Day 5 of the Tokyo Olympics -- which in San Diego was from the evening of Tuesday, July 27 to the morning of Wednesday, July 28 -- featured several athletes with San Diego ties, plus some important medal ceremonies, particularly for swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Here’s a list of some highlights to watch at the Tokyo Olympics on Day 5 -- July 28, 2021, Tokyo time.
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1) Katie Ledecky Snags Gold, San Diego's Michael Andrew Gives His All
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It was a busy day for Katie Ledecky.
The all-star swimmer had a chance to come away with two more Olympic medals after earning silver in the women’s 400m freestyle. On Tuesday, missed the podium in the women’s 200m freestyle but claimed the gold in the premier women’s 1500m freestyle, with two hours in between races. She had the top times in qualifying for both events, even setting an Olympic record in the inaugural 1500m heats.
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Gunnar Bentz did not make the podium in the men’s 200m butterfly final, but in the women’s 200m individual medley, Alex Walsh (silver) and Kate Douglass (bronze) took home a pair of medals for Team USA.
Tuesday’s slate concluded with the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final, an event where Team USA has won four straight gold medals. This year, Great Britain finished first, though, and Team USA was left off the podium
The night’s action also included semifinal races in the men’s 100m freestyle, women’s 200m butterfly and men’s 200m breaststroke.
Also, Michael Andrew, who lives and trains in Encinitas, competed in the heats for Men's 200m Individual Medley.
He won that race in 1:56:40, advancing to the semifinals in great form.
You can catch the replay here or below:
2) 3x3 Women's Basketball Final: Team USA (Including San Diego Native) Makes History
Team USA made history at the 3x3 women's basketball final, snagging that gold.
The quartet of WNBA players -- Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Jackie Young and Poway native Kelsey Plum -- led the U.S. to an 18-15 victory over the Russian Olympic Committee in the first-ever women's 3x3 basketball gold medal game on Wednesday. The outcome was never in doubt as the Americans jumped out to an 8-3 lead behind five early points by Plum.
Read the full recap of the gold medal game here.
3) Brady Ellison Competes in Individual Prelims
Top-ranked archer Brady Ellison, who trains in Chula Vista, competed in the individual prelims for men's/women's archery overnight.
And he hit the mark, big-time.
Ellison plowed his way to the quarterfinals with two 6-0 shutout wins.
You can watch the replay here or below:
Mackenzie Brown -- who also trains out of the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in San Diego County -- also reached the quarterfinals with ease, winning 6-2 and 6-0. Casey Kaufhold won her opener but fell in the Round of 16. Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez also won her opener and put up a good fight against top-ranked Deepika Kumari of India before losing 6-4. Jack Williams lost in the first round.
4) U.S. men’s basketball tries to get on track vs. Iran
Team USA was stunned by France in the fourth quarter of their Group B opener on Sunday. France ended the game on a 16-2 run, handing the Americans their first Olympic loss since 2004 in Athens.
On Tuesday, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Co. turned their attention to Iran, which lost its first game in Tokyo to the Czech Republic. To no one's surprise, the U.S. easily vanquished Iran 120-66.
Beyond momentum, a victory will carry weight for the United States in the standings since only the top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
5) U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team Takes on Hungary
Team USA started off the tournament with a historic, 21-goal victory over host nation Japan on Saturday. The margin of victory was the most ever in a women’s Olympic water polo game … until Spain broke the record against South Africa just a few hours later. The Americans followed that outing up with a 17-12 win over China.
However, Hungary turned the tide against the U.S. Women's team, handing the Americans a 10-9 defeat. The U.S. will have to turn it around again if it hopes to repeat as gold medalists.
