by Rebecca Bryan
ATHENS, Aug 24 (AFP) - Against a backdrop of spiralling violence at home, Iraqi footballers Tuesday continue their fairytale Olympic run with a semi-final against Paraguay.
"We have been carrying the dreams of a whole nation," said veteran coach Adnan Hamd of the joy the Iraqi football success has brought a war-weary country.
"That puts us in an extremely difficult position. But everyone in Iraq is happy now. Our achievements can make them forget a little about their problems."
A victory over Paraguay will guarantee Iraq only its second ever Olympic medal, an achievement that seemed impossible just two weeks ago.
While the Iraqi footballers continue their bid to make Olympic history, at the Olympic stadium Morocco`s Hicham El Guerrouj will be trying to rewrite his own bitter Games memories.
The 1,500 meters world record-holder and four-time world champion fell at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and was stunned in 2000 by Kenya`s Noah Ngeny after winning 28 straight finals heading into the Sydney Games.
"I am confident it will be third time lucky for me. Just wait and see, I`ll make you believe me," El Guerrouj vowed.
Athletics offered six of the 14 gold medals going on Tuesday.
Among the highlights, the men`s pole vault in which self-coached American Toby Stevenson had his sights set on gold after this year becoming only the ninth man in history to clear six meters.
Also on tap, the conclusion of the decathlon with its crowning of the man who can lay claim to the title of world`s best all-around athlete.
Kazakhstan`s Dimitry Karpov, the 2003 world championships decathlon bronze medallist, led the 10-discipline event after the first day, with world record-holder Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic breathing down his neck.
Karpov the 2003 World Championships bronze medallist, maintained his lead after two events on Tuesday, adding to his advantage by producing the best 110m hurdles and discus performances to push his total to 6572 points.
Karpov was on course to become Kazakhstan`s first men`s medallist in the athletics arena since the country became independent from the former Soviet Union.
In other early athletics action, newly crowned 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin`s bid to become the first man to win the sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984 remained on course as he eased into the second round of the 200m.
Finals were also on the slate in show jumping, beach volleyball, diving, weightlifting and sailing.
At the Olympic velodrome, sprinters moved into the spotlight with two-time world champion Laurent Gane of France hoping to keep himself in contention for Tuesday night`s men`s final after missing out on bronze in Sydney.
He faced a ride-off for the medal round against Australian Ryan Bayley, while world champion Theo Bos of the Netherlands and German Rene Wolff were both into the semi-finals.
Australian Anna Meares put herself in contention for her second gold medal of the Games after reaching the women`s spring semi-finals, where she was to face Canadian Lori-Ann Muenzer.
Meares set a world record in winning the 500m time trial gold medal on Friday. World sprint champion Svetlana Grankovskaya of Russia and compatriot Russian Tamilla Abassova were also in the hunt for women`s sprint gold.
At the Olympic Aquatic Centre, teenager Alexandre Despatie was poised to claim Canada`s first Olympic men`s diving gold after leading the preliminaries in the three-meter springboard.
China`s Peng Bo was second in the prelims, followed by world springboard champion Alexander Dobroskok of Russia.
In weightlifting, the heavyweights make their entry on to the stage, with two-time world champion Igor Razoronov of Ukraine bidding for gold after finishing just out of the medals in fourth in Sydney.