FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

2016 RIO OLYMPICS – AUG. 10 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS ON THE NETWORKS OF NBCUNIVERSAL

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte Return in Primetime Tonight on NBC Seeking to Advance in the Men’s 200m IM

 

Katie Ledecky Leads the American Quartet in the Women’s 4x200m Free; Lilly King Returns in Women’s 200m Breaststroke Semifinal

 

Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross Face Off Against Switzerland in Beach Volleyball


STAMFORD, Conn. – August 10, 2016 – Coming up tonight on NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

 

  • Swimming coverage heats up tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, live (ET/CT), featuring Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte as they seek to advance in the men’s 200m IM semifinals. Female phenom Katie Ledecky leads the American quartet in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Women’s 100m breaststroke gold medalist Lilly King also returns tonight in the women’s 200m breaststroke semifinals.

 

  • In Gymnastics, American Sam Mikulak pursues his first podium finish at a major international competition in the men’s all-around event, chasing Japan’s Kohei Uchimura, winner of every world and Olympic men’s all-around title since 2009.

 

  • Beach volleyball’s top duo, Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, face off tonight against Switzerland’s Isa Forrer and Anouk Verge-Depre.

 

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:

 

NBC’s Olympic Daytime host Mike Tirico’s on-air tribute to the late John Saunders: “If you’ve watched sports on TV over the last 30 years, you’ve had the chance to get to know John Saunders – ESPN sports host and part of the foundation of that network. Today, we got shocking word that John passed away suddenly. An incredible talent, a giving man, his laughter was infectious and it’s been echoing all day in the minds of many of us who called him a friend. John, until his very last day, was a mentor. He will be remembered as a true pro in every sense of the word. His love of his native Canada and his favorite sport, hockey, was only surpassed by his love of his family. That’s where our thoughts are – with his wife Wanda, and his two daughters Aleah and Jenna. John was a great man and we’ll miss him terribly.”

 

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SWIMMING – NBC

 

Tirico to swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines: “Rowdy, how cool is it for the people who live this sport to see all the other athletes come out? I was sitting with the U.S. golf team last night. Kevin Durant and the U.S. basketball team were there too. How does that make a swimmer feel when you guys are the sexiest sport to see?”

 

Gaines in response: “I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me because we kind of get pushed back in the closet in between the Olympic Games. It is so nice to be able to shine. Like it or not, the pinnacle of success for a swimmer is the Olympic Games. It is our World Series, it is our Super Bowl.”

 

Gaines on the legacy of Ryan Lochte: “Ryan is a really laid back dude. He is content being the second guy right now. Ryan is very comfortable in his position in his career and with his legacy of what he has left. Listen, 12 Olympic medals is a pretty good legacy to leave. If he was in a completely different era, we would be talking about the greatest swimmer of all time with Ryan Lochte. But he will certainly go down as one of the greatest.”

 

Gaines on the difficult upcoming schedule for Michael Phelps: “These next 36 hours are going to be unbelievable for Michael Phelps. He has got some tough swims ahead of him. Two today, potentially three tomorrow.”

 

Gaines on how the controversy has affected Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova during her 200m breaststroke heat: “There is a huge emotional toll to what she has gone through. Regardless of how you feel about the situation, there is no doubt that the emotional toll is much more than the physical toll.”

 

Click here to see Lilly King’s candid remarks about Yulia Efimova.

 

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INDOOR VOLLEYBALL – NBC

 

Analyst Kevin Barnett on the U.S. women’s team victory over Serbia: “Most solid performance yet from the Americans. They are climbing at the right moment.”

 

Note: The U.S. beat Serbia 3-1

 

Click here for highlights from the U.S. vs Serbia match.

 

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CYCLING – NBCSN

 

Play-by-play commentator Paul Sherwen on American Kristin Armstrong’s gold medal victory in Women’s time trial: “From Boise, Idaho, Kristin Armstrong rewrites the history books in cycling, being the first road cyclist ever to win three gold medals in a row.”

 

Click here to see Kristin Armstrong win gold.

 

Analyst Christian Vande Velde on Swiss gold medalist Fabian Cancellara prior to him winning the men’s time trial: “Always one of the fastest on the time trial bikes, Fabian Cancellara has no fear. Actually, I wouldn’t say he’s crazy because he’s completely in control, but I will say when he does fall off, he falls off very hard because he is going so fast. A lot of times the motorcycles have a very hard time keeping up with Fabian. They’re lucky it’s actually wet. If it was dry, there’s no way they would be keeping up with him.”

 

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SOCCER – NBCSN

 

Steve Bower on Honduras advancing to the quarterfinals over Argentina: “There it is! Honduras for just the second time in their history goes through to the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games. For the first time since 1964, the two time gold medalists and pre-tournament favorite, Argentina has failed to advance from the group stage!”

 

Note: Argentina drew 1-1 against Honduras

 

Click here to see highlights from the game.

 

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RUGBY – USA NETWORK

 

Analyst Brian Hightower on Perry Baker’s journey to making the U.S. men’s Olympic Rugby team: “People talk about this young man’s rise to the U.S. team. He has had to go to some dark places in order to get where he is today. It wasn’t always just tries and long runs for Perry Baker. He has put in the work so many times and thought about quitting. He was living in his Ford truck for a while. Now, he gets his reward.”

 

Play-by-play announcer Bill Seward after the U.S. men’s ruby team’s losses to Fiji in the last game of pool play: “With the victory by Fiji, 24-19, the United States is eliminated from medal contention – a tough way to go. The number one team is moving along.”

 

Click here to see the U.S. men’s rugby team lose to top-seeded Fiji.

 

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FENCING – MSNBC

 

Analyst Jeff Bukantz on U.S. fencer Daryl Homer’s unexpectedly successful Olympic journey: “It’s never easy to get the last touch. Considering his own coach, Yury Gelman, said he had almost no expectation for Homer in Rio. Homer has pulled it together after a terrible World Cup season and has made it into the semifinals of the Olympic Games. ”

 

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-