London Olympics 2012: Top 5 Storylines to Follow on Day 3

Mike ShiekmanJun 6, 2018

Ryan Lochte's shot at redemption and Missy Franklin's first big chance for gold highlight the third day of swimming competition, but they'll get stiff competition for the spotlight from the men's gymnastics team finals.

Here are biggest newsmakers expected to come out of a Day 3 full competition at the London Games, Monday, July 30.

Can U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Challenge Powerhouses China and Japan?

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Sport: Gymnastics

Event: Men's Team Final

Time: 11:30 a.m. ET

The U.S. comes in as the top qualifier, but that's no guarantee of gold, a medal the men's gymnastics team has won just twice: in the boycott-affected 1984 Los Angeles Games and in 1904.

China returns the stars of the winning 2008 squad, while Japan placed in the top two in both 2004 and 2008.

And even those two powerhouses might not reach the podium if upstart Great Britain and a strong Russia team are able to crack the top three. Even Germany could contend for a medal.

Can Ryan Lochte Take Advantage of a Phelps-Less Field?

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Sport: Swimming

Event: Men’s 200 Freestyle

Time: 2:41 pm ET

If this Olympics is going to be Ryan Lochte’s coming-out party, he’ll need to win this race.

Michael Phelps is the Olympic world-record holder in the 200-meter free, but withdrew from the event six weeks ago. That leaves Lochte free to stand on his own as the top American men's swimmer. But he is coming off a disappointing final leg in the 4x100 freestyle relay, in which he could not hold the lead versus France and leaving the Yanks with silver.

This 200-meter freestyle isn’t a lock for Lochte by any means. He is likely to go up against Germany’s Paul Beidermann, who claimed the world record holder (1.42) in the 2009 World Championships. U.S. teammate Ricky Berens could challenge Lochte as well, as evidenced by Berens' win over Lochte and Phelps last month in the Charlotte Grand Prix.

Can Lochte live up to the hype? Or will he be another victim of high expectations? Stay tuned.

Missy Franklin Gets Another Shot

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Sport: Swimming

Event: Women’s 100 Backstroke

Time: 2:49 pm ET

The youth movement has arrived for the U.S. women’s backstroke in the form of Missy Franklin and Rachel Bootsma, while two-time Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin may not don the Red, White and Blue swimsuit in competitive fashion again after London.

High expectations are abound for the 17-year old Franklin, who’s currently ranked the No. 1 backstroke swimmer in the world. In addition, Bootsma is ranked fourth and takes Coughlin’s spot at the starting gate. Talk about pressure for two women who can’t (legally) relax with a beer.

2011 world champion Zhao Jing of China will be right in the thick of it to steal Franklin and Bootsma’s thunder. Without any trial times released from opposing swimmers, Franklin and Bootsma have no idea what they are up against.

One thing is for sure: it will be a battle of inches.

Rebecca Soni Tries to Validate Her No. 1 Ranking

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The world’s best breastroker takes center stage as this will be Rebecca Soni’s first race of two to snag a 2012 gold. She has the world record in the 200-meter breaststroke from 2008, but was defeated by Australian Leisel Jones in the event the same year.

Jones is in the field as well, going for her fourth straight medal finish in Olympic competition. Her times of late have fallen off a bit, but experience always plays a factor on the world stage.

A strong start would do wonders for Soni’s confidence in her attempt for multiple medals these Summer Games. Exorcising some demons against Jones wouldn’t hurt either.