Top 5 moments from Day 2 in Rio
In the second day of the Rio Olympics, a few huge upsets grabbed attention, but it was the big names that snagged the spotlight by living up to their colossal hype. Michael Phelps solidified his claim as the greatest Olympian ever by helping the United States to a surprising relay win, but that was just one of the top five moments of the day.
Michael Phelps gets 19th gold with tremendous time in 4×100 relay
At age 31, it’s not too surprising that Phelps was in the second spot in the 4×100-meter freestly relay on Sunday night rather than the most crucial, fourth “anchor” position. It was surprising that Phelps blew away the competition during his leg to give the United States a lead it didn’t relinquish in a race that Australia was favored to win. His blazing 47.12 split set up his 19th gold medal and 23rd medal overall.
Simone Biles lives up to hype, cruises through qualifications
It wasn’t a perfect day for Biles, but if there was any doubt that she’s as great as experts say she is, those questions were shelved Sunday. By the time qualifications were over, Biles had the top spot in balance beam, vault, floor routine and the individual all-around. With Team USA well ahead of the competition as well, Biles has a chance to win five gold medals, something no female gymnast has ever done in a single Olympics.
Katie Ledecky dominates and smashes a world record
The 19-year-old swimming star is a big favorite in several events and didn’t disappoint in her first chance to win an individual medal in Rio. She crushed every other competitor from start to finish in the 400-meter freestyle, smashing her own world record in the process. Her dominant victory fired up folks on Twitter and means it’s a good bet that she’ll cruise to easy victories in a few more events before the Olympics are through.
Dutch cyclist fractures spine in horrific crash
Annemiek van Vleuten was leading the women’s cycling road race Sunday when disaster struck and she was launched headfirst off her bicycle. It was later revealed that the accident caused three small fractures in her lumbar spine as well as a “heavy concussion.” Fortunately, the Dutch cyclist later tweeted that she was OK, but mostly disappointed that she wasn’t able to finish the best race of her career.
Big-name tennis favorites eliminated early
Novak Djokovic hasn’t done well in his previous Olympic showings, but losing in straight sets in the first round is a different story. It was against Juan Martin Del Potro, who is far from an easy out, but it’s still a surprising way for the world’s No. 1 tennis player to go out. For Serena and Venus Williams, it was also an early elimination, but unlike Djokovic this is uncharted territory for the sisters. The loss to Czech Republic is the first-ever doubles loss in the Olympics for the three-time gold medal-winning duo.
