FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 30th, 2021

TOKYO OLYMPICS – JULY 30 PRIMETIME HIGHLIGHTS ON NBC

 “That was not my last swim. I’m at least going to ‘24, maybe ’28.” – Katie Ledecky to Michele Tafoya on her future after winning gold in the women’s 800m freestyle

“There is more to Katie Ledecky than her records and her success. There’s a whole complete person who is one of the best representations of the United States you’ll ever find.” – Mike Tirico on Ledecky

“He leaves everybody at the altar there. He just breaks all of their hearts that first 15 meters.” – Rowdy Gaines on Caeleb Dressel’s start in his world record swim winning gold in the men’s 100m butterfly

 “You see why we think we’re going to get another world record here? Because that was phenomenal.” – Ato Boldon on Sydney McLaughlin’s 400m hurdles heat

Saturday Highlights: U.S. Men’s Basketball Team Face Czech Republic in Final Game of Group Play Live Saturday Morning at 8 a.m. ET on Peacock; Caeleb Dressel (50m Freestyle) Goes For Gold Live in Primetime on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 30, 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:

    • Kevin Durant and the U.S. men’s basketball team face Czech Republic in its final game of group play live Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET on Peacock and in the afternoon at 4 p.m. ET on NBC. The U.S. will advance to the quarterfinals with a win;
    • USA Baseball, led by former MLB players Todd Frazier and Edwin Jackson, plays its second game of group play against South Korea Saturday morning live at 6 a.m. ET on NBCSN;
    • In primetime on NBC on Saturday, Caeleb Dressel is a gold medal favorite in the men’s 50m freestyle and Abbey Weitzeil headlines the women’s 50m freestyle. The U.S. is also expected to contend for the gold medal in the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relays;
    • Track & field finals in the mixed 4x400m relay and women’s 100m will be presented Saturday in primetime on NBC beginning at 8 p.m. ET;
    • The final round of the men’s golf competition will be presented Saturday live at 6:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel;
    • The men’s and women’s beach volleyball elimination rounds will begin Saturday night in primetime on NBC, 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

Katie Ledecky to Michele Tafoya on her future after her final swim in Tokyo, winning gold in the 800m freestyle: “Oh that was not my last swim. I’m at least going to ‘24, maybe ’28. We’ll see. No, I just knew it was going to be my last swim here. You never take anything for granted, you don’t know if you’re going to be back at the next Olympics so just try to soak it all in.”

Rowdy Gaines on Ledecky: “This is the First Lady of Swimming to me. The greatest female swimmer in history. She has an amazing family…They are the First Family of Swimming.”

Dan Hicks: “The pain you endure as a distance swimmer, I can’t even imagine what it’s like. Every day in practice, the training, the type of training that you have to do to be this good for this long…This is nine years after that 15-year-old breakthrough in London.”

Gaines on Ledecky: “Just like it’s been a thrill to have been part of Michael Phelps career for so long, it’s been a joy to call a few of these with Katie Ledecky too.”

Hicks: “Any time you get a chance to help document the greatest ever, whatever sport they’re in, it is a treat and a privilege indeed.”

Mike Tirico on Ledecky: “She has shown, with her joy in the team, her appreciation of the accomplishment of (Ariarne) Titmus who pushed her, and even what she showed with Katie Grimes, the 15-year-old who swam in the 800 with her tonight, there is more to Katie Ledecky than her records and her success. There’s a whole complete person who is one of the best representations of the United States you’ll ever find.”

Gaines on Caeleb Dressel’s world record performance winning gold in the men’s 100m butterfly: “Best start of the Olympic Games for Caeleb Dressel…he leaves everybody at the altar there. He just breaks all of their hearts that first 15 meters.”

Gaines on Dressel competition in three events tonight: “It’s really a situation that nightmares are made of for Caeleb Dressel. But having talked to him over the past five years, he has trained for this every minute.”

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TRACK & FIELD – NBC

Sanya Richards-Ross on Anna Cockrell advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 400m hurdles: “She looked a little bit heavy on the track, especially in the closing 100 meters of that race. That happens a lot to collegiate athletes who have had a very long season, which Anna Cockrell has had plus some. She’ll definitely need to shake that off and see if she can get better through the rounds…She’ll need to find that bounce and that lightness back if she wants to be on the podium here in Tokyo.”

Ato Boldon on Cockrell: “I see an athlete who’s been running since the indoor season for USC. But she’s at the Olympic Games and she will find a way to figure it out. She’s such a great competitor. Very few collegians made this U.S. Olympic Team but Anna Cockrell is one of them because of how well she competes.”

Boldon on McLaughlin advancing to the women’s 400m hurdles semifinals: “You see why we think we’re going to get another world record here? Because that was phenomenal.”

Boldon on the false start at the women’s 400m hurdles heat: “I think this is the first time that no spectators in the stands has actually affected the competition.”

Leigh Diffey: “It’s caused an echo.”

Boldon on Keni Harrison winning her 100m hurdles heat: “Despite the false start, she reacted well to the gun…She’s just better than everybody else in this heat.”

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BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC

Kevin Wong on Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil’s win over Brazil: “This is a huge match with big implications. This is the kind of match which sets off a path where you can get to a medal match.”

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ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —