What to Watch at Olympics on August 8: Lyles, McLaughlin-Levrone Take Center Stage

The two stars will look to add to Team USA’s success on the track. Plus, women’s volleyball and men's basketball face stiff competition in the semifinals.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone looks to defend her gold medal in the women's 400-meter hurdles. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Day 13 of the Olympics is here. There are just a few days left, and you may have a handle on the schedule for your favorite sports by now. But I’m back with another daily watch guide to help you know which events you should check out.

You can also subscribe to Sports Illustrated’s Daily Rings, my daily podcast where Dan Gartland and I recap every sport every day. We have been having a ton of fun, and it’s not too late to join us. New episodes have been published every night before NBC’s prime-time coverage is even over. 

Here’s what I’ll be watching Thursday, August 8.

This is not a comprehensive list; visit Olympics.com for a full schedule. All events will stream live on Peacock. I’ll also be tweeting out a schedule of medal events, Team USA games and other favorites each day.

My Day 13 Olympics viewing guide! Some big ones on Thursday #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Pfg7YG28KJ

— Mitch Goldich 🐙 (@mitchgoldich) August 7, 2024

Track and field

It’s another big night on the track. (How many times have I written that in the past week?) I’ll note two races in particular. Noah Lyles already won the 100 meters, and now it’s time to watch him compete in the 200 meters, which is actually his better event. Completing the double would cement his status as an Olympic sprinting legend.

Another great race to watch is the women’s 400-meter hurdles, where Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the heavy favorite. She can run faster in the 400 hurdles than some of the top sprinters do the 400 without hurdles. She won gold in Tokyo and owns the world record. Now, she’ll look to add to her medal tally and lower that record-setting time even further.

The finals session starts at 1:35 p.m. ET and the other medal events are the women’s long jump, men’s javelin and men’s 110-meter hurdles.

Volleyball

The U.S. women have not just a semifinal, but a great rivalry game against Brazil. These two teams have met in the gold medal game three times in the past four Olympics. In Tokyo, the U.S. beat Brazil for gold. In 2008 and ’12, Brazil came out on top.

This time around, they’ll face off a round earlier, with the winner going for gold and the loser fighting for bronze. This game will start at 10 a.m. ET.

LeBron James will lead Tea USA into a semifinal against Nikola Jokić and Serbia. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Basketball

The U.S. men’s team takes on Serbia in a semifinal—a rematch of the first game in group play, which Team USA won by 26 points. Serbia, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, had to survive a wild overtime game against Australia just to get here. 

The game tips at 3 p.m. ET. The other semifinal is France against Germany at 11:30 a.m. ET. The winners will meet in the gold medal game Saturday.

Lightning round

The U.S. women’s water polo team also has a semifinal. That game is against Australia at 1:35 p.m. ET. Remember, this team has won three straight Olympic golds. 

In sport climbing, we saw the women’s speed finals Wednesday and now it’s time for the men’s speed event. American Sam Watson set a new world record of 4.75 during a qualifying run.

Nobody from the U.S. will participate, but the men’s and women’s beach volleyball semifinals should be fun. Those games are at 11 a.m. ET, noon ET, 3 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET.

Egypt will play against Morocco for bronze in men’s soccer at 11 a.m. ET.

And Germany will play against the Netherlands for gold in men’s field hockey at 1 p.m. ET.

Rhythmic gymnastics is finally getting underway. There are sessions at 4 a.m. ET and 9 a.m. ET. Team USA’s only entrant, Evita Griskenas, is in the early session. You can learn more about her—and rhythmic gymnastics—from SI’s Lauren Green here.

Modern pentathlon will also start with individual fencing (men at 5 a.m. ET, women at 8:30 a.m. ET).

And there are a few wrestlers I’ll have an eye on Thursday. Helen Maroulis won gold in Rio and bronze in Tokyo, and her third Olympics will get underway. Aaron Brooks, who won four straight NCAA championships at Penn State, will also get started. And Darian Cruz, who won an NCAA championship for my alma mater at Lehigh University, will be wrestling for Puerto Rico.