Women to start early Sunday morning
Atlanta will hope to show the world a different face on Sunday morning when over 80 women take to the city's streets for the Olympic marathon which begins when many residents will still be asleep.
At the unusually early hour of five minutes past seven, the starters' gun will sound in the Olympic stadium to signal the first strides in the 42.195 km race. It is being staged early to avoid the heat and humidity expected later in the day.
The course weaves its way through the state capital, around inner-city churches with pre-Civil War roots and past the birthplace of Atlanta's most famous son, Martin Luther King, the civil rights leader slain in 1968.
The athletes will also run near Centennial Park, scene of the bomb explosion early on Saturday which left two dead and 110 injured and altered the world's perception of these Olympics.
Sunday's televised images will focus on the world's elite marathon runners rather than terrified crowds fleeing. Security has been stepped up throughout the city and at Games venues, but following discussions with senior Games officials and police, the race course has not been altered and the race goes ahead as scheduled.
It is estimated that at least 30 percent of the women--and the men who race next Sunday--will fail to finish, but that will not trouble the leading contenders who include German Katrin Dorre, the fastest woman in the world this year, and her compatriot Uta Pippig, second fastest in 1996.
Albertina Machado of Portugal is another medal contender as is Liz McColgan of Britain and Hiromi Suzuki and Izumi Maki of Japan.
The marathon is one of five golds being awarded on Sunday with other titles being settled in the heptathlon, women's 5,000 metres, men's hammer and men's high jump.
Sunday could be a memorable one for Ireland who have not won an athletics gold since middle-distance runner Ron Delaney triumphed in the 1,500 metres in Melbourne in 1956.
Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan looked in superb shape when she won her preliminary round 5,000 on Friday and with China's Wang Junxia saying she has not felt well since arriving in Atlanta, O'Sullivan's main concerns will be American Lynn Jennings and Yelena Romanova of Russia.
Syria could also celebrate their first Olympic success with world champion Ghada Shouaa en route to a medal in the heptathlon.
She goes into the second and final day on 3,992 points, holding a 112-point lead over Urszula Wlodarczyk of Poland and a 136-point margin over Natasha Sazanovich of Belarus.
American world record holder Jackie Joyner Kersee, the former Olympic champion, pulled out after being injured in the opening event, the 100 metres hurdles, on Saturday.
This story written by Reuters correspondents
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