W2W4: Ledecky's finale, hoops action, track underway
— -- RIO DE JANEIRO -- There are a few Rio finales in the pool, while track and field gets underway. Here are Friday's highlights:
Men's 100 fly final, 10:12 p.m. ET; Women's 800 free final, 10:20 p.m. ET: Michael Phelps will swim in his final individual race of the Rio Olympics, going for his fourth straight gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and his fifth gold of the Rio Olympics after winning the 200 IM on Thursday night. On the women's side, Katie Ledecky is pretty much a lock to win the 800 freestyle in her final swim in Rio. She already set the Olympic record in prelims with her eighth-fastest time and has the 12 fastest times by anyone in the event. She could become the second swimmer to win the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events in the same Olympics (Debbie Meyer did it in 1968) and the third American woman to win four golds at a single Games (Missy Franklin in 2012, Amy Van Dyken in 1996).
USWNT vs. Sweden, noon ET: The U.S. women hope to rebound from a shaky draw against Colombia in their last group-play match in Friday's quarterfinal. The Americans have reached all five previous Olympic finals, winning four gold medals, including the past two. The U.S. is winless in three games against Sweden since former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage took the Sweden job in late 2012 (she took the post after leading the USWNT to gold in London). That includes a draw in the 2015 Women's World Cup group stage and a loss in the 2011 WWC group stage.
U.S. women vs. Canada, 2:30 p.m. ET; U.S. men vs. Serbia, 6 p.m. ET: Both American teams return to the court Friday. The U.S. men beat Serbia by 37 points in the 2014 World Cup championship game, while the U.S. women beat Canada by 40 points in a pre-Olympic exhibition game last month. Breanna Stewart will see a familiar face on the other side of the court, as she faces Canadian and former UConn teammate Kia Nurse.
Preliminary action, coverage begins 8:30 a.m. ET: The track and field competition begins Friday with three medal events (women's 10,000 meters, men's 20km race walk, women's shot put) and preliminary heats in the women's 100 and men's 400. In the 100, there are a handful of sprinters to watch: Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, teammate and defending two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast and Americans Tianna Bartoletta, Tori Bowie and English Gardner.
Tournament continues, coverage begins 11 a.m. ET: Rafael Nadal faces Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil before he returns to the court for the gold-medal men's doubles match with teammate Marc Lopez as they face Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau. Britain's Andy Murray faces American Steve Johnson in the men's quarters, while Madison Keys takes on Angelique Kerber in the women's semifinals. In mixed doubles, Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram of the U.S. face Italy's Roberta Vinci and Fabio Fognini. After being knocked out in singles and doubles, this is Williams' remaining event and one she entered because of the other eliminations.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
