Gators in the Olympics: Day 2
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 7:07 am
Today marks the first day of Olympic competition after the opening ceremonies. There is some good action today, culminating in a showdown long in the making in men's swimming. Again, you can watch ALL the events via live streaming here, but only if you are already a cable/satellite subscriber.
But first, the US women's soccer team faces off against Colombia in the second round of competition. Abby Wambach and Heather Mitts will play against Colombia at 11:50 a.m. in Glasgow. The US is the heavy favorite - Colombia lost 2-0 to North Korea in the first round. The US is coming off a dramatic 4-2 victory over France. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Channel.
Next, Azania Stewart and the British team face Australia in the first round of women's basketball at 5:15 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Basketball Channel, if you're one of the three people in North America who get that.
Finally, swimming kicks off tonight. The headlining event, the men's 400 IM final is going to be very interesting. The preliminary races have already been swum and (mouse over for spoilers!): [spoiler]Ryan Lochte qualified third - Michael Phelps barely got in, qualifiying eighth. Japan's Kosuke Hagino qualified first. This is going to be a tough race, folks! The field is way faster than it was in 2008 when Lochte earned a bronze behind Phelps and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh (who finished ninth in prelims). Although it could be anyone's race, I still expect it to end in an epic showdown between Phelps and Lochte.[/spoiler]
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Finally, Elizabeth Beisel [spoiler]had the top qualifying time in the women's 400 IM and is almost a lock to win gold in finals tonight.[/spoiler]
"Diesel" Beisel
As a reminder, you can watch a tape delay of the prelims at 1:30 p.m. today on NBC. Finals will air tape-delayed at 8:00 p.m. tonight along with other Olympic coverage, but the races will all have been swum - they begin at 2:25 p.m. Eastern time.
But first, the US women's soccer team faces off against Colombia in the second round of competition. Abby Wambach and Heather Mitts will play against Colombia at 11:50 a.m. in Glasgow. The US is the heavy favorite - Colombia lost 2-0 to North Korea in the first round. The US is coming off a dramatic 4-2 victory over France. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Channel.
Next, Azania Stewart and the British team face Australia in the first round of women's basketball at 5:15 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Basketball Channel, if you're one of the three people in North America who get that.
Finally, swimming kicks off tonight. The headlining event, the men's 400 IM final is going to be very interesting. The preliminary races have already been swum and (mouse over for spoilers!): [spoiler]Ryan Lochte qualified third - Michael Phelps barely got in, qualifiying eighth. Japan's Kosuke Hagino qualified first. This is going to be a tough race, folks! The field is way faster than it was in 2008 when Lochte earned a bronze behind Phelps and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh (who finished ninth in prelims). Although it could be anyone's race, I still expect it to end in an epic showdown between Phelps and Lochte.[/spoiler]
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Lochte and Phelps after prelims.
Former Gator Dana Vollmer [spoiler]set the Olympic and American records in the prelims of the 100 butterfly. A podium is almost a foregone conclusion.[/spoiler][TABLE="width: 100%"]
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Dana Vollmer (left) after the 100 butterfly prelim; Conor Dwyer and Peter Vanderkaay after the 400 freestyle prelim.
In the men's 400 free, [spoiler]Peter Vanderkaay and Conor Dwyer qualified second and third behind China's Yang Sun. This should also be an exciting race in finals tonight![/spoiler]Finally, Elizabeth Beisel [spoiler]had the top qualifying time in the women's 400 IM and is almost a lock to win gold in finals tonight.[/spoiler]
"Diesel" Beisel
As a reminder, you can watch a tape delay of the prelims at 1:30 p.m. today on NBC. Finals will air tape-delayed at 8:00 p.m. tonight along with other Olympic coverage, but the races will all have been swum - they begin at 2:25 p.m. Eastern time.