Summer Olympics 2016: Full Listing of Notable Athletes and Rio Event Schedule
Thousands of athletes are set to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics, but a few stars stand out among the rest.
Fans mostly want to watch the competitors who have proved themselves on the international stage in the past. These athletes are trying to show they have what it takes to win their first gold medal or add a few more to the trophy case.
Here is a look at some of the biggest names who will be competing in individual events in Rio de Janeiro, along with schedules for how to follow them throughout the month.
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Michael Phelps, Swimming
| Aug. 8 | 200-meter butterfly | Heats | 12:34 p.m. |
| Aug. 8 | 200-meter butterfly | Semis | 10:10 p.m. |
| Aug. 9 | 200-meter butterfly | Finals | 9:28 p.m. |
| Aug. 10 | 200-meter individual medley | Heats | 1:09 p.m. |
| Aug. 10 | 200-meter individual medley | Semis | 10:29 p.m. |
| Aug. 11 | 100-meter butterfly | Heats | 1:16 p.m. |
| Aug. 11 | 200-meter individual medley | Finals | 10:01 p.m. |
| Aug. 11 | 100-meter butterfly | Semis | 10:34 p.m. |
| Aug. 12 | 100-meter butterfly | Finals | 9:12 p.m. |
At this point, Michael Phelps is the most famous Olympian in Rio. The swimmer will compete in his fifth Olympic Games and already has won 18 gold and 22 total medals in his career.
His best performance came when he set the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics with eight in 2008.
Although he's unable to handle that type of schedule anymore at 31 years old, he is still a favorite to take home a few gold medals in the butterfly. He will also likely battle rival Ryan Lochte one last time for the 200-meter individual medley.
Phelps could add to his schedule with the relays, but that might not be decided until the last minute.
Katie Ledecky, Swimming
| Aug. 7 | 400-meter freestyle | Heats | 1:33 p.m. |
| Aug. 7 | 400-meter freestyle | Finals | 10:01 p.m. |
| Aug. 8 | 200-meter freestyle | Heats | 12:02 p.m. |
| Aug. 8 | 200-meter freestyle | Semis | 9:03 p.m. |
| Aug. 9 | 200-meter freestyle | Finals | 9:19 p.m. |
| Aug. 10 | 4x200-meter freestyle relay | Heats | 1:31 p.m. |
| Aug. 10 | 4x200-meter freestyle relay | Finals | 10:55 p.m. |
| Aug. 11 | 800-meter freestyle | Heats | 1:02 p.m. |
| Aug. 12 | 800-meter freestyle | Finals | 10:20 p.m. |
Phelps is the biggest superstar, but Katie Ledecky has become the most dominant force in international swimming.
She burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old surprise gold medalist at the 2012 Games. Since then, she has become almost unstoppable in freestyle events:
She can handle a variety of distances and succeed at all of them, pulling away from the field with a margin that is rarely seen at this level. If she doesn't take home at least a couple of gold medals, it would be a disappointment.
Simone Biles, Gymnastics
| Aug. 7 | Qualification | 4:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 9 | Team Final | 3 p.m. |
| Aug. 11 | Individual All-Around | 3 p.m. |
| Aug. 14 | Vault Final | 1:47 p.m. |
| Aug. 15 | Balance Beam Final | 2:46 p.m. |
| Aug. 16 | Floor Exercise Final | 1:47 p.m. |
The United States women's gymnastics team returns the individual all-around gold medalist from 2012 in Gabby Douglas, as well as Aly Raisman, who finished fourth in that event and took gold in the floor exercise. Still, these young women are likely only competing for second place behind Simone Biles, who is making her Olympic debut.
While the 4'8" star was too young to compete in London, she has since won the last three world championships in gymnastics and is now trying to continue her dominance on the biggest stage.
"Simone is the best I've ever seen," 1984 gold medalist Mary Lou Retton said this week, per Bleacher Report's Lars Anderson. "She has redefined our thinking for what we thought was possible for a gymnast to do."
This is high praise from someone who has seen quite a few top athletes in her career. Biles has a chance to not only take home gold in the individual all-around and the team competitions but also add some event medals as well.
Usain Bolt, Track and Field
| Aug. 13 | 100-meter | Prelims | 8:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 13 | 100-meter | Round 1 | 11 a.m. |
| Aug. 14 | 100-meter | Semis | 8 p.m. |
| Aug. 14 | 100-meter | Finals | 9:25 p.m. |
| Aug. 16 | 200-meter | Round 1 | 10:50 a.m. |
| Aug. 17 | 200-meter | Semis | 9 p.m. |
| Aug. 18 | 4x100-meter relay | Round 1 | 10:40 a.m. |
| Aug. 18 | 200-meter | Finals | 9:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 19 | 4x100-meter relay | Finals | 9:35 p.m. |
Known as the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt has won three gold medals in each of the last two Olympic Games.
The Jamaican star is a blur in the 100-meter dash and has set numerous world and Olympic records throughout his career, but now he is set to compete in what will likely be his final Olympic appearance. He will have tough competition from compatriot Yohan Blake and American Justin Gatlin, but the expectation is he will come through with his third title in a row.
If he can add to his success with wins in the 200-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay as well, he could go down as one of the top sprinters in history.
Allyson Felix, Track and Field
| Aug. 13 | 400-meter | Round 1 | 11 a.m. |
| Aug. 14 | 400-meter | Semis | 8:35 p.m. |
| Aug. 15 | 400-meter | Finals | 10:45 p.m. |
| Aug. 19 | 4x400-meter relay | Round 1 | 8:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 20 | 4x400-meter relay | Finals | 10 p.m. |
Already with four Olympic gold medals in her career, Allyson Felix will try to add to her resume with a few more events in Rio.
Felix is coming off a heartbreaking moment in the U.S. qualifiers where she missed out on an Olympic berth in the 200-meter run by 0.01 seconds. It was clear an ankle injury was bothering her, as she fell just out of third place.
Despite the injury, she was able to qualify in the 400-meter and will now try to earn her first medal at this event. As part of the back-to-back winners in the 4x400-meter relay, Felix will have a good chance to earn at least one gold in these Games.
So long as she is healthy, the sky is the limit.
Ashton Eaton, Track and Field
| Aug. 17 | Decathlon - 100-meter | 8:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 17 | Decathlon - Long Jump | 9:35 a.m. |
| Aug. 17 | Decathlon - Shot Put | 11:15 a.m. |
| Aug. 17 | Decathlon - High Jump | 4:45 p.m. |
| Aug. 17 | Decathlon - 400-meter | 8:20 p.m. |
| Aug. 18 | Decathlon - 110-meter Hurdles | 8:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 18 | Decathlon - Discus Throw | 9:25 a.m. |
| Aug. 18 | Decathlon - Pole Vault | 12:25 p.m. |
| Aug. 18 | Decathlon - Javelin Throw | 5:35 p.m |
| Aug. 18 | Decathlon - 1500-meter | 8:45 p.m. |
The winner of the 100-meter dash is known as the fastest man on Earth, but the decathlon winner is the best athlete in the world. That honor goes to Olympic champion and world record-holder Ashton Eaton.
Despite his past success, the versatile competitor is always looking to improve, per Carolyn Manno of WLBZ2:
"I'm driven by my own curiosity of how good can I be. I wonder. I know that when I run or jump or throw, what I've done so far, I feel like I can still do better than I have.
It's always that aim to try to reach that point where I think, 'You know what, I don't think I can run any faster than that. I think that was it.' So, haven't reached it yet.
"
While the decathlon isn't always the most popular sport to watch, seeing one person excel in so many activities is worth the time.
Jordan Burroughs, Wrestling
| Aug. 19 | Qualifications | 9 a.m. |
| Aug. 19 | 1/8 Finals | 9:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 19 | Quarterfinals | 10 a.m. |
| Aug. 19 | Semifinals | 10:40 a.m. |
| Aug. 19 | Repechage Round 1 | 3:01 p.m. |
| Aug. 19 | Repechage Round 2 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 19 | Bronze Medal | 4 p.m. |
| Aug. 19 | Gold Medal | 4:30 p.m. |
Few Americans have had as much sustained success in wrestling at the international level as Jordan Burroughs has.
The 74-kilogram freestyle wrestler came into London as the favorite after winning the 2011 World Championships and lived up to expectations by winning his first Olympic gold. Since then he has only continued his dominance, winning the world titles in 2013 and 2015 while suffering only one loss in a major competition.
Now the New Jersey native is one of the more well-known athletes in the entire competition and will try to take home a second gold medal.
Bubba Watson, Golf
| Aug. 11 | 1 | 6:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 12 | 2 | 6:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 13 | 3 | 6:30 a.m. |
| Aug. 14 | 4 | 6 a.m. |
Golf might be a bit weird to watch in the Olympics this summer, but fans might as well give it a shot as some of their favorite stars compete for a new prize.
Bubba Watson is one of the biggest names in attendance as the No. 6 player in the world and a two-time Masters champion. He also provides the big hits off the tee that even casual fans can appreciate.
The tournament will be a standard stroke-play event over four days with the only difference being the gold, silver and bronze medals handed out at the end of the week. These players might be the guinea pigs for this experiment, but it should be entertaining.
Serena Williams, Tennis
| Aug. 6 | Round 1 |
| Aug. 7 | Round 1 |
| Aug. 8 | TBD |
| Aug. 9 | TBD |
| Aug. 10 | TBD |
| Aug. 11 | TBD |
| Aug. 12 | TBD |
| Aug. 13 | Women's Doubles Finals |
| Aug. 13 | Women's Singles Finals |
Arguably the top female athlete in the world over the last two decades and one of the most dominant athletes ever, Serena Williams is still the favorite to win the biggest competitions.
The 34-year-old American has 22 Grand Slam titles in her career and is tied with Steffi Graf for the most all-time. Just for good measure, she also has four Olympic gold medals, including one for individual play and three for doubles with her sister, Venus.
After her win at Wimbledon, there is really no one else you would pick to win this year's gold.
Kerri Walsh Jennings, Beach Volleyball
| Aug. 6 | Prelim | Walsh Jennings/Ross (USA) vs. Artacho Del Solar/Laird (AUS) | 10:59 p.m. |
| Aug. 8 | Prelim | Walsh Jennings/Ross (USA) vs. Wang/Yue (CHN) | 10:59 p.m. |
| Aug. 10 | Prelim | Walsh Jennings/Ross (USA) vs. Forrer/Verge-Depre (SUI) | 10:59 p.m. |
| Aug. 12 | Round of 16 | TBD | TBD |
| Aug. 14 | Quarterfinal | TBD | TBD |
| Aug. 16 | Semifinal | TBD | TBD |
| Aug. 17 | Consolation | Bronze Medal Match | 9 p.m. |
| Aug. 17 | Championship | Gold Medal Match | 10:59 p.m. |
Unlike the rest of this list, Kerri Walsh Jennings is actually part of a two-person team alongside April Ross. However, Walsh Jennings is the star of the duo.
The 37-year-old veteran has won the last three gold medals at the Olympics in beach volleyball along with her teammate Misty May-Treanor. When the latter retired from the sport, Walsh Jennings stuck around and recruited Ross, who happened to finish with the silver medal at the last Olympics.
Age is an issue, as well as a shoulder injury for Walsh Jennings, but this team has the experience and talent to go all the way to another gold.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.
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