1.   And another pre-Games medal favorite, the Star boat helmed by Mark Reynolds, is a distant seventh at the midway point of that series.

2.   Antonio Tarver, the gold medal favorite, was physically spent, winging punches uselessly in the final seconds.

3.   At the recent Romanian nationals, Lavinia Milosovici won the all-around championship and is a medal favorite at the World Championships in October.

4.   Berezhnaya, a medal favorite with pairs partner Anton Sikharulidze, is letting a balky ankle heal.

5.   But Twigg, a medal favorite, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the pursuit.

6.   But today, after all the fanning of flames, Johnson or Greene should establish himself as the gold medal favorite for the Olympics.

7.   Count Michelle in at Nagano and mark her down as an Olympic gold medal favorite.

8.   Finland, a three-time bronze medalist at the world championships, is considered the other medal favorite at Nagano.

9.   Forrest entered the Games as a medal favorite.

10.   Hannawald, for one, was known for pushing dieting to an extreme before pulling out of that tailspin and becoming the gold medal favorite this year.