Rio Olympics Today: Simone
Biles, and Phelps vs. Lochte
The
United States gymnast Simone Biles will unleash her signature move
during the women’s all-around competition. Biles, who helped the
Americans claim gold in the team competition, is the heavy favorite
(1-16 odds) to claim the sport’s top honor. Her teammate Aly Raisman
would have a great shot to win if Biles weren’t in her way. In our preview of the event, Carla Correa says Biles “usually aces every flip and leap; Raisman is particularly strong on vault and floor exercise.”
Our reporters and photographers are covering the all-around gymnastics live (NBC is tape-delayed tonight). You can follow along and submit questions here.
Here’s why Simone Biles is the world’s best gymnast.
In
the pool, there are a lot of great races. The one that stands out is
the 200-meter individual medley, in which Michael Phelps will try for
his 22nd Olympic gold medal. Standing in his way are his teammate Ryan
Lochte, who pushed Phelps, the 2012 winner, in the semifinals, and
Kosuke Hagino of Japan. But look for Phelps to stand in the middle of
the podium again.
Watch Michael Phelps versus Michael Phelps through the years.
Here’s what Ryan Lochte does best.
How to Watch: NBC broadcasts on a tape delay, but you can stream all the events here.
Golf is Back ... With a Bang
Golf
returned to the Games today for the first time since 1904. And it
didn’t take long for the first Olympic hole-in-one in more than a
century. Justin Rose of Britain aced the par-3 fourth hole at the
Olympic Golf Course. Marcus Fraser of Australia shot an 8-under 63 to
take the early lead.
The Medals, So Far
Olympic Bodies: Can You Guess Their Sport?
Different
sports require different body types, right? Volleyball players are
usually long and lean. Weight lifters, not so much. So we asked a bunch
of Olympians and Paralympians to strip down to their underwear (or
whatever they felt comfortable with) so you could try to guess which
sport they compete in. How many can you guess correctly?
Why Does the Star-Spangled Banner Sound ... Sad?
The
playing of the United States’ national anthem at Olympic medal
ceremonies is bringing tears to the eyes of American athletes here.
Elsewhere, the song is having a very different effect.
“It
is driving me crazy,” said Jason DeBord, a 45-year-old living in Ann
Arbor, Mich. “I hit the mute button, or I make dinner, or I just sit
there and brace myself.”
DeBord
has nothing against displays of patriotism, nor is he simply eager to
return to the action. What irritates him is the version of “The
Star-Spangled Banner” being used at the Olympics. Put bluntly, it has
been butchered. Listen to the “other” version of our national anthem.
Thursday’s Big Events
Continue reading the main storyHere’s What Happened Wednesday
Green and Gold
CreditJeffrey Furticella/The New York Times
Swimming:
Katie Ledecky and the United States 4x200-meter relay team won the gold
medal Wednesday, to the surprise of no one. Since the event became a
part of the Olympics in 1996, the Americans have won five of six.
Ledecky
anchored a squad that included Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith and Maya
DiRado to a 1.84-second victory over Australia, the only other country
to triumph in the event at a Summer Games. Canada was third. The
Americans were trailing by 89-hundredths of a second when Ledecky hit
the water. Her split of 1 minute 53.74 seconds stopped the clock at
7:43.03. Read Karen Crouse’s article on the race.
Fencing:
Daryl Homer of the United States won the silver medal in men’s saber,
missing a chance to become the first American man to win an Olympic
fencing gold medal in more than a century. Homer, who fences out of the
Manhattan Fencing Center and was seeded 10th, beat fencers from
Kazakhstan, Germany and Iran on the way to the final.
The
gold medal match was aggressive and quick, like most saber matchups.
Homer quickly fell behind Aron Szilagyi of Hungary and lost, 15-8. With
the silver, Homer became the first American medalist in saber since
Peter Westbrook won a bronze in 1984.
The
last American gold medal for a man in fencing came at the 1904 St.
Louis Games in the single sticks event, in which combatants belted each
other with long wooden sticks. The winner, Albertson Van Zo Post,
prevailed over a field of three, all of them Americans. — VICTOR MATHER
Cycling: The
American cyclist Kristin Armstrong won her third consecutive gold medal
in the individual road time trial on Wednesday, becoming the first
person to win the same Olympic cycling event three times in a row.
What’s
more, Armstrong — no relation to Lance — accomplished the feat one day
shy of her 43rd birthday, which also made her the oldest woman to have
won an Olympic cycling gold medal.
“We’ve
been told we should be finished at a certain age, but there are a lot
of athletes out there who are showing that’s not true,” said Armstrong,
who overcame a nose bleed at the 12-kilometer mark.
Armstrong
completed the 29.8-kilometer (18.5-mile) course in 44 minutes 26.42
seconds, just ahead of Olga Zabelinskaya of Russia, who finished in
44:31.97. Anna van der Breggen of the Netherlands won the bronze medal.
Soon
after her win, Armstrong got a pat on the back from another athlete who
seemed to defy age: Barry Bonds. A cycling enthusiast, Bonds posted an
image from the race and wrote, “Congratulations Kristin Armstrong 3 time
gold medalist,”
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