Summer Olympics 2016: What to Watch for on Day 3 in Rio
Michael Phelps will make his 2016 Olympics individual-event debut on Day 3, and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad will make history.
Swimming and gymnastics again take center stage as medals will be awarded in both.
Fencing is likely to get more exposure than usual with a pair of noteworthy American women competing, and for the first time time ever, Olympic medals will be awarded in women's rugby.
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American David Boudia will try to medal in synchronized diving for the second straight Olympic Games, and Marti Malloy will seek another Olympic medal in judo.
The Phelps Fanfare Begins, But Others Swim for Medals
Phelps picked up his first medal of these Summer Games by swimming a leg on America's gold-medal-winning 4x100-meter freestyle relay team Sunday. Now he begins his pursuit of individual medals. Phelps won't be participating in one of the four swimming finals to be held Monday, but his presence in preliminary rounds of the 200-meter butterfly will draw attention to the 19-time gold-medal winner who is competing in his fifth Olympics.
Unless something goes horribly wrong and Phelps fails to advance, the attention Monday evening will be on the men's 100-meter backstroke finals. An American has won the gold medal in this event in every Olympics since 1996, and the U.S. took both gold and silver in the past two Olympics. However, America's dominance in the 100 backstroke will be tested this year.
Australian Mitch Larkin won both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke at last year's World Championships and was named the 2015 FINA Male Swimmer of the Year. Larkin will be challenged by Americans Ryan Murphy, who finished first in this event at the Olympic Trials, and David Plummer, who is ranked No. 1 in the world in the 100-meter backstroke.
The world record of 51.94 seconds set by Aaron Peirsol in 2009 is definitely in jeopardy.
American Lilly King figures to battle 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte in the women's 100-meter breaststroke, but the absence of 2012 Olympic champions Missy Franklin in the women's 100-meter backstroke and Ryan Lochte in the men's 200-meter freestyle will make it difficult for an American to claim gold in those two finals.
Men's Gymnastics Supremacy on the Line
The medals for men's team gymnastics will be decided on Monday, and the Americans are one of eight teams in contention. The U.S. compiled the second-highest score in Saturday's qualification round, but those scores will be wiped out, with everyone starting at zero in the finals.
The American second-place finish does not mean much. In 2012, the U.S. was first in the qualifying round but finished fifth when it counted in the finals, per the New York Times.
The U.S. cannot afford major mistakes like it had on the pommel horse in 2012, as noted by the New York Times, and again in Saturday's qualifying.
China, gold medalist in the men's team event at the last two Olympics, had its world championships winning streak of six snapped by rival Japan last year. But the Chinese were first in Saturday's qualifying and will be the favorites Monday.
Besides China and the United States, Russia, Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Ukraine and Germany qualified for the team final.
Americans Sam Mikulak and Chris Brooks qualified for the all-around finals, which will be contested on Wednesday.
Fencing's Day in the Sun
Not a lot of attention is paid to fencing during the Olympic Games, but a pair of Americans competing in the women's individual sabre should get noticed Monday, when the medalists in that event are determined.
One is Mariel Zagunis, who represents the quintessential Olympic story. In 2004, Zagunis qualified for the U.S. Olympic team only after a Nigerian athlete withdrew, according to the University of Notre Dame website. Zagunis took the opportunity to become the first American fencer in 100 years to win an Olympic gold medal. She did so in women's sabre again in 2008 and was the United States' flag-bearer in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in London.
Zagunis, who is ranked No. 3 in the world in sabre at the moment, finished fourth four years ago and is hoping to redeem herself this year at age 31.
Also participating in women's sabre is Ibtihaj Muhammad, who is likely to receive more media attention than Zagunis during the Olympics, even though she is ranked No. 8 in the world. Muhammad will become the first U.S. athlete to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab, the head covering worn by Muslim women in public, according to NBCOlympics.com.
In April, Time magazine listed Muhammad as one of the 100 most influential people, and David Wharton of the Los Angeles Times noted the significance of her act by writing, "At a time of terrorist attacks worldwide and Donald Trump calling for a ban on Muslim immigration, Muhammad’s religion has made her a lightning rod for attention."
"It's a tough political environment we're in right now," Muhammad, 30, said, per Wharton. "Muslims are under the microscope."
Boudia Shoots for Gold in Synchronized Diving
David Boudia will be watched more closely later in the Olympics in the individual diving competition, after winning a gold medal in that event four years ago. But on Monday. he will try to capture a gold medal in men's 10-meter platform synchronized diving, for which he earned bronze in Beijing.
China has dominated this event, winning the gold medal in each of the last three Olympics after capturing a silver medal in 2000, the year synchronized diving made its Olympic debut. But Boudia and partner Nick McCrory became the first American pair to medal in this event four years ago, and Boudia is hoping to do better this time with new partner Steele Johnson.
The Boudia-Johnson tandem is one of the few with a chance to break through the Chinese stranglehold on all men's and women's diving events. In the 2012 Olympics, China earned gold medals in six of the eight diving events and won silver medals in the other two.
Women's Rugby Makes its Mark
The first medals ever awarded in women's rugby will be handed out following Monday's gold-medal game. Rugby has not been an Olympic sport since 1924, and only men participated then in the more traditional form of rugby.
The event in these Olympics is the sleeker rugby sevens, and the United States entered the Summer Games as a medal contender. The Olympic favorite is Australia, which is ranked No. 1 in the world and has one of the sport's stars in Ellia Green.
The American women's squad began the Olympics ranked No. 6 in the world and were the second seed in their four-team preliminary group. But they will not be competing for a medal on Monday.
The Americans tied Australia in their final game of the preliminary rounds and advanced to the quarterfinals. The U.S. gave New Zealand, which is ranked second in the world, a stiff challenge in the quarterfinals Sunday, but New Zealand advanced with a 5-0 victory.
Although it is out of medal contention, the U.S. will still be competing Monday to determine its place in the final standings.
Australia, Canada and Great Britain join New Zealand in Monday's semifinals, with the bronze-medal game and gold-medal game to follow.
Malloy Bids for Another Judo Medal
Marti Malloy is one of two American women to win judo medals in the 2012 Olympics, and both return this year hoping for more.
Kayla Harrison, who is the only American ever to capture a gold medal in judo, does not begin defense of her title until August 11. But Malloy, who won a bronze medal in 2012, gets a chance for another medal on Day 3.
The only other American woman to medal in judo is Ronda Rousey, who took home a bronze in the middleweight class in the 2008 Olympics and later became a star in professional mixed martial arts.
To date, Malloy's biggest claim to fame is that she used to spar with Rousey, according to NBCOlympics.com. But Malloy can gain personal acclaim if she finds herself in Monday's gold-medal contest in the 57-kilogram (125.7 pounds) class. Malloy is ranked No. 5 in the world in her weight class.
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