Team USA continues its hunt for medals on Day 5 of the Tokyo Olympics, with swimming and basketball taking center stage today. After her shock defeat two days ago in the women's 400-meter freestyle, Katie Ledecky returns to the pool on Day 5 with the five-time Olympic gold medalist appearing in two finals events.
Medals will also be up for grabs for the United States in women's 3x3 basketball and women's road cycling on Day 5. Men's basketball also resumes its campaign today, with Team USA taking on Iran in a must-win clash for the Americans.
Ledecky gunning for two gold medals in swimming
All eyes will be on American superstar Katie Ledecky as she resumes her pursuit of glory on the fourth night of the swimming finals at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Ledecky's Tokyo Olympics campaign did not start according to plan as she was upset in the women's 400-meter freestyle by Australia's Ariarne Titmus.
She can't dwell on that disappointment, though, as Ledecky is set to embark on her busiest day of this year's Olympics. Ledecky will jump in the pool at around 9:41 p.m. ET for the much-anticipated women's 200-meter freestyle finals, where she will once again face her rival Titmus.
Ledecky will have her work cut out for her in this event, however, as Titmus has the best time this year in this event and was also the fastest qualifier out of the 200-meter freestyle semifinal. Ledecky will only have 90 minutes to recover from that race as she will then compete in the women's 1500-meter freestyle final.
Ledecky thrives in these long races and will enter this event as the prohibitive favorite. It is the first time female athletes in the Summer Games are contesting this event. It will be interesting to see how Ledecky's body holds up, especially after competing in the 200-meter freestyle race earlier in the day.
Other swimming finals to watch out for on Day 5 are the men's 200-meter butterfly, women's 200-meter individual medley and men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Pool action starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Team USA will also be pinning its hopes on cycling for a gold medal today. The United States has won the gold medal in the women's time trial in the last three Summer Games thanks to the brilliance of Kristin Armstrong. Chloe Dygert, who won the world title in this event in 2019, will look to make it four in a row for Team USA and boost the Americans' gold medal account. The action starts at 10:30 p.m. ET, with CNBC beginning its coverage at 11 p.m. ET.
Related Article: Team USA's Lydia Jacoby Scores Major Upset in Tokyo Olympics, Wins Gold Medal Over Lilly King
History beckons for USA Basketball in women's 3x3 competition
For the first time in the history of the Olympics, medals will be awarded for the inaugural 3x3 tournament. The U.S. women's 3x3 team is in the gold hunt after qualifying for the semifinals with a solid 6-1 record in the round-robin stage. The Americans will square off against France in the semis today and play in either the gold medal or bronze medal game after. Action starts at 4:00 a.m. ET.
After having its 25-game Olympic winning streak snapped in the loss to France, Team USA will look to get its campaign back in order against Iran in a must-win game for the Americans. Men's basketball action starts at 12:40 a.m. ET with NBC's streaming service Peacock airing the broadcast.
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