FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 12th, 2016
2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES – AUG. 12 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS ON THE NETWORKS OF NBCUNIVERSAL
Tonight in Primetime – Michael Phelps Goes For 23rd Career Gold Medal in 100m Fly
Katie Ledecky Aims For Fourth Gold of Rio Games in 800m Freestyle, Maya DiRado Goes for Fourth Medal in 200m Backstroke
American Michelle Carter Competes in Women’s Shot Put as Track and Field Gets Underway
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 12, 2016 – Coming up tonight on NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
- Swimming coverage continues tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, live (ET/CT), as Michael Phelps pursues his 23rd career gold medal and fourth consecutive gold in the 100m fly, Katie Ledecky aims to defend her title and set another world record in the 800m free, and Maya DiRado swims for her fourth medal of the Rio Games in the 200m backstroke.
- Track and field began this morning, and tonight’s primetime coverage includes the women’s shot put final featuring American Michelle Carter, who is coached by her father Michael Carter – a 1984 Olympic silver medalist and three-time Super Bowl champ with the San Francisco 49ers.
Click here for a preview of tonight’s primetime action.
Following are highlights from today’s coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on NBC and the networks of NBCUniversal:
SWIMMING – NBC
Analyst Rowdy Gaines on last night’s win by Simone Manuel in the 100m free: “It’s my favorite (race of the Games) by far, because of the impact it’s making on the sport, and also because it was a huge upset – the biggest upset of these Olympic Games.”
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SOCCER – NBCSN
Play-by-play Arlo White on the U.S. women’s team, eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Sweden on penalty kicks: “And the United States are out of the Olympic games. For the first time in their Olympic history they fail to reach not only the semifinals, but the gold medal game.”
Analyst Kate Markgraf: “Sweden had more composed shooters poised to execute in the big pressure moments. Sweden frustrated the United States. The United States created tons of chances, but as the moments dwindled down the lack of capitalization on those moments led to this moment, and Sweden held on.”
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TRACK AND FIELD – NBC AND NBCSN
Analyst Craig Masback on Ethopia’s Almaz Ayana shattering the world record in the women’s 10,000m and earning gold: “This is not just a victory or a world record for Ayana – this is a matter of national pride for Ethiopia. These amazing female runners have become a symbol of the country – a symbol of the power of women.”
Analyst Tim Hutchings on the state of the 10,000mat the 26th minute: “What we’re seeing here isn’t just the breaking of a world record, but a complete disassembling of the world record. This, you could argue, ushers in a new era in women’s distance running.”
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INDOOR VOLLEYBALL – NBC
Analyst Kevin Barnett on the U.S. women’s win over Italy to improve to 4-0 at the Rio Games: “The word you want to put on this one? Gutsy. You never get through an Olympic competition, and the 12 best teams in the world, without a little bit of a gut-check. The U.S. got it in Match Four – and responded appropriately.”
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TENNIS – BRAVO
Play-by-play announcer Steve Weissman on Rafael Nadal defeating Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in 3 sets: “Must feel like he took down a nation. Rafa’s run in Rio continues. His 800th career win!”
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SHOOTING – MSNBC
Analyst Shari LeGate on American Kim Rhode’s historic feat of becoming the first Summer Olympian to win a medal in six consecutive games and the most decorated female Olympic shooter in history: “She has had so many interviews – so much pressure has been on her. But I have never met a woman with more mental game. When she walks out on that field, she doesn’t think anybody else can beat her.”
Analyst on German Henri Junghaenel’s win in the Men’s 50m rifle prone gold medal event: “Coming in eighth place (in the preliminaries), sneaking in just barely, and he walks away with a gold medal. This is fantastic shooting – it’s like making an eagle on the 18th green of The Masters.”
ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. The 2012 London Olympics were watched by 217 million Americans across the networks of NBCUniversal, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
-RIO 2016-
