The Olympics are loaded with individual storylines, but for some of the best angles, it truly takes two to tango. With that in mind, here are the 10 showdowns we’re most looking forward to in London.

In 2008, Phelps was indisputably the best swimmer in the world. This time around, he might not be the best swimmer on his own team. The battle between the 16-time medalist and his biggest rival was already shaping up to be epic. And that was before Phelps proved he was up to the challenge in Omaha, where he bested Lochte in three of their four races. In London, we’ll only get two head-to-head showdowns, but that should be plenty, as Lochte will be trying to deny Phelps Olympic three-peats in both the 200 and 400 individual medley.

The 100-meter field is deep and talented, with the four fastest men in the world facing off against each other for the first time since the advent of electronic timing. But with no disrespect intended to either Tyson Gay or Asafa Powell, the showdown within the showdown features Jamaican teammates Bolt and Blake. In ’08, Bolt was dominant, setting world records in both the 100 and 200. But during Jamaica's Olympic trials, Blake stunned his training partner in both events, adding even more intrigue to an event that already had its fill.

Spain was always going to be the top threat to Team USA, even before injuries to American big men Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Blake Griffin. But now that the US lineup has been sufficiently depleted, the formidable Spanish front line of Pau Gasol, Mark Gasol and Serge Ibaka is poised to succeed where it failed in 2008, when Spain fell to the US in the gold-medal game.

There are no returning gymnasts from the US squad that narrowly lost to the host country in Beijing. But that doesn’t mean the newcomers will be any less motivated to beat their biggest rivals, especially given the widespread belief that China wasn’t exactly on the up and up when it came to their gymnasts’ birth certificates. Unlike last time, however, the Americans will have to contend with both the Chinese and the expectations that go with being the favorites.

Thanks to the vagaries of the international soccer schedule, it’s been only a year since the United States blew 1-0 and 2-1 leads against Japan in the final of the Women’s World Cup before ultimately falling, 3-2. That means most of the American squad is back for London and intent on 1) exacting revenge and 2) winning one more international tournament before calling it a career.

For almost a decade, these two rivals have been the class of the 200-meter field. Felix has had the upper hand (3-1) in the world championships, but that’s not the medal that matters to casual observers. In the last two Olympics, Campbell-Brown has won gold, while Felix has to settle for silver. This may be Felix’s last shot at the title she admittedly wants most … and once again Campbell-Brown is in her way.

As in 2008, Walsh and May-Treanor head into the Games as the defending Olympic champions. But unlike in Beijing, where they were the sport’s unquestioned queens of the beach, the US duo has been surpassed by their Brazilian rivals. The No. 1-ranked team of Franca/Felisberta beat Walsh/May-Treanor in last year’s worlds and would like nothing better than to end the Americans’ Olympic reign.

Normally you’d have to wait a whole year to get a rematch of the Wimbledon semifinals at the All-England Club. But there’s nothing normal about an Olympic year. Just one month after Federer dispatched Djokovic en route to his unprecedented 17th Grand Slam title, the two very well could clash again on the grass courts of Wimbledon. At stake this time? A career Golden Slam and the only major title that’s eluded Federer.

Can a diver have a home-pool advantage? Daley better hope so. Bo is looking like the next in a long line of great Chinese divers. Maybe even the greatest. At last year’s world championships, Bo turned in 25 perfect 10s en route to the highest platform diving score ever. But Daley isn’t intimidated by Bo, as you can tell by both his victory over the Chinese star at the ’09 worlds and his coach’s penchant for tweaking Bo on Twitter.

Since 2005, Dan and Wei have met in the finals of 18 tournaments. Dan has emerged triumphant in 12 of those meetings, including the gold-medal match in the 2008 Olympics. The top two ranked players in the world (Dan recently reclaimed the No. 1 spot after Wei held it for more than four years) will both have plenty to play for in London. Dan’s trying to become the first men’s player to win back-to-back Olympic golds, while Wei is trying to win the first gold medal for Malaysia, period.