Caeleb Dressel, Regan Smith’s Quests for Gold Highlight Friday’s Olympic Action

Dressel will try to defend his Olympic gold in the thrilling 50-meter freestyle, while Smith is aiming to win the 200 backstroke, an event she previously held the world record for.

Smith won silver in the 200 butterfly on Thursday, and will aim to do one place better Friday in the 200 back. / Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Day 7 of the Olympics is here, and it’s shaping up to be a big one. Action continues in the pool and starts on the track, but there are also some fun things to look out for in a few of the lesser-known sports. My daily guide will help you know what to watch.

You should also subscribe to Sports Illustrated’s Daily Rings, the podcast where Dan Gartland and I recap everything every night, with new episodes published before NBC’s prime-time coverage is even over.

Here’s what I’ll be watching Friday, August 2.

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 7 Olympics viewing guide! A monster day. The big stuff is easy to see.

But also: I unironically love trampoline, and this is the only day to see it. And French judo legend Teddy Riner competes. And hello, kayak cross!#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/53t8SaE6qG

— Mitch Goldich 🐙 (@mitchgoldich) August 2, 2024

Swimming

It should be another raucous night in the pool, with the race known as the splash and dash, the men’s 50-meter free. Yes, that’s just one length of the pool, the shortest race at the Olympics. American Caeleb Dressel is the defending Olympic champion, and he has a chance to get back on the podium. The women’s 200-meter backstroke should also be a great race, with American Regan Smith gunning for a medal after winning silver in the 200m butterfly Thursday.

And Léon Marchand will compete in the 200-meter IM, after we already saw him win golds in the 400 IM, 200 breaststroke and 200 fly in front of his home crowd.

Judo

Speaking of French athletes, let’s talk judo. If you haven’t watched any, this is the day to do it. Heavyweight Teddy Riner is a legend of the sport. Remember we saw him light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony, which should give you some idea of how good he is.

This is his fifth Olympics. He already has four individual medals, plus a gold in the team event, which was new in Tokyo. He’s going for his third individual gold, and the gym will be going crazy. Action starts at 4 a.m. ET, and the finals have been starting around 11:30 a.m. ET (should he make it through).

Riner won the bronze medal for the heavyweight class in Tokyo, but will be going for his third gold on Friday. / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Trampoline

Trampoline gymnastics! It’s only a one-day event, so this is your only chance to see it. The trampolinists bounce eight meters high (about 26 feet), and routines are made up of 10 separate elements—all kinds of flips and twists and tucks—scored on difficulty and execution.

They’ll have qualifications and then finals. The women’s finals are at 7:50 a.m. ET and the men at 1:50 p.m. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth checking out.

Lightning round

• We saw the race walk on the streets of Paris on Thursday, but on Friday the athletes will actually get on the track. (Which, by the way, is purple this year.) The only track and field final is the men’s 10,000 meters. But there will also be heats in a ton of events.

• The U.S. men’s soccer team advanced out of group play, and will have a win-or-go-home quarterfinal against Morocco at 9:00 a.m. ET.

• U.S. men’s doubles partners Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul have a semifinal in the morning (the second match of a 6:00 a.m. ET session), and if they win, it would set up an all-U.S. gold medal match against Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

• The men’s and women’s BMX racing finals are slated for 3:35 p.m. ET.

• Two U.S. beach volleyball teams will be in action at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Miles Evans and Chase Budinger play at 9:00 a.m. ET, and Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng play at 4:00 p.m.

• The men’s and women’s windsurfing finals start shortly after 8:00 a.m. ET. This may be the easiest sailing event to follow for people who don’t typically watch it.

• Friday is the Olympic debut of kayak cross, with the men's time trial at 9:30 a.m. ET and the women’s at 10:40. I’ll have more to say about this event when we get to the medals.