Olympics 2016 track and field schedule: Usain Bolt runs for the 1st time in Rio

The first chance to see Usain Bolt run in the 2016 Olympics comes on Saturday, the second day of track and field competition in Rio. He’ll be getting going early in the morning with the men’s 100-meter preliminary and opening round as he looks for his third consecutive Olympic gold medal in this event.

Saturday’s track and field will be televised as parts of four-hour blocks, first at 8 a.m. ET on NBCSN, then at 1 p.m. on NBC and 8 p.m. on NBC. Online coverage will be available throughout the day by NBC Sports.

Bolt is one of the greatest runners of all time, and the 100-meter is arguably his best race. He owns the three fastest times ever recorded in this event, including the world record of 9.58 seconds set at the 2009 World Championships. The Jamaican also has the two fastest times in Olympic history, having set the record in 2008 (9.69 seconds), then broken it in 2012 (9.63 seconds).

For Bolt, who turns 30 on the last day of these Olympics, this may be his last opportunity to compete in the Olympics at an elite level. He’s coming off a stellar showing at the 2015 World Championships, where he won golds in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay, but he’ll be well into his 30s by the next Olympics in 2020. Bolt has been the dominant force in sprinting since his breakout in 2008. There’s no guarantee he’ll still have that title after four more years.

That makes this one of the most interesting stories in Rio. Can Bolt pull off another gold and continue his run of greatness, or is this the beginning of a new era in sprinting? Nobody has ever won three consecutive gold medals in the men’s 100-meter. Carl Lewis won back-to-back golds in 1984 and 1988, but didn’t even qualify for the race at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Bolt has already qualified to compete in Rio, and now he needs to finish off his quest. That effort begins Saturday with the prelims and first round in the morning, then the semifinals in the evening. It’s the big highlight of a full slate of track and field action that also includes finals in the women’s 100-meter, women’s heptathlon, men’s 10,000-meter, men’s long jump and men’s discus throw. NBC Sports will have all of the action live, so here’s the full schedule and how to watch online:

Men’s 100-meter sprint: Preliminary
Women’s triple jump: Qualifying
Women’s 3000-meter steeplechase: Round 1
Men’s discus: Final
Women’s 400-meter sprint: Round 1
Women’s heptathlon
Men’s 100-meter sprint: Round 1

Women’s heptathlon
Men’s pole vault: Qualifying
Men’s 100-meter sprint: Semifinal
Men’s long jump: Final
Women’s 100-meter sprint: Semifinal and final
Men’s 800-meter sprint: Semifinal
Men’s 10,000-meter sprint: Final