There’s only one thing on the sports dial this week – the Olympic Games.

Ordinarily I would have included the glorious Lions making the Super Rugby final, but I’ve yet to read a fresh piece on the significance of their achievement. I reckon it’s been grossly under-reported and under-appreciated even.

Roll on Saturday . . .

The best read of the week comes by way of the New Yorker which poses the question of how fast Usain Bolt would run a mile. It’s purely hypothetical – he’s never tried the distance. But the subject makes for a great debate given how wondrous he is over 100m and 200m.

The mile would demand altogether different strengths. Most experts, among them our own Ross Tucker, don’t believe Bolt would shoot the lights out. Some, however, do.

The New York Times put together a tremendous Olympic package highlighted by two contrasting stories.

The first is about Katie Ledecky, the swimmer. The name may not be familiar now, but give it a week or two. What stood out is how insiders rate her a greater talent than even Michael Phelps. Whereas Phelps has no shortage of real competition, certainly in his pomp, the only swimmers able to hang with Ledecky are male swimmers. She’s that good.

The other looks at the case of Justin Gatlin, the veteran sprinter who stands as the only likely sprinter able to challenge Bolt for the 100m Olympic crown. He also happens to be a former doper whose backstory is woven with intrigue. If nothing else, the piece gives helpful insight into his world and how he ended up here.

As expected, Rio has already had to deal with any number of snarl-ups, an inevitable corollary of hosting the Games. This Guardian piece is pretty damning. Hold on tight.

What might save Rio, at least in the public reckoning, is the splendour of the Games, especially if someone like Nadia Comaneci lights them up, as she did in 1976.

This reflective piece on the first Olympic gymnast to score a perfect 10 is a throwback to a remarkable time and a remarkable performer. Context is everything and the picture that emerges tells an extraordinary story that never quite dulls.