Monday, August 8, 2016

Rio 2016 Day 3: World"s best swimmers and gymnasts go head to head

(CNN)Records are tumbling, cyclists are crashing, rowers capsizing -- the Rio OIympics have already delivered some thrilling sport and there is a lot more action to come on Monday when the world"s best swimmers and gymnasts go head to head.

There are a host of gold medals to be won and an American fencer is also set to make history.
    Will today"s competition throw up some new sporting heroes and faces for the future?
    Here are five highlights to watch on day three:

    Swimming

    Some of the really big names in women"s swimming begin their battles in the 200 meters freestyle event.
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    There are also medal events in the men"s and women"s 100m backstroke and the women"s 100m breaststroke.
    Katinka Hosszu will also be in action in the heats of the women"s 200m individual medley. The Hungarian shattered the 400m medley world record Saturday, knocking off more than two seconds and leaving the rest of the field a long way behind.
    Nicknamed "The Iron Lady," Hosszu had considered quitting after a disappointing London 2012, admitting to suffering depression. Hosszu may face a challenge from Britain"s Siobhan-Marie O"Connor, American Madeline Dirado and Australia"s London 2012 bronze medalist Alicia Coutts.

    Gymnastics

    Take time to marvel at some of the incredible feats of strength and balance that seem to defy the laws of physics.
    The men"s team competition looks like being a hotly-contested event after close qualifiers for the final.
    China led the way, with the U.S. second. Russia, Japan, Great Britain, hosts Brazil, Ukraine and Germany all join them in the battle for the medal places.
    Saturday"s qualifier was marred by a horrific injury to France"s Samir Ait Said who broke his leg attempting a vault. Said landed awkwardly after doing two backward flips.
    2015
    Ones to watch are Russia"s David Belyavskiy, Briton Max Whitlock, American Sam Mikulak, and Japan"s Kohei Uchimura -- widely considered as the greatest gymnast of them all.
    His fans call him "Superman" and he is the reigning Olympic individual champion who also has 10 world championship gold medals in his collection.
    He told CNN before last year"s world championship: "I want to create beauty that nobody else can express. I want people who do gymnastics -- and those who don"t -- to watch and notice there is something different about my performance."

    Rugby sevens

    The women"s competition reaches a climax today with the semifinals and the medal matches.
    World champion Australia takes on Canada, then New Zealand faces Great Britain for a place in the final.
    It"s the first time this fast and furious version of the game has featured at the Olympics, and before Rio got underway the Down Under rivals were expected to be in the hunt for bragging rights.
    Team USA fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is set to make history at Rio as the first American to compete in the Games while wearing a hijab. She told CNN she wants to defeat stereotypes.
    The Americans have a strong team, with 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis also competing in the saber.
    Italy won the most fencing medals at London 2012 with three golds and seven in total, and will likely be strong contenders again.

    Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/07/sport/rio-olympics-5-things-monday/index.html

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