The final full day of competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics is heavy on track and field action. Seven events will award gold medals Saturday, capped by the men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relays.
2016 Olympics live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch NBC’s prime time coverage online
It’s a smorgasbord of track and field gold medals, capped off by men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relay finals.
Prime time coverage will start with middle distance events. Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop will be a significant favorite in the men’s 1500-meter after winning the past three world championships in the event and earning gold in 2008. Matthew Centrowitz Jr. probably doesn’t have much of a chance to make it to the podium, but if he does he’ll be the first American male to medal in the event in the country’s history.
The women’s 800-meter race follows, and South African runner Caster Semenya has looked untouchable in preliminary races. The oft-discussed runner has used a powerful kick to glide to the finish line in 2016, and she’ll be difficult for anyone, including American Kate Grace and Kenyan Margaret Wambui, to keep up with in the final hundred meters.
That event will bleed into the men’s 5000-meter event, where Mo Farah will try to double his gold medal count for 2016 after winning the 10K last week. A fall couldn’t deter the British athlete in that event, and he’ll have the chance to weave his strategic race wizardry in Saturday’s much faster race.
But those runs are all just appetizers for the main course; a double-serving of 4x400-meter goodness. Allyson Felix will have the opportunity to redeem her quest for gold after being out-dived at the finish line of the individual 400-meter race by anchoring the U.S. team to the top of the podium. The Americans are the favorites going into the relay based on the individual times set by each member, but anything can happen in a relay.
USA Track and Field’s men’s team appear to be a safe bet to reclaim their hold on the mile relay crown. The Americans had won the event in six of the past seven Olympiads before the Bahamas broke their streak in 2012. With 2008 Olympic champion LeShawn Merritt leading the way, they’ll have a great opportunity to rise to the top of the field against in 2016.
Key prime time events for Saturday, August 20
All times Eastern
Taekwondo: Men’s 80kg repechage and medal matches; women’s 67kg repechage and medal matches
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: NBC (Live stream)
Track and field: Women's high jump final (7:30 p.m.); men's javelin throw final (7:55 p.m.); men's 1500-meter final (8 p.m.); women's 800-meter final (8:15 p.m.); men's 5000-meter final (8:30 p.m.); women's 4x400-meter relay final (9 p.m.); men's 4x400-meter relay final (9:35 p.m.)
Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: NBC, (Live stream)
Women's volleyball: China vs. Serbia gold medal match
Time: 9:15 p.m.
TV: NBC, (Live stream)
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