The Tokyo Olympics this summer officially start Friday with the Opening Ceremony, and some sports, like softball and soccer, actually already started playing in Games competition this week.
So we here at For The Win are highlighting four must-see matchups at the Summer Games this year. Whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or a casual Olympics viewer, you’re probably not going to want to miss these. Let’s break them down.
There are, after all, two floor exercise moves named “the Biles” and “the Biles II.” There’s a vault and balance beam moved named “The Biles.”
And now, there could be “The Biles II” in the vault, the Yurchenko double pike that she nailed earlier this year.
During practice in Tokyo on Thursday, she hit the move again. Even though she took a step back in the dismount, it was still stunning as ever. The slow motion look at it shows how much unbelievable height she got:
The 400 IM is perhaps the most grueling event in the pool.
Ask just about any long-time swimmer what event they’d absolutely dread racing, and it’s a good bet that many — if not, most — would point to the 400-meter individual medley in this hypothetical scenario.
The 400 IM is a wholly brutal event that conjures up feelings of agony, soreness and impossibility with 100 meters each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. So, obviously, to succeed in the event, swimmers’ versatility is crucial — but so is endurance and the strategy of knowing when and how to use your energy and muscle groups.
“The 400 IM is such a unique event because, I think personally, it is more strategic than any other event,” said Chase Kalisz, Team USA’s silver medalist in the 400 IM from the 2016 Rio Olympics. He also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in both the 400 and 200-meter IMs — and the latter is 50 meters of each stroke.
“I think it’s a race that needs more planning than any other event. It needs [more] specialized training than any other event.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5JKkKTeM0c
Prior to retiring from swimming after the 2016 Rio Games, Michael Phelps dominated the 400 IM for years, winning Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008. And it’s his last-standing individual world record with a time of 4:03.84, which he set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on his way to winning a record-breaking eight gold medals.
Kalisz qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in June by winning the 400 IM with a time of 4:09.09 — the second-fastest time in the world this year in that event behind Japan’s Daiya Seto, who went 4:09.02 in April.
For 27-year-old Kalisz — a Maryland native who swam for Georgia in college who still trains with Bulldogs coach Jack Bauerle, along with Bob Bowman, who famously coached Phelps — that preparation involves focusing on the 400 IM in practice regardless of what kind of set he’s doing.
For example, Kalisz said that includes working to negative-split the second half — the breaststroke and freestyle legs — of 400 IMs in practice. He said it’s also about “being comfortable not using legs on my butterfly, even it was a butterfly-specific set,” because he can’t waste his legs on the opening 100 of the 400 IM if he wants to have a strong finish.
But make no mistake, even a top-notch swimmer like Kalisz thinks this event is a torturous one, but he said he’s worked to embrace the impending pain that’s guaranteed every time he dives into the water for the 400 IM.
“There’s a lot of really great 400 IMers out there,” Kalisz said. “But if you really want to break into that world-class, rarefied air of I guess, say, 4:07 or faster, that’s how you have to train, and that’s really kind of a mindset you have to have you have. You have to embrace the pain the 400 IM brings, and that’s what I spent the last year or so doing.
“I’ve had races where I was never really nervous for the race, but I was more so nervous for the pain that is about to come and how I was going to feel the next day. And that’s really what the culmination of this year for me has been, was embracing that, looking forward to that.”
Chase Kalisz and Michael Phelps practice at Arizona State in 2016. (Michael Chow, Arizona Republic/USA TODAY Network)
The 400 IM made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, and 17-year-old American Dick Roth won gold and broke the world record, amazingly despite being told he needed to have an emergency operation for acute appendicitis. He refused the operation in favor of the Olympic final, and apparently the pain of the grueling race outweighed his illness because “I forgot my hot appendix during the race,” Roth said, via Swimming World magazine.
While Kalisz’s trials time in the 400 IM was a comfortable five seconds off Phelps’ world record, the Rio silver medalist owns the fourth-fastest time in history in the event at 4:05.90, which he swam at the 2017 world championships. After Phelps’ world record, Ryan Lochte has the second-fastest time ever (4:05.18) and Phelps has the third (4:05.25).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7QIrKSKOo
The 400 IM is so viciously taxing that Kalisz said he’s not sure how many more races he has left in him at this point in his swimming career.
“I could have two 400 IMs left in my career,” Kalisz said about the heats and final at the Tokyo Olympics (there are no semifinals in this event). “I don’t want to say that for sure. I don’t want to commit to anything for sure.
“I can go longer. But there’s not too many left of those for me, so I’m going to make every single one of them hurt as much as I can. And like I said, I’m looking forward to it.”
The heats of the men’s 400 IM open the swimming competition at the Tokyo Games on Saturday with the final set for the following day.
In the first soccer match of the Olympics, we have Sweden taking on the United States on Wednesday morning from Tokyo.
In the first soccer match of the Olympics, we have Sweden taking on the United States on Wednesday morning from Tokyo.
The USWNT will enter the Olympics on a 44-game unbeaten streak and anything less than a gold medal won’t be good enough for this team. This will be a fun one to watch so make sure you tune in.
We have you covered with all your Olympic needs and will keep you updated on how to stream all of the action during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Sweden (+650) vs. United States (-250)
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The United States women’s national soccer team will be looking to avenge its disappointing fifth place finish from five years ago with a seat at the Tokyo Olympics medal podium this summer.
Led by head coach Vlatko Andonovski, the USWNT will feature 11 players from the 2016 Olympic team, including fan favorites such as Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd. Seven members of the USWT will be competing in their first Olympic Games this year as well, blending both seasoned veterans and up-and-coming talent into a hopeful gold-medal contender.
With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, here is the full 18-player roster for the USWNT as the team takes to the global stage. Soccer at the Summer Games begins July 21, two days before the Opening Ceremony.
The Tokyo Olympics are just around the corner, which means thousands of athletes from around the world will gather for a chance to compete among the best at their sport.
The United States has dominated the total medal count, leading the world with 2,847 medals, including a world-best 1,134 gold medals. U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps also has the most individual medals with 28, including 23 goal medals, which is also a record.
Ahead of the Summer Games, we’re taking a look at the most decorated Olympians of all-time, per olympedia.org. And, as you’d assume, there are quite a number of Americans on the list.
“I’m trying to find the right words, but I can’t find them,” Molinari wrote on social media.
The teary-eyed emoji was a dead giveaway – even before using Google Translate – that 2018 British Open champion Francesco Molinari was dropping some bad news on social media Sunday afternoon.
The 38-year-old Italian, who was set to represent his country along with Guido Migliozzi in Tokyo, announced via Twitter that he was forced to withdraw from the Olympics due to a back injury.
“I’m trying to find the right words, but I can’t find them,” Molinari wrote. “I have a back problem that has held me back for most of the season and now unfortunately prevents me from representing my country in the most important sporting event in the world.
“I will cheer for all the Italian athletes hoping to be able to participate in the Olympics in the future.”
Molinari missed the cut by one stroke at the British Open at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England last week.
In an email to Golfweek, he wrote, “Regarding my back it’s something I struggled with this year at Wells Fargo (in May) for the first time and then forced me to withdraw from Kiawah (PGA Championship) and Memorial. Unfortunately after missing the cut at the Open on waking up Saturday it was sore again.”
Molinari explained that he’s suffering from lower back pain, primarily on the right side, which will prevent him from competing in the men’s competition beginning on July 29. Italy’s Renato Paratore, 24, who won 2020 Betfred British Masters, is listed as Molinari’s replacement on the International Golf Federation web site.
Molinari is out indefinitely but hopes to return to action next month.
“I’m seeing a physiotherapist here in London, going by last time it happened I hope to be fit to play the Wyndham (Championship) and make a last push for a Ryder Cup spot, but I recognize that’s going to be very hard now.”
Molinari partnered with Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (Team Moliwood) and went undefeated in four matches together in France in 2018. The Italian also won his singles match to lead Europe to victory and earn Ryder Cup hero status. Molinari held the lead on the back nine Sunday at the 2019 Masters before a series of blunders. He has since plummeted from No. 6 in the world in July 2019 to No. 146 entering this week.
Two years ago, it was almost unfathomable to think that he wouldn’t make the next team, but his back injury may be the final nail in the coffin for his chances to grab the attention of European team captain Padraig Harrington.
Allyson Felix is on a quest to become the greatest track athlete ever.
For the Tokyo Olympics this summer, For The Win is helping you get to know some of the star Olympians competing on the world’s biggest stage. Leading up to the Opening Ceremony, we’re highlighting 23 athletes in 23 days. Up next up is Allyson Felix.
Allyson Felix is a name that people can easily take for granted.
When the Olympics come around, she’s always a name you hear being brought up by the broadcast crew. She’s never been the most flashy name, she’s never been the most hyped.
But she’s always been there and, most importantly, she’s always dominated.
Felix is one of the most decorated track stars in U.S. history. She’s done nothing but when medals on the biggest stages. She absolutely dominated in the 2016 games in Rio with three total medals, and she’s looking to do the same in Tokyo while making a little bit of history.
At Olympic Trials in June, Felix qualified for her fifth Olympic Games by finishing second in the women’s 400-meter final with a time of 50.02 seconds. She won silver in the event in 2016. This time around, she failed to qualify for the 200-meter race — the individual event in which she won gold at the 2012 London Games and silvers in both the 2008 Beijing and 2004 Athens Games.
Here’s what you need to know about one of Team USA’s best athletes.
