NBC Olympics Schedule 2016: Rio Event Guide, Live Stream Info and Thursday Picks

Another day, another overstuffed, action-packed slate of sports for viewers to enjoy from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 

The big event of the day is women's gymnastics, where Americans Simone Biles and Aly Raisman are expected to collect the top medals but must fend off challenges from the likes of Russia's Aliya Mustafina and Brazil's Rebeca Andrade. 

Also on the docket is the men's 200-meter individual medley final, which once again pits Team USA's Michael Phelps against his friend and teammate Ryan Lochte. 

NBC has those events and more slotted for its primetime TV coverage, but you can live-stream the action via NBCOlympics.com.

Thursday also features medal events in synchronized diving, fencing, judo, cycling, rugby sevens, shotput and more, to say nothing of a few high-powered tennis matches and some key basketball matchups.

Here's a quick rundown of what's to come on Thursday and picks for the biggest events.

Sport	Event	Time (ET)	Prediction
Archery	women's individual	2 p.m.	TBD
Gymnastics	women's individual all-around	3 p.m.	Simone Biles (USA)
Cycling	men's team sprint finals	3 p.m.	New Zealand
Judo	women's 78kg	3:40 p.m.	TBD
Fencing	women's epee team	4 p.m.	Romania
Judo	men's 100kg	4:01 p.m.	TBD
Rugby	Rugby sevens	4:30 p.m.	Fiji
Table Tennis	men's singles	7:30 p.m.	Ma Long (China)
Swimming	women's 200-meter breaststroke	9 p.m.	Taylor McKeown (AUS)
Swimming	men's 200-meter backstroke	9 p.m.	Mitch Larkin (AUS)
Swimming	men's 200-meter individual medley	9 p.m.	Michael Phelps (USA)
Swimming	women's 100-meter freestyle	9 p.m.	Cate Campbell (AUS)

Note: For a complete event schedule, click here.

  
Biles, Phelps Chasing Glory

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

While some fans may be hoping for some drama in the women's gymnastic individual all-around, one of the competitors, Raisman, isn't expecting any surprise outcomes. 

"I go into (the all-around) knowing that" her teammates Biles is going to earn gold, she said, per USA Today's Nancy Armour. 

"Just because she wins every single competition."

Biles is indeed the favorite on Thursday, combining highly difficult routines with immaculate form and a knack for the spotlight. The 19-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, was instrumental to Team USA's dominant gold-medal victory in the women's team all-around competition. 

Her dominance is so complete that at the Pacific Rim Championships in April, Biles pulled off a balance beam routine that former Olympic gold medalist called "the best routine ever," on the NBC broadcast, per the New Yorker's Reeves Wiedeman. As Wiedeman notes, the beam "is considered Biles' third-best event."

This is to say nothing of her signature move on the floor routine, a double lay half-out, which can be viewed in all its glory below:

With skills like that, it's no wonder Biles is considered a lock to top the podium on Thursday. Raisman is a good bet to finish with a silver or bronze medal, as she too has some death-defying passes on the floor routine and finished second in qualifying for the event, behind Biles.

While Raisman isn't expected to surpass Biles on Thursday, it's possible that Lochte could spoil Phelps' quest for his 22nd gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley. While Phelps has topped Lochte in the 200-meter IM at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Games, Quartz's Marc Bain notes Lochte has had his share of triumphs away from the sport's biggest stage: 

"

But while this competition between friends is tipped toward Phelps, Lochte has his own victories. He bested Phelps in the 400m IM in the 2012 Olympics, and while he has mostly remained in Phelps’s shadow during the games, outside of them—and particularly during Phelps’s brief retirement—Lochte has been the world leader of late. He has won the world championships every year since 2009, and while Phelps admittedly didn’t compete in 2015 or 2013, he did in 2011. Lochte beat him, and set the standing world record of 1:54.00 in that race, a time even Phelps hasn’t topped.

"

Phelps edged Lochte in the semifinals, qualifying with a top time of one minute, 55.78 seconds. Lochte was exactly a half second behind. Brazil's Thiago Pereira appears to be the greatest threat to the United States' power structure, qualifying with a time of 1:57.11. 

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

If either Lochte or Phelps wins on Thursday night, it will be an athletic marvel. Phelps is 31 years old, Lochte a year older. They are both considered well past the prime age for elite swimmers and yet continue to rack up medals and victories at rates most swimmers can only dream of. 

The fact that the American duo are favorites in a competition that requires swimmers to use all four strokes is a testament to their skill, preparation and willpower.