Locals filled up the lineup of events on Day 7 of the Tokyo Olympics. From Encinitas swimmer Michael Andrew's shot at gold to a Scripps Ranch native who is competing in a unique Olympic event, here are the results for our 5 events to watch out of Tokyo Thursday evening and into Friday morning, San Diego time.
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1) Swimming Finals, Including Michael Andrew in Individual Medley
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Encinitas swimmer Michael Andrew could have taken home a medal for Team USA today, but unfortunately lost his lead, for the second time in the race, on the fourth and final leg and finished all the way in fifth place.
China's Wang Shun earned the gold medal in Thursday's final, Great Britain's Duncan Scott won silver and Switzerland's Jeremy Desplanches came in third place for bronze.
The U.S. swim team had a three-medal performance on Thursday night, however none of them were gold.
Reigning Olympic champion Ryan Murphy won silver in the men's 200m backstroke. Evgeny Rylov of the Russian Olympic Committee got the best of Murphy again in a backstroke final. Rylov defeated Murphy in the 100m backstroke on Monday night. Wednesday night Rylov was once again victorious, this time in the 200m. Rylov prevented Murphy from repeating as Olympic champion with a time of 1:53.27, just ahead of Murphy (1:54.15).
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In the women's 200m breaststroke, Lilly King and Annie Lazor claimed silver and bronze respectively. South African Tatjana Schoenmaker set a new world record to win the gold medal; the first individual swimming world record of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Two Americans grabbed the other two medals, with Lilly King winning the silver medal and Annie Lazor taking home the bronze. Lazor and King, training partners and friends outside of Olympic swimming, held their arms around each other after winning their medals.
2) Baseball is Back: Team USA vs. Israel (Look for Some San Diego Connections)
Japan started off the Olympic baseball tournament with a bang on Wednesday, beating the Dominican Republic on a walk-off single. On Friday, the U.S. makes its return to the Olympic diamond for the first time since 2008, when it won the bronze medal.
The Team USA roster blends experience with promise. Todd Frazier, Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson, Anthony Gose and David Robertson bring MLB experience, while Triston Casas, Simeon Woods Richardson and Shane Baz are promising prospects. Another U.S. star is infielder Eddy Alvarez, who has already been under the Olympic spotlight in Tokyo as one of the American flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony.
The Team USA baseball roster also includes a couple of players with local ties: San Diego native Nick Allen – an alum of Frances Parker High School. Allen, an infielder and one of the Oakland' A's top prospects, was a part of the qualifying team that went a perfect 4-0 to earn a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.
There are also a few players on the Olympic team who have played for (or were connected to) the San Diego Padres in different capacities over the years: Patrick Kivlehan; Tim Federowicz; Edwin Jackson. You can read more about those ties here.
Meanwhile, Israel's roster features some notable ex-big leaguers in Ian Kinsler, Danny Valencia and Ty Kelly. The team is ranked No. 24 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, while the U.S. comes in at No. 4. First pitch between the two sides is at 3 a.m. PT on Friday.
Baseball was a demonstration sport in six Olympics before gaining full-time status in 1992. The sport was then voted off the Olympic program for 2012 and 2016 before being brought back for the 2020 Games. It will be removed from the 2024 slate in Paris, but it could return for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Team USA will play again at the Tokyo Olympics on July 31, at 12 a.m. PT (San Diego time) at Yokohama Baseball Stadium, this time against South Korea.
You can watch that game live here or with the link below.
3) Women's Rugby: Team USA Takes on Australia
Team USA's women's rugby was eliminated from medal contention after falling 21-12 to Great Britain in the quarterfinal round.
It's the second straight Olympics the women's team was eliminated in the quarterfinal round.
Team USA was off to a rough start allowing Great Britain to score two tries within the first 3 minutes of play. With just 90 second left in the first half, they trailed 14-0. In the second half, another score from GB set the score at 21-0.
While The U.S.'s Naya Tapper scored just at the buzzer to set the score at 21-12, Great Britain took the W.
Much of Team USA's men's and women's rugby teams spend time training for one of the most physical contact sports of the Olympics at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Center -- which means they also live in the San Diego area.
The men's team was also eliminated in the quarterfinal.
If you're not too familiar with rugby, here are some reasons to watch the fast-paced and captivating sport.
Even though Rugby is over for Team USA you can listen to NBC 7's Olympic Dreams podcast featuring Abby Gustaitis of the women's team. LISTEN to the episode below:
4) Scripps Ranch Resident Competes in Trampoline
Scripps Ranch resident Nicole Ahsinger competed in the women's trampoline final. She missed bringing home her country's first medal in the sport, but did clinch its highest finish ever by securing 6th place.
Read all about how Ahsinger got her start in her sport here.
5) BMX Racing Semi/Finals: 2 With San Diego Ties Crash to Miss Finals
Alise Willoughby, who trains in Chula Vista is a 2015 graduate of the University of San Diego, was hoping for a medal in the BMX finals Thursday, but a nasty crash in the semifinals kept her out of the medal race.
Willoughby is top-ranked in BMX racing, winning gold at the 2019 BMX World Championships. She also won gold at the BMX World Championships in 2017, silver in 2014 and bronze in 2016 and 2010.
She’s been to the Olympics three times – 2012; 2016; 2020 – and she knows exactly what it takes to compete at the highest level. Willoughby won silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and walking away from Tokyo empty-handed was a surprise to many around the sport.
Before heading to Tokyo, Alise and Sam Willoughby -- her husband, coach and inspiration -- joined NBC 7’s Steven Luke on our Olympic Dreams: San Diego to Tokyo podcast.
Men's BMX racing star Connor Fields, who also trains in Chula Vista, was involved in a nasty crash that sent him to the hospital.
Fields was heading into the first turn of his third semifinal heat when he clipped another racer's back wheel, stopping his bike and shooting him head first into the track.
Fields was taken off the track on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. At around 11 p.m. San Diego time, NBC 7 learned Fields was awake and awaiting further medical evaluation.
