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Ha, ha. Very funny.

Gay is more concerned with more serious pursuits, such as trying to keep up with Olympic champion Usain Bolt and world champion Yohan Blake on the track. The Jamaican duo will have Gay's undivided attention when the 100-meter heats begin Saturday.

"I know what those guys bring to the table," Gay said. "But they know what I bring to the table."

He's the second-fastest man in history, thanks to a 9.69-second 100 (Bolt's record is 9.58). Gay won the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay at the 2007 world championships and was a silver medalist in the 100 two years later.

But for the first time in quite a while, Gay's mind actually is on his competitors and not his surgically repaired right hip.

Definitely a sign of progress.

Just five months ago, Gay's hip was so tender that he could only run on grass. Now he thinks he can be a factor against Bolt and Blake — and maybe even step on an Olympic podium for the first time. Four years ago, Gay was banged up heading into the Beijing Games and knocked out in the semifinals.

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Hardly an elaborate celebration after an aggressive slalom run that helped land him that elusive Olympic gold medal Sunday during the super-combined. But to his father, Woody, the tiny show of emotion conveyed everything.

Like the weight of the world had been lifted.

"He looks happier, like he's enjoying himself," his father said. "That's what I like to see."

Taking in the scene from the middle of a packed crowd, Woody Miller was waiting for a display just like that, to inform the father that, yes, his son was indeed enjoying this moment.

Then again, what's not to enjoy?

Bode Miller now has three medals at these Winter Games and five for his career. The five Alpine medals tie him for the second-most by any man in Olympic history, behind the eight won by Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway.

And while Miller has long insisted that medals matter little to him, his father held a little different view of the situation. He thought his son was "hungry" for that elusive gold, almost burdened by it.

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