Summer Olympics 2016: What to Watch for on Day 13 in Rio
The men’s 200-meter final and Usain Bolt’s quest for a third straight gold medal in the event will headline Day 13 at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
There will be a key absence from the race. American Justin Gatlin failed to advance from his semifinal heat, citing ankle stiffness. He looked over too soon in his race and watched as two runners passed him.
“Just back in warm-up area, my ankle stiffened up on me,” Gatlin told NBC during the broadcast. “I had a tight turn. I wish all the guys luck out there. I felt my ankle coming home, tried to hold on as long as I could. Couldn’t get the job done coming home and wish all my teammates good luck.”
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His only teammate to advance was LaShawn Merritt, but he’s a viable threat to dethrone Bolt.
There’s this and much, much more to watch for on Day 13 in Rio.
Note: All times Eastern.
The Men’s 200-Meter Final Will Live Up to the Hype, Minus Justin Gatlin
Bolt is vying for his third straight gold medal in the event after throwing down a 19.78-second semifinal, crossing the finish line with a smile. Canadian upstart Andre De Grasse, who set a national record with a time of 19.80, was right behind Bolt.
“De Grasse is not one to mess with,” Ato Boldon, NBC’s track analyst, said during the broadcast. “‘I still got a little surge for you!”
“He was supposed to slow down. It’s the semifinals,” Bolt told NBC after the heat. “I’m ready. I’m feeling good. That felt smooth. I’m happy. I’m on the right track. 19.19 [his world record] is very hard to get to tell you the truth.”
“He’s able to do something that one else can do,” NBC’s Boldon said during the broadcast about the way Bolt handles the start. “He doesn’t get any credit for running the turn. Down the stretch, all sprinters are decelerating, but he’s decelerating less.”
It won’t be a walkover. Team USA’s Merritt won his heat with a 19.94, and De Grasse showed he can hang.
But nobody expected Gatlin to miss the final altogether. Even though he told NBC his ankle was stiffening up before the race, it looked like he would have finished second and moved on had he not looked to the right in the final 15 meters.
“Gatlin looked over way too early,” Boldon said. “He had a lot of company. Gatlin is third, and this is a slow heat. You got to get in this final! He looks over to the right! 20.13, he is out! Gatlin will not be in the final. Kids, do not look over to the right, especially in the Olympics!”
And, yes, Merritt will be a favorite to hit the podium. De Grasse will be another one to watch; the Canadian boasts the bronze medal in the 100-meter dash.
Bolt will be heavily favored to win—as he should be—but it will be a thrilling race and one you can’t miss come Thursday night at 9:30.
Dalilah Muhammad Goes for Gold in 400-Meter Hurdles
Dalilah Muhammad smoked the field in her semifinal heat of the women’s 400-meter hurdles on Tuesday, setting the stage for what could be a memorable performance Thursday night at 8:15.
She ran the fastest time of the semis, 53.89, which pits her against the Czech Republic’s Zuzana Hejnova and Denmark’s Sara Petersen. Hejnova is the reigning world champion.
“Even from a young age, I was good at hurdles,” Muhammad told Laura Amato of the Times Ledger. I think that’s what motivated me and focused me to do only that. I just felt like that was my race. My coaches used to tell me that I was made for this race, and some part of me believed that.”
American Ashley Spencer also qualified for the final—a feat since she almost fell down after clipping the ninth hurdle.
Muhammad finished her semifinal heat with ease and will be heavily favored to win the gold medal for the United States.
Ashton Eaton Continues His Gold-Medal Defense in the Men’s Decathlon
"Decathlon standings after Day 1:#Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/mQawgR85O8
— TrackTown USA (@GoTrackTownUSA) August 18, 2016"
After Wednesday’s events that culminated with the 400 meters, Ashton Eaton is on top with a pillowy 121-point lead over Germany’s Kai Kazmirek and 132 points on Canada’s Damian Warner.
It was a long, long day, starting at around 9:30 a.m. and ending at about 9:30 p.m.
If he wins consecutive Olympic gold medals in the event, the reigning world-record holder will be the first to do so since Great Britain’s Daley Thompson in 1980 and 1984.
Canada’s Warner will stay right on Eaton’s heels. So will Kazmirek. France’s Kevin Mayer, who's in fourth after the first day of competition, has been turning in personal records like nobody’s business. He set personal bests in four of the day's five events.
“From what I’ve seen so far, he hasn’t had that cutting edge, killer’s mentality,” said NBC analyst Trey Hardee of Eaton during the NBC broadcast.
Then Eaton went out and won his 400-meter heat in 46.07 seconds and earned 1,005 points.
Eaton told NBC after the race:
"Just trying to be tough, be smooth,These Olympics and world decathlons are not like the other ones. It’s 10 [p.m.] now, started at 10 [a.m.]. You have to be smooth, treat each attempt with 90 percent effort. So far it’s OK. Of course I’m trying to win. If the record is there at the end of tomorrow, I’ll go for it. Right now it’s about the "W."
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Starting at 8:30 Thursday morning, the men run the 110-meter hurdles and then move to the discus throw, the pole vault and the javelin throw. They end at 8:45 p.m. with the 1500-meter run.
Titanic Battle Taking Place in the Shot Put
Joe Kovacs, the 2015 world champion, leads a throng of American shot-putters, including Ryan Crouser and Darrell Hill, starting Thursday morning and ending at 7:30 p.m.
Germany’s David Storl stands tall as Kovacs' challenger for the gold medal. It was Kovacs who supplanted Storl, the two-time defending world champion, from the gold-medal spot on the podium in Beijing a year ago at the World Championships.
In the IAAF.com preview of the event, it says, “The ever-consistent Storl has not been out of the top two at a major international competition since 2011, including winning the silver medal in London four years ago, and so certainly knows how to peak for championships.”
This will be a monstrous display of brawn.
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