FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 11th, 2016
2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES – AUG. 10 PRIMETIME HIGHLIGHTS ON THE NETWORKS OF NBCUNIVERSAL
“It’s meets like these that I love the most – where he and I get to go and duke it out.” – Michael Phelps to Michele Tafoya on racing with Ryan Lochte
“He did everything wrong – except win the race!” – Analyst Rowdy Gaines on win by 18-year-old Australian Kyle Chalmers in the men’s 100m free
“The story here is Daryl Homer…a great day for him, USA Fencing, and his coach Yury Gelman.” – Analyst Jeff Bukantz on American Daryl Homer, winning silver in the sabre competition
RIO DE JANEIRO – August 11, 2016 – NBC Olympics’ primetime coverage of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, continued Wednesday night on the networks of NBCUniversal.
Primetime host Bob Costas opened up Wednesday night’s coverage on NBC from NBC Olympics’ studio located inside the International Broadcast Center in Rio. Primetime coverage on Day 5 of the Rio Games on NBC was highlighted by; Katie Ledecky and the U.S. women capturing gold in the 200m freestyle relay final; Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte competing in the men’s 200m IM semifinal; Australia’s Kyle Chalmers outdueling Team USA’s Nathan Adrian in the men’s 100m free final; and American Josh Prenot earning a silver medal in the men’s 200 breaststroke final.
Tonight’s coverage on NBC began with women’s beach volleyball, as Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross defeated a tough Switzerland squad in three sets, and concluded with the all-around event in men’s gymnastics, as Japan’s Kohei Uchimura came back to defeat Ukraine’s Oleg Vernyayev.
This evening’s Olympic action also featured U.S. fencer Daryl Homer earning a silver medal in the sabre competition on CNBC, Nico Hernandez’s win in the quarterfinal round of the men’s boxing light flyweight weightclass on NBCSN to clinch a medal for the U.S., and the U.S. men’s basketball team’s win vs. Australia in group play.
Following are highlights from tonight’s evening and primetime coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on the networks of NBCUniversal:
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SWIMMING – NBC
Analyst Rowdy Gaines on Ledecky passing Australia’s Tamsin Cook to give the U.S. women gold in the 200m free relay: “It must be a terrible feeling to know that you’re going to get passed and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Click here for a recap of the U.S. women’s victory in the 200m free relay.
Gaines on Phelps’ grueling schedule: “He’s been in this situation so many times before that if anybody can do it, anybody can withstand the next 24 hours of this relentless pressure, it’s going to be Michael Phelps.”
Gaines on Phelps winning his heat in the 200m IM semifinal: “I think he’s even a little surprised about that swim himself. I don’t think he expected to go that fast…that’s better than he went at the Olympic Trials when he had to beat Lochte down the stretch to make the team.”
Phelps on facing Lochte to Michele Tafoya: “I love racing him. He brings the best out of me. We’re racers, so it’s meets like these that I love the most – where he and I get to go and duke it out.”
Gaines on Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Balandin, who won gold in the 200m breaststroke to give the country its first-ever swimming medal: “The whole country is in shock right now. Kazakhstan! Lane 8! We weren’t even talking about him…the biggest shock of these Olympic Games.”
Gaines on win by Australian Kyle Chalmers in the men’s 100m free (American Nathan Adrian won the bronze): “That’s a kid right there. He’s 18 years old…he was about a body length behind in the 100 freestyle. You just can’t do that at 18 years old…he even takes a breath right there…usually you don’t even want to breathe there – he did everything wrong! He even laid flat on his elbow…he did everything wrong – except win the race!”
Gaines on Jacob Pebley during the men’s 200m backstroke semifinal: “He is, along with Ryan Murphy, the future of American backstroke.”
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GYMNASTICS – NBC
Analyst Tim Daggett in response to Al Trautwig’s question that judging was harsh on Japan’s Kohei Uchimura: “Especially on still rings, I was very surprised with what they did with his score and on the pommel horse.”
Daggett on Uchimura following his performance on the high bar: “A lot of people thought if somebody was finally able to put pressure on him in the all-around competition, he might fold…this does not look like a fold. This looks like the direct opposite.”
Daggett on Ukraine’s Oleg Vernyayev, who finished one tenth of a point behind Uchimura: “It’s going to come down to that hop. It was a three-tenths hop. He is such a champion though, and so loved throughout the gymnastics community by athletes, coaches…everybody has a great thing to say about Oleg Vernyayev.”
Trautwig: “The legend of Kohei Uchimura goes on!”
Click here for a recap of Uchimura’s win in the all-around.
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BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC
Analyst Kevin Wong on the strong start by Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross vs. Switzerland: “You think about a late night match, some weather and rain that might favor Switzerland over the U.S., and here they come out dialed in, aggressive and attacking.”
Wong on the impact Walsh Jennings’ injury in 2015 led to improved defense by Ross: “The injury to Kerri Walsh Jennings last year allowed April Ross’ defense to bloom and shine. She got some more reps, she played with some substitute partners along the way that allowed her to play full-time defense for the first time in her career.”
Play-by-play announcer Kevin Marlowe: “The Americans survive Switzerland! A valiant effort, but April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings come out victorious.”
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FENCING – CNBC
Analyst Jeff Bukantz on Daryl Homer defeating Abedini to assure himself a medal: “Homer won the same way he won the last battle with a parry riposte, he took a risk. What a gutsy move. If he misses that, he loses. He took the risk, he won…and after a terrible world cup season, Homer’s odyssey for gold continues.”
Bukantz after Aron Szilagyi of Hungary defeated Homer in the gold medal bout: “What a great win for Aron Szilagyi, but the story here is Daryl Homer, who took the silver medal at the world championships last year, but had a very bad world cup season. He came to the Olympics and had his best day of the season. What a well-deserved silver medal. A great day for him, USA Fencing, and his coach Yury Gelman.”
Click here for a recap of Homer’s performance in the sabre competition.
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BOXING – NBCSN
Play-by-play announcer Kenny Rice on victory by American boxer Nico Hernandez to clinch the first medal U.S. men’s boxing in eight years: “Nico Hernandez will get an Olympic medal – he is going to the semifinals. The first time for an U.S. fighter in the light flyweight division since 1988 and the 11th Olympian from Wichita, Kansas, will be bringing home a medal.”
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BASKETBALL – NBCSN
Analyst Doug Collins on the U.S. men’s team’s 98-88 win vs. Australia in group play: “This is what you call a well-earned victory, nothing given here and my hat’s off to the Australian team. They fought from start to finish and it took the brilliance of Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony in the fourth quarter… they finally got their defense set.”
Click here for highlights of Team USA’s win over Australia.
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-
