Hoops, kills, boulders and baseball: Olympians with MN ties set to compete
With the final week of the Olympic Games underway, the focus shifts from gymnastics and swimming events to track and field and team sports. Plus, the debut of a new sport at the Olympic games, sport climbing, features a Minnesota athlete.
Here’s the latest roundup of who to watch and what happened in Tokyo.
When do Minnesotans compete?
Hopkins high school graduate Joseph Fahnbulleh took second place in his semi-final 200-meter race, setting a national record for Liberia and qualifying for the men’s final. The competition is set for a 7:55 a.m. broadcast in Minnesota, but it is also run on KARE 11 and other NBC stations at 8:10 p.m.
Kyra Condie will compete in all three qualifying events —speed, lead, and bouldering — in women’s sport climbing Wednesday at 3 a.m. The competition is set to broadcast on USA Network at 9 a.m., and on broadcast NBC stations at 12:45 p.m.
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Jordan Thompson and the U.S. women’s volleyball team will face off against the Dominican Republic in a quarterfinal match at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Women’s basketball, featuring Minnesota Lynx players Napheesa Collier and Sylvia Fowles, play against Australia in the quarterfinal round. The game is set to start at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, and NBCSN has set a rebroadcast time for Wednesday at 9 p.m.
The U.S. baseball team, which includes Minnesota Twins minor league pitcher Joe Ryan, is set to play in a knockout round against the Dominican Republic at 10 p.m., with the broadcast set for CNBC at 11:15 p.m.
Event and broadcast schedules are subject to change. Find the latest broadcast schedules at NBC and more Olympics coverage at KARE 11.
What’s happened so far?
Sunisa Lee’s final performance ended in fifth place on the balance beam with tough competition from China and her teammate Simone Biles. Lee said she was happy with her performance and for her teammate’s success.
"I'm really proud of myself. I'm actually super happy with the way this turned out," Lee said. "I really love Simone and just having her by my side was super great because she is a role model to me."
Lee ends the competition with three medals: a gold in the women’s individual all-around, a silver in the team all-around, and a bronze in the uneven bars event. Grace McCallum of Isanti was also a member of the silver medal team.
Along with three medals from Regan Smith, and two gold medals from men’s relay team members — Bowe Becker and Michael Andrew — Minnesota’s current medal count is at eight total (nine if McCallum’s team medal is included).
Payton Otterdahl qualified for the final round of the men’s shot put with a throw of 20.90 meters. The current top throw in the event was 22.05 meters, by the world and Olympic record holder Ryan Crouser of the U.S.
Lara Dallman-Weiss and her teammate Nikole Barnes landed in 12th place in the women’s 470 sailing competition.