When it comes to the Olympic games, I'm less about the sports themselves as I am the individual athletes and teams. I'll admit, my enjoyment from watching Michael Phelps swim his way toward eight gold medals back in 2008 was more about watching a man achieve his dreams through hard work and determination than it was a genuine appreciation for the sport of swimming. So it's difficult to predict which sports will be the must-watch events of any given Olympics. It really all depends on the who's involved in them and their story. In the end though, it's really all pretty great, as we're looking at some of the best athletes each event has to offer.
For those of you planning to tune in tonight for tonight's offerings, NBC has the layout for what will be featured, most of which involves the pool. Phelps fans will see the swimmer hard at work tomorrow night in a number of events, including the 4x200m freestyle relay, but here's what's going on tonight (Monday- Day 3) on NBC.
8 p.m. – Midnight (ET/PT)
Swimming – Gold Medal Finals
Men’s 200M Freestyle
Men’s 100M Backstroke
Women’s 100M Backstroke
Women’s 100M Breaststroke
Men’s Gymnastics – Team Gold Medal Final
Men’s Diving – Synchronized Platform Gold Medal Final
Women’s Beach Volleyball – May-Treanor/Walsh (U.S.) vs. Slukova/Kolocova (Czech Republic)
Will Ryan Lochte grab the gold in the 200m freestyle? How will 17-year-old Missy Franklin do in her first individual final for the 100m backstroke? And on dry land (and sand) we have volleyball dynamic duo Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings eying a golden three-peat as they prepare to face off against the Czech Republic in Women's Beach Volleyball. We'll also see the U.S. male gymnasts head into the gold medal final. Among those in contention, Bronx native John Orozco, whose loving mother is nearly as great to watch as she hides her face behind praying hands in the stands as her son is showing off his talent on the mat.
Of course, those who don't want to wait until primetime (or risk being spoiled between now and then) might want to check out NBCOlympics.com to see the events that are streaming live at the website.
