Tokyo Olympics

5 to Watch: First Medals Awarded, 3×3 Basketball's Debut and Texans Go for Gold

Flag bearers Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez of Team United States lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
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There are several new sports making their Olympic debut in Tokyo, and Friday is when you can first catch the exciting action including Texans going for gold.

The first rounds of tennis get underway at 9 p.m. CT Friday and continue Saturday, look for Plano's Austin Krajicek in Men's Doubles on the Olympics Channel or you can stream it online.

Wylie's Jourdan Delacruz competed in the Group A Women's 49kg weightlifting competition late Friday night, but she did not medal.

You can stream it online or see highlights on the USA network at 9 a.m. CT Saturday.

USA Basketball wins first 3x3 game

Kelsey Plum and Allisha Gray, right, of the USA Women's National 3x3 Team smile during USAB Womens 3x3 National Team practice at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 17, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Kelsey Plum and Allisha Gray, right, of the USA Women's National 3x3 Team smile during USAB Women's 3x3 National Team practice at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 17, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With First Lady Jill Biden in attendance, Team USA cruised to a 17-10 victory over France in their first-ever 3x3 Olympic game.

Chicago Sky center Stefanie Dolson, Dallas Wings guard Allisha Gray, Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum and Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young make up the inaugural Team USA 3x3 roster. Young was named a replacement for Seattle Storm guard Katie Lou Samuelson, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

Stefanie Dolson scored a game-high seven points and added six rebounds. Kelsey Plum scored six points.

Next up, the US will face Mongolia tomorrow in group play.

China wins first gold medal of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Mary Tucker of the Kentucky Wildcats competes during the Division I Men’s and Women’s Rifle Championship held at the French Field House on the Ohio State University campus on March 13, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.
Jay LaPrete/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The first medals of the Tokyo Olympics have been awarded. Yang Qian, Anastasiia Galashina and Christen Nina were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals respectively in women’s 10m air rifle.

Russian Olympic Committee’s Anastasiia Galashina finished in second, earning the silver medal. Switzerland’s Nina Christen was awarded the bronze medal.

Dalhausser and Lucena return to the Olympics

Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena celebrate in the finals against Trevor Crabb (not pictured) and Tri Bourne (not pictured) during the Porsche Cup on Aug. 2, 2020, in Long Beach, California.
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Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena celebrate in the finals against Trevor Crabb (not pictured) and Tri Bourne (not pictured) during the Porsche Cup on Aug. 2, 2020, in Long Beach, California.

Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena will be back in the pit at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

The American men’s beach volleyball duo won its pool in the preliminary round at the Rio Games before losing to eventual gold medalists Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt of Brazil on their home court in the quarterfinals. Lucena helped convince Dalhausser, who won gold with Todd Rogers at the 2008 Beijing Games, to return for another Olympic run.

Dalhausser and Lucena, both 41 years old, will start Pool D play against Dutch pair Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen on Saturday. Pool D also features returning gold medalist Alison with a new partner, Álvaro Morais Filho, and Argentinian pair Julian Azaad and Nicolas Capogrosso.

Watch live at 7 a.m. CT on USA, or stream it online.

U.S. softball team get another shutout, improve to 3-0

The Team USA Softball team defeated Canada in their second game of the Tokyo Olympics. U.S. starting pitching remained dominant as starting pitcher Monica Abbott pitched through the 6th inning

The U.S Olympic softball team kept rolling Saturday, defeating Mexico 2-0 for their third-straight victory.

Texan Cat Osterman delivered once again for Team USA, pitching a one-hit shutout for her second win of the Tokyo Games.

The U.S Olympic softball team will look to stay undefeated against Australia at 8:00 p.m. CT at the Yokohama Baseball Stadium

Swimming heats begin early on Saturday morning

Chase Kalisz of the United States reacts after competing in a semifinal heat for the Men's 200m individual medley during Day Five of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 17, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska.
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Chase Kalisz of the United States reacts after competing in a semifinal heat for the Men's 200m individual medley during Day Five of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 17, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska.

The swimming competitions at the Tokyo Games will make a splash beginning Saturday morning.

Action will begin at 5 a.m. CT on Saturday with heats in six events: men’s 400m IM, women’s 100m butterfly, men’s 400m freestyle, women’s 400m IM, men’s 100m breaststroke, and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

The finals for the men’s 400m IM, men’s 400m freestyle, women’s 400m IM, and women’s 4x100m relay will take place Saturday night beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Chase Kalisz (men’s 400m IM); Torri Huske and Claire Curzan (women’s 100m butterfly); Kieran Smith (men’s 400m freestyle); Emma Weyant and Hali Flickinger (women’s 400 IM); Michael Andrew (men’s 100m breaststroke); and Abbey Weitzeil and Erika Brown (women’s 4x100m relay) will be among the top Americans to watch on the first day of the swimming competitions.

One of the biggest questions going into Tokyo was whether or not Texan Simone Manuel would be included in the women’s 4x100m relay team. The four-time Olympic medalist took gold in the women’s 100m freestyle and 4x100m relay in Rio, but she failed to qualify in the 100m freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. She secured her spot on the Olympic swimming team by winning the 50m freestyle at the trials, but it remains unclear if she will get a chance to go for another gold as part of the relay team.

Watch the opening heats live on USA, or stream online.

USWNT aims for bounce-back performance vs. New Zealand

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Julie Foudy gives three ways she expects the U.S. women's soccer team to improve against New Zealand in its second match at the Tokyo Olympics. The USWNT lost its opening match to Sweden, 3-0.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team was dealt an eye-opening defeat to kick off the Olympics, falling to 2016 silver medalist Sweden in a 3-0 rout. The loss snapped a 44-game unbeaten streak and was the first time the team lost by multiple goals in a major tournament since 2008.

Now, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Co. will try to rebound against New Zealand, which lost to Australia in its opening game.

With just two group stage games left and only the top two teams from each group earning automatic qualification to the quarterfinals, the USWNT could use a three-point result after coming up empty against Sweden.

Watch Team USA face New Zealand live on NBCSN, or stream online.

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