Summer Olympics 2016: What to Watch for on Day 7 in Rio

Simone Biles dominated Day 6, and with good reason.

On Thursday at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the best gymnast in the world followed up her Team USA group gold with the women's individual all-around title. Teammate Aly Raisman took silver to boot.

Gymnastics fans have a chance to catch their breaths before the individual apparatus events this weekend. But no such luck in other areas. Whether you're a water baby or a land lubber, Friday in Rio has something for everyone.

Phelps, Ledecky Seek Gold in Signature Events

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Katie Ledecky already has three gold medals at Rio. All she did Thursday was smash the Olympic record in the 800-meter freestyle semifinals. It's Ledecky's marquee event; she's the world and Olympic record holder and defending world and Olympic champ.

Barring something crazy, the final is a formality—but if you're familiar with Ledecky, you know that doesn't mean boring. Her own world record may fall, and if she does close it out, she'll be the first to win the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle events since 1968.

Meanwhile, that dude Michael Phelps is still on the prowl, and there doesn't seem to be anything anyone can do about it. On Day 6, he wrapped up gold No. 22 in the 200-meter individual medley. Day 7 will see the medal round of the 100-meter butterfly, and he'll try to make it 4-of-4 in that event as an Olympian. Think he can do it? I think he can do it.

Phelps is scheduled to swim for gold at 9:12 p.m. ET, with Ledecky hitting the pool about eight minutes after.

The Pool Party Don't Stop

There's a lot going on in swimming Friday outside the top stars. Case in point: the men's 50-meter freestyle.

If you'll pardon the technical jargon, the 50-meter freestyle is a wild storm of freakin' chaos. You don't swim down and back—you just swim down. That's it. No back.

Team USA's Nathan Adrian has a gold in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at this Olympics, and he'll look to win another. France's Florent Manaudou, among others, will stand in his way. Regardless of where your national allegiances lie, Adrian is easy to root for.

"If you had a son, you would want him to be just like Nathan Adrian," wrote Alan Abrahamson on NBC Sports:

"

The guy is smart, funny, respectful and humble. He is quiet, steady, a genuine leader. Oh, he’s tall and handsome, too, the very picture of America’s best pluralistic and tolerant tendencies. His dad, James, is a retired nuclear engineer; his mom, Cecilia, who comes from Hong Kong, is a nurse. Oh yeah — Nathan Adrian is an incredible athlete.

"

Anthony Ervin, competing at age 35, will join his fellow American in the 50-meter pool. 

On the women's side, backstroke ace Missy Franklin won't be going for gold in the 200-meter back on Friday. She finished seventh in the semifinal heat and is done in Rio.

Track and Field Begins in Earnest

The 10,000 meters doesn't have the cachet of, say, the 100 meters, but it's compelling in its own right nonetheless.

On Friday, the women middle-distance runners will vie for the first track and field medal of these Games. Molly Huddle is Team USA's best chance for a medal in the event.

The women's shot put final is the other track and field medal event of the day. 

Preliminary heats in other track and field events also get started on Day 7.

USA Fencers Hope to Build on Watershed Games

Daryl Homer and Alexander Massialas each took a silver medal in individual fencing events this week. That's pretty good, considering that no American man had won an Olympic fencing medal in 32 years.

"

Thank you all. Beyond humbled. This is a win for US.

— Daryl Homer (@DarylDHomer) August 11, 2016"

On Day 7 they could break a much longer futility streak. 

At 4 p.m. EDT, Team USA begins the team foil fencing competition. If the team can find its way to the medal podium, it will be the first men's group medal since 1932. That's 84 years!

Men's Basketball Faces Serbia After Australia Scare

Carmelo Anthony and company trailed Australia in the fourth quarter but rallied to pull away 98-88. 

Led by NBA players Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut, the Aussies didn't, don't and won't make it easy. Credit Carmelo, Kyrie Irving and the American men for hanging tough and staving off the upset.

“That’s the first real, real international game that we’ve had,” said team coach Mike Krzyzewski after the game, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. “The first two games we played, we were significantly better than those teams. This is the real world now, and that was good for us.”

Now Serbia looms. Was the Australia game a wake-up call or a warning for Team USA? We'll know more in 24 hours' time.