“If there was any doubt that Dressel is not the fastest in the world, he has validated everything.” – Dan Hicks on Caeleb Dressel, who won five gold medals in Tokyo
“I have never, ever, ever seen anything like this in my life.” – Rowdy Gaines on Bobby Finke’s final lap to win gold in the men’s 1500m freestyle
“She’s worked her way all the way back and repeats as Olympic champion and puts herself in very elite company.” – Ato Boldon on Elaine Thompson-Herah winning gold in the women’s track & field 100m final
Sunday Highlights: All-Around Tokyo Gold Medalist Suni Lee Highlights Uneven Bars Gold Medal Contenders Live Sunday Morning at 4 a.m. ET on Peacock; Track & Field Finals and Semifinals Coverage Featuring Men’s 100m Contender Trayvon Bromell Live in Primetime on NBC
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.
Highlights of upcoming coverage include:
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- Women’s gymnastics vault and uneven bars finals will be presented live Sunday morning at 4 a.m. ET on Peacock. All-around Tokyo gold medalist Suni Lee will headline the uneven bars gold medal contenders and fellow Americans MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey are expected to contend for medals in the vault finals. Coverage of both finals will also be presented in primetime at 7 p.m. ET on NBC;
- NBC will present track & field finals and semifinals coverage Sunday evening, featuring Trayvon Bromell contending for a gold medal in the men’s 100m final as well as first-time Olympian Keni Harrison in the women’s 100m hurdles final. Peacock will also present live coverage of track & field finals and qualifying rounds Sunday morning beginning at 6:10 a.m. ET;
- The U.S. women’s basketball team, which will advance to the quarterfinals with a victory, face France in its final game of group play Sunday live at 12:40 a.m. ET/9:40 p.m. PT on USA Network;
- Live coverage of the men’s and women’s beach volleyball elimination rounds will feature Americans April Ross/Alix Klineman (vs. Cuba) in primetime Sunday on NBC and CNBC, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:
SWIMMING – NBC
Dan Hicks on Caeleb Dressel winning gold in the men’s 50m freestyle: “If there was any doubt that Dressel is not the fastest in the world, he has validated everything.”
Rowdy Gaines on Dressel’s start in the 50m freestyle: “Everything – everything comes down to that start. Exploding off the block, coming off the line like Aaron Donald.”
Hicks on Bobby Finke’s final lap to win gold in the men’s 1500m freestyle: “Finke has turned on the jets in Lane 5. He says, ‘I’ve got another gear, guys!’ Bobby Finke doing what he did in the 800m. Just blasting by…Finke, the hero in the 800m, is going to beat them all in the 1500m!”
Gaines on Finke’s finish in the 1500m freestyle: “I have never, ever, ever seen anything like this in my life. What he does the last 50 meters.”
Hicks: “It’s like he’s got a gear. He knows he has it, he bided his time…and somehow, some way, Bobby Finke passes them again down the stretch.”
Elizabeth Beisel, who has trained with Finke: “It’s unbelievable to see this guy train and practice day after day. And that’s why he’s able to hang with guys like Wellbrock and Romanchuk. And they don’t know how Finke races because Finke has never raced on an international stage like this.”
Hicks on the U.S. winning gold in the men’s 4x100m medley relay: “From Lane 1 this time, the U.S. is 15-for-15 (in the men’s 4×100 medley relay)! World record, gold medal again.”
Gaines on Australia’s Emma McKeon winning gold in the women’s 50m freestyle: “What an amazing Olympic Games this 27-year-old woman has had. Unbelievable! … I know Swimming World comes out with their Swimmer of the Year, well this one is a slam dunk on the women’s side.”
Gaines on Team USA finishing second to Australia in the women’s 4x100m medley relay final: “Relays come down to exchanges. Abbey Weitzeil do not hang your head. You were brilliant…There is nothing, absolutely nothing to be disappointed about in that race. They left their heart out there.”
Katie Ledecky to Mike Tirico on the feeling after winning gold in the 800m freestyle yesterday: “It felt really good. It hurt, and I had to fight for every inch of that race. It was just a really great feeling to finish on a good note. I wanted to finish on a good note, and I knew that if I didn’t finish on a good note it would linger with me, so I was very motivated to get the job done yesterday.”
Ledecky on her future: “I’ve just been so focused on Tokyo right now that I’m going to let this sit for a little bit until I get back into training…But I’m passionate about a lot of other things as well and I’m looking forward to pursuing those passions to the fullest and maybe going to grad school at some point. I don’t know if that will be before Paris or after Paris. Again, I just hope that I’ll be in Paris. It’s never a given that you’re on the Team USA swim team.”
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TRACK & FIELD – NBC
Ato Boldon on Elaine Thompson-Herah winning gold in the women’s 100m final: “It’s taken her five years to look like the sprinter that won the double five years ago in Rio, but she’s worked her way all the way back and repeats as Olympic champion and puts herself in very elite company.”
Boldon on the importance of the 100m Olympic race: “On the one hand, this is the day you wait for, you spend the other 364 days of year waiting for this. On the other hand, so much is riding on this – your legacy, your contract. Everything. You’re remembered as a sprinter for how you did in the Olympic final.”
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BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC
Kevin Wong on the controversial challenges in the last set during Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil’s loss to Canada in the Round of 16: “This is the second Olympic Games we’ve done, hundreds of matches. That was probably the closest play we’ve ever seen…I’ve never seen this…My eyes are seeing it, my head is not comprehending. Two challenges on the same play came up with two opposite answers.”
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ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS
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