More gold in the pool, another in women's cycling and historic silvers in diving and fencing. Team USA remains well out in front of the medals race with more than 30. Take a look below to find out where the Team USA storylines and medals may come on Day 7 (times ET and available for live streaming event coverage on NBCOlympics.com).
Thursday, Aug. 11
Fore! Making its Olympic return for the first time in 112 years, golf tees off early Thursday morning with Part 1 of men's rounds at the Olympic Golf Course (6 a.m.). Part 2 tees off at 9:30, while Part 3 tees off at 12:30 p.m. Team USA will bring an impressive lineup to Rio with each of its four players ranked top-20 in the world: Bubba Watson (top-ranked in Olympic rankings and the world’s No. 6 player), Rickie Fowler (third-ranked and No. 7), Patrick Reed (seventh-ranked and No. 14) and Matt Kuchar (eighth-ranked and No. 17). All four will begin play before 10 a.m.: Watson (8:14 a.m.), Kuchar (8:03 a.m.), Reed (9:25 a.m.) and Fowler (9:58 a.m.).
Also making its Rio debut early this morning is badminton, with singles and doubles play for both the men and women throughout the day. Mixed doubles pair Phillip Chew and Jamie Subandhi are Team USA’s first athletes to compete at Riocentro - Pavilion 4 (8:35 a.m.). Chew is back at it with Sattawat Pongnairat for a men’s doubles match (2:55 p.m.), and Eva Lee and Paula Lynn Obanana close out Team USA’s day against South Korea (7:30 p.m.).
The second half of dressage grand prix opens this morning (9 a.m.) after a top-five showing from Team USA’s Kasey Perry-Glass in her first Games. Perry-Glass and Allison Brock both rank in the top 10 after Day 1.
It’ll be an early gold rush for rowing events this morning, where, whether permitting, six medal races will take place back-to-back-to-back:
- Men's quadruple sculls (9:12 a.m.): Team USA is not represented
- Women's quadruple sculls (9:24 a.m.): Adrienne Martelli, Megan Kalmoe, Tracy Eisser and Grace Latz aim for a medal, which would make two Games in a row for London bronze-medal winners Martelli and Kalmoe
- Men's pair (9:44 a.m.): Nareg Guregian and Anders Weiss missed the final but will race for 7-12 place (11:40 a.m.)
- Women's double sculls (10:04 a.m.): Look for Ellen Tomek and Meghan O'Leary in Lane 6
- Men's double sculls (10:24 a.m.): Team USA is not represented
- Men's lightweight four (10:44 a.m.): Tyler Nase, Edward King, Anthony Fahden and Robin Prendes missed the final but will be racing for 7-12 place (12:10 p.m.)
Prior to that, there’s plenty of action on the water with Team USA representation. In the first of two semifinals heats this morning (7:30 a.m., 7:40 a.m.), Felice Mueller and Grace Luczak attempt to reach the Friday final in the women's pair event. Kate Bertko and Devery Karz are off in the second of four semifinals races (7:50 a.m., 8 a.m., 12:20 p.m., 12:30 p.m.) to determine the lightweight double sculls Friday final. On the men’s side, Andrew Campbell and Joshua Konieczny are out to reach their own Friday final while rowing in the first of four semifinals (8:10 a.m., 8:20 a.m., 12:40 p.m., 12:50 p.m.) in men’s lightweight double sculls. Men’s four, featuring Seth Weil, Henrik Rummel, Charlie Cole and Matt Miller, will race the first of two semifinals this morning (8:30 a.m., 8:40 a.m.) with an eye on a Friday final and consecutive medal showings for Rummel and Cole. Team USA’s men’s eight crew will race in this morning’s repechages (9 a.m.) with designs on Sunday’s final.
Overall, judo events are winding down, but the story of Kayla Harrison, the 2012 gold medalist at 78 kg., heats back up with her first match in the Round of 16 (10:10 a.m.). Quarterfinals would be over by noon, and Harrison would have her eyes set on one of two semifinals (2:58 p.m., 3:05 p.m.), followed by her chance at gold — and no Team USA woman has ever won two judo golds — in the women’s 78 kg. judo final (3:40 p.m.).
Team USA’s tennis success in singles today runs through Russia. Women’s tennis moves to the quarterfinal rounds, where Madison Keys meets Daria Kasatkina (10 a.m.), and Steve Johnson, in Round 3 for the men, meets Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy (11 a.m.). In mixed doubles, Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram will play the Netherlands (11:30 a.m.) to finish up Round 1 play. Johnson and Jack Sock play perhaps the biggest match of the day, and one with medal hopes on the line: a semifinals match against Romania (1 p.m.). It’s a busy day for Sock, who along with partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands will face Great Britain in Round 1 of mixed doubles (4:30 p.m.).
Casey Eichfeld and Devin McEwan will have a medal opportunity this morning, with semifinals (11:30 a.m.) determining the men’s canoe double final (1:15 p.m.) on the final day of non-sprint canoe/kayak action.
Back on the open: The busiest day yet in sailing, with more than a dozen races. It all starts just after noon with races in Women's 470 — two races for medal-hunting pair Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha, Men's RS:X — three races for Pedro Pascual, Mixed nacra 17 — four races for Louisa Chafee and Bora Gulari, Men's 470 — two races for Stu McNay and David Hughes, Men's finn — two races for Caleb Paine, Women's RS:X — three races for Marion Lepert. The action gets underway at 12:05 p.m.
This, of all days, particularly for swimming fans, would be the day to take off from lunch and watch preliminary swimming heats. These set up as Michael Phelps' final few laps in the pool — qualifying for the 100-meter butterfly final (Heat 6: 1:31 p.m.). For more than a decade, the event has belonged to Phelps, who has 100m fly golds from Athens, Beijing and London. (The last man to win gold in the event? Sweden’s Lars Frölander.) Team USA’s Tom Shields is also in the field (Heat 5: 1:28 p.m.). Should they advance, the semifinal swims will air live in prime time.
On the other hand, swimming’s future rests with Katie Ledecky, who will swim her own signature event — the 800-meter freestyle — which, as a 15-year-old in London, she won by more than four seconds and set an American record. Ledecky will swim in Lane 4 in Heat 4 (1:02 p.m.) next to teammate Leah Smith and with the final looming in primetime.
Simply, it’s a don’t-miss afternoon of swimming.
Multiple Rio gold medal winner Nathan Adrian, along with Anthony Ervin, is back in the pool, too, for the mad-dash 50-meter freestyle heats (noon). Both Adrian and Ervin will begin side-by-side in Lanes 4 and 5 for Heat 10 (12:20 p.m.).
And, of course, Missy Franklin’s chance to medal in Rio comes with the women’s 200-meter backstroke (Heat 2: 1:41 p.m.), in a field that also includes Maya DiRado (Heat 3: 1:46 p.m.).
Gymnastics will take place with the eyes of the world on Team USA and the eyes of Team USA on the podium, these in the women's individual all-around final (3 p.m.). Simone Biles enters as a heavy favorite, while Aly Raisman has proven she remains world class in multiple events.
Phil Dalhausser and partner Nick Lucena, who are only a few weeks removed from silver at the 2016 FIVB Gstaad Major in Switzerland and sit atop the Group C standings with four points, return to the beach volleyball courts for an afternoon match against Italy (3:30 p.m.). On the women’s side, self-admitted underdogs Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat take to the Copacabana Beach courts in Pool A play (2:30 p.m.).
The night’s swimming sessions will include more medal duels in the pool:
- Women's 200-meter breaststroke final (9:17 p.m.): The 19-year-old Lilly King, who took gold in the 100m, did not reach the final
- Men's 200-meter backstroke final (9:26 p.m.): Team USA sends Cal teammates Ryan Murphy and Jacob Pebley
- Men's 200-meter individual medley final (10:01 p.m.): The final Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte swim? They’ll be in Lanes 4 and 5
- Women's 100-meter freestyle final (10:18 p.m.): Team USA’s fastest sprinters are 19-year-old Abbey Weitzeil and 20-year-old Simone Manuel, who enters as the No. 3 seed, while Weitzeil placed eighth in Wednesday night’s swim
Non-medal swims are also thick with storylines:
- Men’s 50-meter freestyle semifinals (9:03 p.m., 9:10 p.m.): Will Adrian and Ervin advance?
- Women's 200-meter backstroke semifinals (9:35 p.m., 9:44 p.m.): Will Franklin and DiRado advance?
- Men's 100-meter butterfly semifinals (10:34 p.m., 10:42 p.m.): Phelps, Phelps, Phelps?
In team sports …
- Undefeated women’s water polo’s quest to repeat as Olympic champion continues against China (10:40 a.m.)
- Men’s rugby sevens will play Spain to determine Rio’s ninth-place finisher (noon)
- Undefeated women’s field hockey, which has already clinched a quarterfinals berth, faces India (6:30 p.m.)
- Men’s volleyball meets host Brazil in what is sure to be a highlight among volleyball matches in Rio (9:30 p.m.)