The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are at the halfway mark, which means it’s time for athletics to take center stage. The track and field program begins in earnest on Friday, July 30, with a battery of preliminaries, heats and qualifying rounds across several events.
The women’s 100m event will be among those getting underway on Friday and the first track and field medal of the Olympic Games will be up for grabs in the men’s 10,000m at 8:30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. ET, 4:30 a.m. PT).
Here’s all you need to know to keep up with the action.
When Does Athletics Start at Tokyo 2020?
As is traditional, athletics comes to the fore as the Olympics move into their second week. The track and field program begins on Friday, July 30, at 9 a.m. local time (8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT on Thursday night) with the preliminaries of the women’s 100m and 800m, along with the qualification for the men’s high jump, qualification for the men’s discus and the first round of the men’s 3000m steeplechase.
The preliminaries of the men’s 400m hurdles begin at 11:25 a.m. local time (10:25 p.m. ET, 7:25 p.m. PT on Thursday night), while the women’s 100m first round heats run from 12:15 p.m. local time to 1:03 p.m. local time (11:15 p.m. ET, 8:15 p.m. PT on Thursday night.)
The evening session begins at 7 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET, 3 a.m. PT), with the first round of the women’s 5000m and qualification for both the women’s triple jump and the women’s shot put.
The first round of the 4x400m mixed relay starts at 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET, 5 a.m. PT), with the first medal assigned at 8:30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. ET, 4:30 a.m. PT) in the men’s 10,000m.
How to Watch Live on TV and Online
Track and field events on Thursday and Friday will be broadcast across NBC, NBC Olympics and USA with a livestream available via Peacock, the NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com.
The various sessions will also be available via streaming services such as fuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV, which all carry the NBC family of networks.
The first medal event in track and field of Tokyo 2020, the final of the men’s 10,000m, will be live on NBC Sport and Peacock.
Which Team USA Athletes are in Action?
William Kincaid, Grant Fisher and Joe Klecker will be looking for a medal in the 10,000m final.
Earlier in the day, Shelby McEwen leads a trio of Americans in the men’s high jump, which also includes Juvaughn Harrison and Darryl Sullivan, while Sam Mattis, Reggie Jagers III and Mason Finley fly the American flag in the men’s discus event.
Hillary Bor, Mason Ferlic and Benard Keter will feature in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, while in the men’s 400m hurdles, U.S. hopes will rest on the shoulders of Rai Benjamin, Kenneth Selmon and Dave Kendziera.
Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, Jenna Prandini and Gabby Thomas will be looking to progress in the women’s 100m, while Ajee Wilson, Athing Mu and Raevyn Rogers are Team USA’s entrants in the women’s 800m and Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer and Rachel Schneider will compete in the first round of the women’s 5,000m.
Keturah Orji, Tori Franklin and Jasmine Moore, meanwhile, will be looking to clinch qualification in the triple jump and Jessica Ramsey, Raven Saunders and Adelaide Aquila will hope to do likewise in the shot put.