FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

TOKYO OLYMPICS – AUGUST 4 PRIMETIME HIGHLIGHTS ON NBC

“O Canada, indeed! … Andre de Grasse has paid his dues, but he gets it done in Tokyo tonight with a gold.” – Ato Boldon on de Grasse’s gold in the men’s 200m final

“The A-Team is moving on, and you would have to say, an A+ performance today for the United States.” – Chris Marlowe on April Ross and Alix Klineman advancing to the beach volleyball final

 “That’s like taking a bowling ball, going to the free throw line, turning around and trying to throw a three-quarters shot the other direction.” – Paul Swangard on Ryan Crouser’s gold medal & Olympic record shot put

Upcoming Highlights: NEXT, U.S. Men’s Basketball vs. Australia in Semifinals Live at 12:15 a.m. ET/9:15 p.m. ET on Peacock; Primetime Track & Field Finals and Semifinals Coverage on NBC Tomorrow Includes Americans Michael Norman and Michael Cherry in Men’s 400m Final

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 4, 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:

    • Coming up next, the U.S. men’s basketball team, aiming for its fourth consecutive gold medal, face Australia in the semifinals live at 12:15 a.m. ET/9:15 p.m. PT on Peacock, with a berth in the gold medal game on the line;
    • Primetime track & field finals and semifinals coverage will be presented Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, headlined by Americans Michael Norman and Michael Cherry aiming to contend for medals in the men’s 400m final. Peacock presents live track & field coverage Thursday morning at 6 a.m. ET;
    • The U.S. women’s soccer team play Australia in the bronze medal match live Thursday morning at 4 a.m. ET on USA Network. Sweden will face Canada for the gold medal live Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network;
    • Team USA baseball, featuring former MLB players Todd Frazier and Edwin Jackson, plays South Korea in the semifinals live Thursday morning at 6 a.m. ET on USA Network;
    • The U.S. women’s basketball team, aiming for its seventh consecutive gold medal, face Serbia in the semifinals live at 12:40 a.m. ET/9:40 p.m. PT Thursday on NBC, with the winner advancing to the gold medal game;
    • The women’s beach volleyball final will be presented live Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, featuring Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman taking on Australia for the gold;
    • Four Americans – Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson – headline the 60-woman field in the women’s golf competition, as the third round from Kasumigaseki Country Club is presented live Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

TRACK & FIELD – NBC

Ato Boldon on Canada’s Andre de Grasse winning gold in the men’s 200m final: “O Canada, indeed! … Andre de Grasse has paid his dues, up until this point all of his world championship and Olympic medals are silver and bronze, but he gets it done in Tokyo tonight with a gold…He had to work for it. The Americans came to get him, but de Grasse was enough tonight.”

Sanya Richards-Ross on de Grasse: “If you’ve been following this young man’s career, you’d be really happy for him right now…He finally gets to stand on top of the podium.”

Richards-Ross on Noah Lyles winning bronze in the men’s 200m final: “All credit to Noah Lyles, who is not known for running well on the turn, and he came off and gave himself a fighting chance, but de Grasse was able to really stay focused.”

Richards-Ross on Allyson Felix qualifying for the women’s 400m final: “Always clutch…If Allyson Felix is in a final, you watch out. She has the most experience, she knows how to win.”

Boldon on Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment winning gold in the men’s 110m hurdles final: “From bronze nine years ago to gold, and in one of the biggest upsets that we have had in this stadium, Hansel Parchment hands Grant Holloway his first defeat of the year and it’s in the Olympic final.”

Boldon on Grant Holloway winning silver in the men’s 110m hurdles: “He seemed to be getting too close to barriers in the middle and the end of his race was not what he wanted. That’s a shock.”

Boldon on Team USA failing to qualify in the men’s 4x100m relay: “Guess what? You can’t blame the passes now. The legs just weren’t special. Everybody passed the baton, and nobody was creating any real making up of the gaps…They just got outrun here. This is a huge shock.”

Leigh Diffey: “This is a shock. A massive shock.”

Boldon: “The Olympic woes continue. No medals since 2004, no wins since 2000, and now it looks like they’re not going to be in the final.”

Boldon on Kenya’s Emmanuel Korir and Ferguson Rotich finishing first and second in the men’s 800m final: “It’s interesting to see that Kenya has sort of loosened their grip on the steeplechase, but this is the event that they’re now starting to own…Four (gold medals) in a row now. They’re starting to own this event.”

Paul Swangard on Ryan Crouser winning the gold medal with an Olympic record throw in the men’s shot put: “That’s like taking a bowling ball, going to the free throw line, turning around and trying to throw a three-quarters shot the other direction. It’s impressive athleticism and strength.”

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BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC

Chris Marlowe on April Ross and Alix Klineman defeating Switzerland in the semifinals: “The A-Team is moving on, and you would have to say, an A+ performance today for the United States. Somewhere, Mr. T is giving them high grades.”

Wong on Ross and Klineman: “The U.S.’ offense is just unstoppable…(April Ross), this is the sharpest she’s looked all Olympics long. Early in the Olympics, you can go two days, three days without playing a match, but as we get further along, you’re playing every single day and we’re seeing much more rhythm from Team USA.”

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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.

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