Swimming: Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, will likely be swimming in the men’s 400 relay at 10:52 p.m, hoping to add to his 22 medals.
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But, following two years swimming collegiately at California and then turning pro last summer, Franklin hasn’t been able to recapture the form that made her one of the most-hyped – and heavily sponsored – US athletes heading into the Rio Olympics.
As a squad, the USA had the highest score in each of the four events – floor, vault, balance beam and uneven bars.
Biles, Lauren Hernandez, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman also gave retiring national team coordinator Martha Karolyi a fitting send off with powerful performances on all the apparatuses. Basically, she swam the entire race in open water – so far ahead that the camera was unable to show any of her seven competitors.
Leah Smith of the U.S. won bronze. For decades, the Romanians or the Soviet Union dominated.
Smith clocked 4:01.92, as the US had its first two-medal event of the six individual finals in the meet’s first days. They have a shot to take all five individual golds, but it’s a tall task, even for this seemingly invincible crew. He did medal, however, taking bronze with a time of 47.85 seconds, behind Kyle Chalmers who won gold in 47.58.
Fifth at the first flip turn, a bit faster than she usually goes out, Ledecky powered to the front on the third lap and feistily fended off a hard-charging Sjostrom coming to the wall.
“Everybody has their own race strategy and what they do, and if that’s his, that’s his”, he said.
He will begin his individual schedule on Monday with a preliminary heat and evening semifinal in the 200-meter butterfly. Britain’s Adam Peaty set his second mark in as many nights in the 100 breaststroke, while Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden eclipsed her own mark in the 100 butterfly.
Phelps’ powered to a 1 minute, 53.36-second clocking for his 24th overall Olympic medal.
In the end, neither le Clos nor Cseh threatened him.
At 31, Phelps became the oldest swimmer to win an individual race.
“You see that she has flawless alignment”, Joyner said of Ledecky’s swimming form.
She has two events still to come and the teen was asked after Tuesday’s race if she was the future of American swimming. “She just told me that it’s going to be OK, and that’s all I needed to hear”.
Katie Ledecky tried for her third medal of the Rio Olympics Tuesday.
Defending champion Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa took the silver in 58.69 and Cody Miller of the United States won the bronze in 58.87.
Diving: Starting at 3:00 p.m., each team of women’s synchronized divers will be judged off their 5 dives and China is heavily favored to win. The Americans then took the lead in the 60th minute with a goal by Mallory Pugh. It is expected that no one will see her back in this racing as the only prevention she has is the accumulated seconds since 2013.
All the same, these truths remain self-evident: not to say never, but the culture of the USA swim team does not readily lend itself to doping. The Americans are going for their fourth consecutive Olympic gold.
The No. 1 seed, Serena Williams beat Svitolina, 6-1, 6-1, just two months ago at the French Open. “The better player won”. But when he decided about a year later to start competing again, the 200 fly was clearly the title he wanted more than any other.
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That did little to ease the sting for Franklin.
