LaShawn Merritt and Kirani James are currently the top contenders for 400-meter honors at this year's Olympics. James returned to Daegu, South Korea on Wednesday, the scene of his World Championship victory over Merritt last year, and won the 400 with a time of 44.72 seconds. But that solid victory leaves him in the No. 2 spot so far this season, as Merritt posted a time of 44.19 on May 11 at the Diamond League opener in Doha. So Merritt leads for the moment, but we're still more than two months away from the London Games. No matter who leads the standings in August, the anticipated James-Merritt duel in the 400 final figures to be one of the Olympic highlights this year.

Photo: LaShawn Merritt (right) will try to avenge his 2011 World Championship loss to Kirani James at this year's Olympics. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Check out the full results from the Colorful Daegu Meeting on May 16.

The Diamond League season began in Doha, Qatar Friday and, while it's still early in the outdoor track and field season, any significant meet held this spring and summer will be examined carefully for its potential impact on the 2012 Olympics.

Photo: Does Allyson Felix have her eyes on the 100-meter Olympic prize in London this year? Harry How/Getty Images.

Case in point - the women's 100 meters, in which Allyson Felix defeated Veronica Campbell-Brown. The two sprinters have dueled for years, but usually in the 200, where Felix is a three-time World champion and Campbell-Brown a two-time Olympic champ as well as the 2011 World Championship gold medalist. But while Felix hasn't competed in the 100 at a major professional championship, Campbell-Brown is the 2007 World champ in the 100, so it's unusual to see Felix top her rival in the shorter sprint. Felix ran a personal best 10.92 to beat the Jamaican, who was second in 10.94.

The question now is wheter Felix, who ran the 200 and 400 in Daegu last year, will consider a 100-200 double in London.

Former Olympic and World champ Justin Gatlin placed himself firmly within the men's 100-meter Olympic medal contenders when he edged Asafa Powell Friday, 9.87 to 9.88.

Defending Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo, who's had some lean years since winning in Beijing, has reestablished herself as the world favorite in the 800, winning Friday in 1:56.94. The day's other main highlight was a stirring women's 3000 meters in which Vivian Cheruiyot ran 8:46.44 to edge Meseret Defar (8:46.49).

Check out the full results from Doha, as well as a new career profile of Asafa Powell.

A new documentary on track and field legend Jesse Owens will air on U.S. public TV stations Tuesday, May 1, titled, "American Experience: Jesse Owens." The one-hour film travels with Owens practically from his birth to his death, but mainly focuses on his four-gold medal performance at the 1936 Olympics, and his struggles to make a living in the U.S. following his athletic triumph.

Photo: Jesse Owens wins the 200 meters at the 1936 Olympics. Getty Images

Track and field fans will enjoy the footage of Owens' athletic exploits as a U.S. collegian, than as an Olympian who succeeded in frustrating the nazi propaganda machine at the Berlin Games. But the film doesn't flinch from displaying the cruelly ironic twist that Owens' life takes after the Olympic flame burns out. As successful as Owens is in fighting against prejudice overseas, he's much less successful fighting against racial bigotry in his home country. On his return from Europe in 1936, for example, Owens is shown as the guest of honor in a parade down the streets of New York. But he's unable to find a hotel that will allow Owens, an African-American, to spend his first night in New York, until finally one relents - provided he walks into the hotel through the servants' entrance.

You can read more about Jesse Owens' 1936 Olympic experience.

On an unrelated note, check out a new profile of one of this year's Olympic hopefuls, shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk from Belarus.

There was a time when the best 800-meter runners typically stayed back in the field and relied on a finishing kick. Today, some 800 runners still pace themselves, but others move quickly to the front and dare those at the back of the pack to run them down. Among those who changed the way the 800 was run is American Johnny Gray, the bronze medalist from the 1992 Olympics. Gray, now an assistant coach at UCLA, offered some tips and advice to 800-meter runners and coaches, and recently discussed his career in an exclusive two-part interview (check out part 1 and part 2).

Photo: Johnny Gray on his way to victory at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. Tony Duffy/Allsport/Getty Images