An exciting roster of track & field action, culminating in the men’s 100 meter finals, led NBC to yet another easy ratings rout.

NBC won the night with a 15.5 rating/27 share, once again exceeding the totals for the other networks combined. CBS was a distant second with a 5.4/9 and ABC was well back in third with a 3.6/6. FOX took four with a barely registering 2.2/4 and The WB trailed with a 1.3/3. Among adults 18-49, NBC topped the field with a 9.1 rating in the important demographic. ABC and CBS tied for second with a 2.2 rating and FOX wasn’t far off with a 1.7 rating. The WB was in last with a 0.8 rating.

At 7 p.m., NBC’s Olympics coverage began with a restrained 9.8/20, with CBS at its most competitive with a 5.9/12 for "60 Minutes." ABC was third with "America’s Funniest Home Videos," which beat the 2.0/4 averaged by FOX’s "Oliver Beene" and "Malcolm in the Middle." The WB got a 1.2/2 from "Steve Harvey’s Big Time."

The Olympics improved to a 14.6/25 for the 8 p.m. hour, with CBS staying in second with the 5.4/9 for "Cold Case." On ABC, a second hour of "America’s Funniest Home Videos" improved to a 4.4/8, with FOX holding fourth with "The Simpsons" and "Arrested Development. "Charmed" did a 1.3/2 on The WB.

With a 17.9/28, the Olympics continued to soar for NBC in the 9 p.m. hour. CBS remained second with the 4.9/8 for the first hour of the movie "Pay it Forward." ABC was third again with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." On FOX, "The Casino" crapped out with a 1.9/3, still ahead of The WB’s "Charmed."

NBC closed primetime with a 19.5/32 for the Olympics, outdoing the second hour of CBS’ movie. On ABC, "The Days" trailed with a 3.1/5.