Note: Due to a family commitment, I am WAY BEHIND on coverage--we’ll see if I can catch up today.
We kickoff Sunday Primetime with the end of the Women's Cycling Road Race--and an improbable US win, leading into the Zimmer-esque QISE theme. Tirico paints a picture of the evening before going to the pool and the Women's 50m Free (Sweden wins). Then it's the Men's 1500m Free swim (US wins). Off to Bercy Arena for Men's Vault (Philippines wins), and Tirico steps in to summarize the Men's Golf competition (another US win).
Out to the track and semis, as well as the Women's High Jump (Ukraine would later win). There's a video package on Norway's Jakob Ingerbrigtsen. He was part of a reality show there--his family is filled with athletes--and his father is accused of abuse. Cut to the Men's 1500m run semi--Jakob qualifies.
Meanwhile, Tirico reports that the mixed triathlon relay will go on tomorrow, despite pollution concerns regarding the Seine River (Belgium pulled out after one of their team got sick, reportedly from e-Coli). This is followed by a piece featuring Snoop and Martha Stewart at Versailles--she's teaching him Dressage. Then it's a rerun of the Women's Uneven Bars final (Suni gets a bronze), and the Medley Relay swims. The US Men have owned this event since it was added in 1996, but not this year--the Chinese dopers pushed them to silver. The US Women walk away with it, getting a world record.
As expected, the “Event of the Night” is the Men’s 100m Dash. We get a Noah Lyles video package, as he tells us how great he is. After an interminable buildup, Lyles wins in a photo finish (0.005 seconds, based on a “lean”). NBC was convinced Jamaica won at first. They wrap it up with the medal count (the US and China are now tied for the most golds at 19, while the total count is US 71, China 45) a Tirico commentary on how QISE has become professional (and that’s a good thing, I guess?), and the Ladies Swimming medal ceremony.
Onto Monday’s Today Show--a long review of Women’s Gymnastics (of course), with veteran Shawn Johnson, and a spoiler of today’s Beam final (thanks Kabletown). Ledecky continues her interview tour, a ton of QISEans drop by, then Craig and Al try the Shot Put.
Monday coverage--Lowe sends us to the track and more heats (you know there’s other things going on, right NBC? Right???) A VERY quick review of the Women’s Gymnastics Beam final--like 30 seconds (Simone fell, Italy won their first medal in the event), and onto the Floor final--Biles stepped out of bounds. I wonder if this will get better coverage in the evening? Or did they look at the overnight numbers and decide people are done with Gymnastics?
Melvin sends us to the Aquatics Center and Women’s 10m Diving Semis. China is so dominant that it’s a race for bronze. Analyst Laura Wilkinson is almost condescending in her comments (”That was a PRETTY good dive...”). The US entry was eliminated, so I assume the finals coverage will be truncated. A quick B-Ball update, then over to Fareed at the QISE golf course, and Mary Carillo compares croissants with Cookie Monster.
Another 30 second spoiler for Women’s Gymnastics--still not clear why Kabletown has abandoned this. Lowe and Melvin then spend more time talking about Simone’s mental issues than the actual competition. Onto Beach Volleyball, and some fast forwarding. After a whiparound, we check in on water polo, and then another review of the 100m Dash (complete with Noah Lyles bravado).
Back to the track--actually the field and Pole Vault intros. But of course, track heats (in this case, Men’s Steeplechase) get better coverage. Back to Pole Vault, just to see the US guy and the presumptive favorite from Sweden. Tirico shows us another photo finish, this time for the Team Triathlon, where the US got silver eventually. During this whiparound, there’s a piece of background music that is just vibrating my speakers. I feel like I’m driving around a hoopty.
More Pole Vaulting, with the presumptive winner just hanging out. Then it’s 200m heats--yawn. A break for surfing and Colin Jost (I thought he was sent home--guess this is an earlier taped report). We learn the Surfing finals have been delayed due to weather. More heats, more vaulting. Hey, we get a final--except it’s the Women’s 5000m. Kenya takes gold and silver (or did they?). We also get Women’s Discus--US’s Valarie Allman wins it.
Tirico notes the the US got the bronze in 3x3 B-Ball. The Women’s 800m run final--Team GB takes it. The Men’s Pole Vault concludes, and it’s the Swede. Meanwhile, there’s a controversy on the Women’s 5000m--a Kenyan involved in a block with an Ethiopean was DQ’d, which moves an Italian into the bronze (assuming a Kenyan challenge doesn’t stick). While the Swede decides whether to go for the world record, Tirico takes us to a Set Point on Men’s Volleyball US v. Brazil. We keep going back and forth between these for awhile. Finally, the Swede Duplantis gets the record (he had won a while back--the competition took 3 hrs 20 min). Back to Volleyball--zzzz.
Primetime Monday, which begins with the end of that same Volleyball game. Can you guess if the US won? We learn why NBC didn’t cover Women’s Gymnastics when it was live--they saved it for tonight, despite promises that they wouldn’t “hold” events. More Noah Lyles shenanigans (he’s still got the 200m, which is his better event), and then a video package on Julien Alfred, the sole Saint Lucia medal winner going for a second one--she wins her 200m semi. We get a rerun of the field events that day, including a video package on Duplantis.
Off to Women’s Gymnastics, starting with the Beam. As were told multiple times throughout the day--Suni falls, Simone falls, there’s mistakes across the board. Italy takes gold and bronze (the first Italy gold in this event), with Brazil taking the silver. After a Tirico whiparound, we have more Track and Field reruns, followed by the “Event of the Night”, Women’s Floor Exercise. Simone has a bad fall during warmups, limps away, and goes out of bounds twice in her performance. Roumania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea is given an out of bounds penalty as well--despite it appearing she didn’t. There’s an inquiry about Jordan Chiles, and whether she got a full score--it’s chaos. In the end--Simone and Jordan get silver and bronze, with Brzail’s Andrade winning gold. Jordan must have screamed a lot--her voice is shot for the interview.
Tirico takes us to Tahiti for the Surfing final--France wins for the Men, US for the Women. Simone Biles then stops by for her post-game interview. Her left calf and foot is in a boot. Tirico finishes up with medal count--US and China tied for golds with 21, while we’re ahead by 26 total.
Finally--we make it to today’s Today Show. The gang starts on top of the Arc de Triomphe. Simone continues her interview tour, as does Marchand. More medal winners, and we learn most of the Today team is heading home. The Bobbsey Twins go shopping, and more from Ina Garten.
Onto Day 11--Lowe sends us to the finals of Women’s Diving. China’s win is a fait accompli. In Versailles, it’s Equestrian Individual Finals. When the announcers aren’t yapping, it’s normally a very quiet sport. At one point, Henrik von Eckermann (remember him?) parted company with his horse. Germany wins it.
More Volleyball (of the indoor variety), then a peek-in of Women’s Futbol. Ledecky shows off her numerous medals to Cookie Monster and Elmo. 10,000 miles away, Surfing continues--sans Colin Jost, sent home due to all his injuries and illnesses. Luke Bradnam, an Australian TV weatherman, takes over his duties. France wins the men's competition, US the women’s.
Over to Fareed, taking the elevator up the Eiffel Tower (lame!) There’s a Lowe/Melvin whiparound, then back to the Track for yet more semis. Menawhile, the thrilling Futbol match continues, running nil-nil until the very end--the US moves onto the Gold Medal Match. The Women’s Hammer Throw is on, more semis, and Tirico interviews Women’s Discus winner Valarie Allman. Then a final--Mens’ 1500m, with US upsetting one of the favorite in a QISE record, plus a bronze (the first time in 112 years this has happened for the US).
Allyson Felix stops by to talk about the Women’s 200m Final, Canada wins the Women’s Hammer Throw (US silver), and Bahrain wins the Women’s Steeplechase final in a last lap surge. Then it's the Men's Long Jump, and a Tirico whiparound, with a peek at Men's B-Ball quarterfinals, before we go to the Women's 200m final. Gabby Thomas of the US wins, after a bronze in Tokyo. Tirico takes us back to the B-Ball court, the beach for Volleyball, and the pool for Water Polo to wrap things up for the day.
Hey, I actually caught up! More tomorrow.