With just hours remaining until the highly anticipated Olympic opening ceremony in London, no one knows who will light the cauldron at the finale of the ceremony - not even IOC President Jacques Rogge.

For weeks, the British press speculated that Steve Redgrave, the British rower who won team gold medals at five consecutive Olympics, would be the favorite. Many viewed Daley Thompson, a two-time decathlon gold medalist, as his leading challenger.

Now, all bets seem to be on Roger Bannister, the first man to break the four-minute mile in 1954. Bannister became the favorite after a Wednesday rehearsal seemed to suggest the legendary runner. After the rehearsal, gamblers quickly rushed to place their bets on Bannister, though there is no confirmation of the identity of the flame-lighter.

Unlike the earlier favorites, Bannister never medaled at the Games, though he remains a British hero. The current world record for the mile is 16 seconds faster than Bannisters groundbreaking time.

The rehearsal did not actually feature Bannister, however some viewers claimed the set up suggested a track athlete.

"I am not going to place a bet but it did look like it was set up for a runner from the past," one witness told Yahoo. "When you try to imagine which famous figure would fit best into the way the Ceremony was conducted, Bannister was the obvious one to come to mind."

Other reports have suggested that soccer stud David Beckham or the Queen will light the torch. The world will soon find out who has the honor of kicking off the 2012 London Games.

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