Swimming returned Thursday night with a slate of races and Team USA winning three more medals.
The Tokyo Olympics also kicked off track and field, and the United States will open the baseball tournament against Israel.
For a complete rundown of the day's events in Tokyo, visit the streaming schedule page for NBCOlympics.com. Watch every event live there or on the NBC Sports App, and catch the highlights in primetime on NBC.
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USWNT battles Netherlands in women's soccer quarterfinals
The U.S. women's national team snuck into the soccer quarterfinals thanks to a draw against Australia on Tuesday.
The USWNT, which placed second in Group G, knows how dangerous the quarterfinal round can be. The team fell to Sweden in the round of eight at the 2016 Rio Olympics, failing to medal for the first time in Olympic history. The Americans had brought home gold in all four prior Games.
The team has already overcome adversity in Tokyo, though. The U.S. followed up a stunning 3-0 opening defeat to Sweden with a comfortable 6-1 win over New Zealand before drawing Australia to secure a quarterfinals berth. Now, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Co. turn their attention to fending elimination and winning the U.S. another gold.
The Netherlands has been an offensive force in Tokyo. The Dutch women topped Group F with seven points and scored 21 goals in three games. The quarterfinal tilt kicks off at 7 a.m. ET on Friday.
Watch the game on NBCSN or Telemundo. Or stream live here.
Track and field competition gets off and running
The track and field competition in Tokyo begins with a full day of action.
The first session begins at 8 p.m. ET with heats in six events: men’s high jump, men’s steeplechase, men’s discus, women’s 800m, men’s 400m hurdles and women’s 100m. JuVaughn Harrison (men’s high jump), Athing Mu (women’s 800m) and Rai Benjamin (men’s 400m hurdles) are among the U.S. medal contenders who will begin their events.
The second session begins at 6 a.m. ET and will see the first track and field medals of the 2020 Olympics awarded. The session features women’s 5000m heats, women’s triple jump qualification, women’s shot put qualification and 4x400m mixed relay heats. Keturah Orji (women’s triple jump), Jessica Ramsey (women’s shot put), Raven Saunders (women’s shot put) and a star-studded women’s 4x400m relay team that has won six straight Olympic titles headline the Team USA participants.
The night concludes with the men’s 10,000m final. Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker will be competing for the U.S.
Watch the first session in NBC’s primetime coverage, or stream live here.
Watch the second session on NBCSN, or stream live here.
Ryan Murphy, Lilly King, Annie Lazor Medal, But No Swimming Golds for Team USA
The U.S. swim team had a three-medal performance as four events were decided on Thursday night, however none of them were gold.
Reigning Olympic champion Ryan Murphy won silver in the men's 200m backstroke. Evgeny Rylov of the Russian Olympic Committee got the best of Murphy again in a backstroke final. Rylov defeated Murphy in the 100m backstroke on Monday night. Wednesday night Rylov was once again victorious, this time in the 200m. Rylov prevented Murphy from repeating as Olympic champion with a time of 1:53.27, just ahead of Murphy (1:54.15).
In the women's 200m breaststroke, Lilly King and Annie Lazor claimed silver and bronze respectively. South African Tatjana Schoenmaker set a new world record to win the gold medal; the first individual swimming world record of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Two Americans grabbed the other two medals, with Lilly King winning the silver medal and Annie Lazor taking home the bronze. Lazor and King, training partners and friends outside of Olympic swimming, held their arms around each other after winning their medals.
Team USA failed to reach the podium in the two other finals -- the women's 100m freestyle and the men's 200m individual medley. Emma McKeon of Australia captured the gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle, followed by Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong for the silver medal and Cate Campbell of Australia for the bronze medal.
American Abbey Weitzeil finished eighth.
In the men’s 200-meter medley, Wang Shun of China won the gold medal with a time of 1:55.0. British swimmer Duncan Scott captured second place while Jérémy Desplanches of Switzerland brought home the bronze medal. The race marks the first time a different swimmer than Michael Phelps has won the event since the 2000 Sydney Games.
US opens baseball tournament against Israel
Japan started off the Olympic baseball tournament with a bang on Wednesday, beating the Dominican Republic on a walk-off single. On Friday, the U.S. makes its return to the Olympic diamond for the first time since 2008, when it won the bronze medal.
The Team USA roster blends experience with promise. Todd Frazier, Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson, Anthony Gose and David Robertson bring MLB experience, while Triston Casas, Simeon Woods Richardson and Shane Baz are promising prospects. Another U.S. star is infielder Eddy Alvarez, who has already been under the Olympic spotlight in Tokyo as one of the American flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony.
Israel's roster features some notable ex-big leaguers in Ian Kinsler, Danny Valencia and Ty Kelly. The team is ranked No. 24 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, while the U.S. comes in at No. 4. First pitch between the two sides is at 6 a.m. ET on Friday.
Baseball was a demonstration sport in six Olympics before gaining full-time status in 1992. The sport was then voted off the Olympic program for 2012 and 2016 before being brought back for the 2020 Games. It will be removed from the 2024 slate in Paris, but it could return for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Stream live here.
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