Now that the Paris Olympics have your attention after a very unique (and very French) Opening Ceremony, it’s time to tune in to the competition. The Summer Games started on Wednesday with rugby and soccer. Things ramp up with a full schedule on Saturday.
It’s OK if you didn’t consume any of the pre-Olympics content. You have the Olympic bug and now you’re eager to watch athletes go for the gold.
Here’s a viewer’s guide of what to watch Saturday and Sunday. You’ll need a Peacock subscription to watch most of these events live.
5 a.m. ET – Men’s gymnastics qualification
The competition in Paris begins at 9 a.m. local time, so setting an early alarm will be required on some days to watch Team USA. This first qualification event at Bercy Arena will have the Americans competiing in all six disciplines, starting on pommel horse and continuing on rings, vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar (featuring 2022 world champion Brody Malone) and floor exercise. You don’t want to miss Frederick Richard, an all-around bronze medalist at the 2023 world championships.
1 p.m. ET – Men’s soccer – New Zealand vs. USA
This isn’t the U.S. men’s national team. Unlike the women’s Olympic tournament, the men’s competition is limited to players under the age of 23 (plus three overage veterans). The Americans were blasted 3-0 by host France in their tournament opener, so this is pretty much a must-win match for coach Marko Mitrovic’s squad.
MLS center backs Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson were brought on to anchor the defense. The big issue is the attack. Who can score goals? The burden falls on Djordje Mihailovic, the 25-year-old Colorado Rapids midfielder who must redeem himself after a quiet effort against the French.
2:30 p.m. ET – Swimming – Women’s 400-meter freestyle final
This is the first of Katie Ledecky’s three individual events. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist swims in the prelims in the morning. She’ll compete in her first Paris final in the evening session.
The 27-year-old is already an Olympic legend. She’s back for her fourth Summer Games to make more history, looking to match Jenny Thompson for the most Olympic gold medals by a female swimmer. Three more medals of any kind would make her the most decorated American woman ever in the Olympics.
5:40 a.m. ET – Women’s gymnastics qualification
The Simone Biles show begins. It’s also the beginning of her Olympic redemption story after Tokyo Games struggles with mental health.
You’ll get to see the Americans compete on all four disciplines, but Biles is about as must-see as it gets. And she’s not resting on her laurels. She submitted an original skill on the even bars that, if approved, would be the sixth move named after her.
6 a.m. ET – Men’s tennis – Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal (?)
The day’s tennis schedule begins at 6 a.m. ET, but the schedule of matches won’t be determined until Saturday night. If Nadal gets by Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in his first-round match on Saturday, he will surely face longtime nemesis Novak Djokovic in the second round on Sunday.
Nadal, the 14-time French Open singles champion, will be playing on his favorite red clay at Roland Garros, but he is very much on his last legs. The 38-year-old Spaniard announced he will be taking a break from tennis after the Games, so this could be his swan song. Watch Nadal’s greatness while you can.
11:15 a.m. ET – Men’s basketball – Serbia vs. USA
The latest edition of the Dream Team begins its pursuit for America’s fifth-straight Olympic gold medal in men’s hoops. Star power won’t be a problem, with NBA icons LeBron James and Steph Curry leading the squad. Two other NBA MVPs, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, are on the team. Not surprisingly, the U.S. is the betting favorite.
Other nations have NBA players on their squads, too. And as the USA’s exhibition schedule showed, even teams like South Sudan are capable of pushing an American roster packed with All-Stars down to the final seconds.
The U.S.’s best performance in its Olympic prep came against Serbia in a 105-79 victory that had Steve Kerr’s group locked in and focused on both ends of the court. He publicly sounded the alarm this week about the need for that level of concentration. There are no more dress rehearsals. It’s showtime.
2:40 p.m. ET – Swimming – Women’s 100-meter butterfly final
Gretchen Walsh enters the Olympics having just set a new 100 fly world record of 55.18 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials. The 21-year-old is expected to compete in four events in Paris and has the potential to be one of the breakout American stars.
Walsh is favored to win her first-ever gold medal at the Summer Games in this event. U.S. teammate Torri Huske figures to be her biggest competition.
3 p.m. ET – Women’s soccer – USA vs. Germany
There’s no Alex Morgan. No Megan Rapinoe. The U.S. women’s national team has undergone major change since its disappointing World Cup last year. Emma Hayes left Chelsea in England to take over the USWNT. She’s overseeing the much-needed transition to youth that the program has long needed.
This will be just Hayes’ sixth game in charge. The team is still adjusting how to execute her system (i.e. score goals), but the U.S. got a sweet strike from Trinity Rodman and two goals by Mallory Swanson to beat Zambia 3-0 in Thursday’s tourney opener. The Americans will need to raise their game even further to beat Germany, which was a 3-0 winner against Australia.