OLYMPICS IN HIGH HEELS: 8/7/16 HIGHLIGHTS
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 7, 2016 – Coming up on NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
- Tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, live coverage of swimming finals, as Michael Phelps is expected to compete in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay. In addition, world record-holder Katie Ledecky competes in the women’s 400m free, and Dana Vollmer represents the U.S. in the women’s 100m fly; Vollmer returns to the event a new mother after taking gold in London.
- Tonight’s Primetime coverage also features the start of the women’s team competition in gymnastics, with three-time world all-around champion Simone Biles at the helm of the heavily favored U.S. squad.
- Monday’s live daytime coverage on NBC begins at 10 a.m. ET, featuring swimming prelims headlined by Phelps (men’s 200m fly), Ledecky and Missy Franklin (women’s 200m free).
- NBCSN’s live coverage on Monday begins at 9 a.m. ET, and is highlighted by Team USA vs. Spain in women’s basketball preliminary action, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mariel Zagunis and Ibtihaj Muhammad in the women’s individual sabre event in fencing.
Click here for a preview of tonight’s primetime action.
Following are highlights from today’s coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on NBC and the networks of NBCUniversal:
SWIMMING – NBC
Play-by-play announcer Dan Hicks following the U.S. men’s team qualifying for tonight’s 4×100 free relay: “Based on the times of the splits you saw, if you’re one of the coaches, do you put Phelps on tonight?”
Analyst Rowdy Gaines: “If I were coaching, I’d put Phelps in the relay.”
Gaines on Katie Ledecky’s Olympic record in the women’s 400m free prelims: “She has nine of the 10 fastest times in history…something special to watch here in the next week.”
Gaines on Saturday’s decision to allow Russian Yulia Efimova to compete in Rio: “She’s the defending world champion in the 100m breaststroke…I just don’t agree with this decision. You have a reportedly state-run, systemic problem. She’s tested positive for banned substances not once, but twice. I’m really disappointed, but sadly, I’m not surprised.”
Click here to see Ledecky’s Olympic record-breaking 400m swim.
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ROAD CYCLING – NBC
Analyst Christian Vande Velde with 8km remaining in the women’s 80 km road race – American Mara Abbott was passed with just 100m left in the race: “It all comes down to, are those three women going to work together behind her? If they’re not going to work together…Mara Abbott is going to walk away with this gold medal. If they start working together, I definitely think they have a very good chance of catching her.”
Vande Velde on Abbott, who finished fourth: “Brutal…she did a spectacular ride, did all of the damage all by her lonesome on the climb.”
Click here for a recap of the race.
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RUGBY – NBCSN
Analyst Brian Hightower on the improved play of the United States women’s rugby team on Day 2 compared to Day 1: “Yesterday, after that Fiji loss, a lot of the talk in the rugby community was, ‘Where are women’s Eagles? What kind of performance was that?’ Here they are. If they can sustain this throughout the rest of the tournament, they’ll be a danger for the podium.”
Analyst Brian Hightower after Australia’s last second conversion to end the game in a 12-12 draw: “It may have ended in a tie, but the United States won almost every aspect of that game.”
Click here for a recap of U.S. vs. Australia in women’s rugby.
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TENNIS – BRAVO
Analyst Rennae Stubbs on Serena Williams during the first set of her preliminary-round win in women’s singles: “I’ve said it for years – don’t poke the bear. And Serena is the ultimate bear. She is peeved after losing that last game and she is going to show you how much she wants to win.”
Play-by-play commentator Steve Weissman on Nadal Advancing to the second round: “The game of tennis is a better place when that man is playing, and we certainly missed it for the last grand slam at Wimbledon…Nadal, great to see him back, and well see him in the next round.”
Analyst James Blake on the environment inside the stadium: “Everybody’s dancing, it’s a good time here on court one. It’s a party. You get to watch the spectacle of Rafael Nadal, one of the greats of all time.”
Click here for a recap of Williams’ win.
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BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC
Analyst Kevin Wong on American Phil Dalhausser: “It’s the quickness, the jump, the serve, putting pressure — no one else in the world makes these kinds of plays.”
Wong on Dalhausser’s partner Nick Lucena: “I don’t think Nick Lucena has made one error…he looks very relaxed, has a good awareness of what’s happening on the court. The biggest danger when you get to an Olympic stage is that all of the sudden you have tunnel vision. You get the blinders on and you can’t play your normal game.”
Wong on the stadium atmosphere: “The scale of this arena is daunting. It’s like modern-day gladiators.”
Click here for a recap of Dalhausser and Lucena’s win.
ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. The 2012 London Olympics were watched by 217 million Americans across the networks of NBCUniversal, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
-RIO 2016-
