TOKYO, Japan — More than 600 athletes are representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympics and a number of them are from Indiana.
Here are the Hoosier athletes to watch on Friday, July 30 (Note: All dates and times listed are in eastern time):
Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd — Basketball
Team USA is seeking its seventh consecutive gold medal in women's basketball.
South Bend native and University of Notre Dame graduate Skylar Diggins-Smith and University of Notre Dame graduate Jewell Loyd are part of the 12-person roster.
The team played Japan Friday in their second game in Group B of the preliminary round. Team USA won, 86-69.
Loyd had 12 points and 4 rebounds. Diggins-Smith did not play.
Team USA defeated Nigeria on Tuesday.
Team USA's final preliminary game before the knockout rounds is Monday, Aug. 2 at 12:40 a.m. ET vs. France.
Lynna Irby — Track & Field
Merrillville native and Pike High School graduate Lynna Irby is competing in her first Olympics in the inaugural 4x400-meter relay mixed event.
Irby represented Team USA alongside Taylor Manson, Bryce Deadmon and Elija Goodwin.
According to The Associated Press, the U.S. breezed to a victory in the first qualifying heat of the relay Friday morning but was initially disqualified for what officials said was an illegal pass between Irby and teammate Elija Godwin. The ruling said Irby had positioned herself “outside” the zone to receive the baton from Godwin.
The AP reports the U.S. team appealed and was reinstated and placed directly into the final, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 at 8:35 a.m. ET. USA Track and Field did not give details of the reason for the appeal.
The finals of the 4x400-meter relay mixed event will be available to stream on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports mobile app.
Michael Brinegar — Swimming
Columbus native and IU student Michael Brinegar is competing in the men's 1500-meter freestyle swimming event.
Brinegar finished fifth in the second heat with a time of 15:04.67 but did not qualify for the finals.
The eight fastest swimmers from the four heats advanced to the finals, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 at 9:44 p.m. ET.
The finals of the 1500-meter freestyle event will air live on WTHR Channel 13.
Brinegar also competed in the 800-meter freestyle event at the Tokyo Olympics. He finished seventh in his heat with a time of 7:53.00 but did not advance to the finals.
Lilly King — Swimming
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, an Evansville native who graduated from IU, is competing in the women's 4x100-meter medley swimming event.
The U.S. finished second in the second heat with a time of 3:55.18 and advanced to the finals. King swam her lap in 1:05.51.
The eight fastest teams advanced to the finals, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 at 10:15 p.m. ET.
Team USA will compete for gold against Australia, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, ROC and Sweden.
The finals of the 4x100-meter medley event will air live on WTHR Channel 13.
King won silver in the women's 200-meter breaststroke Thursday night. She won the bronze medal in the women's 100-meter breaststroke Monday night.
In 2016, King won gold medals at the Rio Olympics in the 100-meter breaststroke and 4x100-meter medley.
Rachel Dincoff — Track & Field
Rachel Dincoff, of Auburn, Indiana, is competing in her first Olympics in the women's discus throw event.
Dincoff's top throw, 56.22 meters, was 11th in her qualification heat, but was not good enough to advance her to the finals.
Thirty-two competitors entered the competition with the 12 athletes with the longest throws moving on to the final, which is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 2 at 7 a.m. ET.
The finals of the women's discus throw will be available to stream on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports mobile app. The event will be replayed in primetime on WTHR Channel 13 Monday night.
Dincoff finished third in the women's discus final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials last month.
Mariel Zagunis — Fencing
University of Notre Dame graduate and five-time Olympian Mariel Zagunis is one of three Americans competing in the women's sabre team fencing event.
Zagunis went 1-2 during the quarterfinals against France, which topped Team USA, 45-30, to advance to the semifinals.
The U.S. then beat China to reach the fifth-sixth place match against Japan. If they win, they will finish fifth. If they lose to the Japanese, the U.S. finishes sixth in the competition.
The final match is scheduled for 1:30 a.m. ET Saturday.
The women's sabre team fencing event will be available to stream on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports mobile app.
Fellow University of Notre Dame graduate Francesca Russo is the reserve member for the U.S. women's sabre team.
RELATED: Rules of the Game: Fencing
In the team competition, each team has three members and one in reserve, competing in a round-robin format. There are nine sets of three-minute rounds with a maximum of five points for each round. The first team to score 45 points, or the team with the highest score after all nine rounds, is the winner. The other team is eliminated.
Zagunis won gold medals in individual in 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing), as well as bronze medals in team in 2008 (Beijing) and 2016 (Rio).
She placed fifth in the individual in Tokyo, losing to Sofya Velikaya, of ROC, 15-8.
Annie Drews — Volleyball
Elkhart native and Purdue University graduate Annie Drews joins the U.S. women's volleyball team for her first Olympics.
The U.S. lost to ROC in their fourth of five games in Pool B of the preliminary round Friday night, three sets to none. Team USA has already defeated Argentina, China and Turkey.
They wrap up pool play Sunday at 10:05 p.m. ET against Italy, which currently leads Group B.
The Americans have already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, which start on Wednesday, Aug. 4 in Japan.
Preliminary rounds of volleyball will be available to stream on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports mobile app.
What other people are reading:
