Petr David Josek/Associated Press
The first four gold medals of the Tokyo Olympics swimming program will be handed out on Saturday night.
The top American stars will not be after individual glory in the four events, but one of the most decorated female swimmers will be.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu is the reigning champion in the 400-meter individual medley and she has a chance to add to her three Olympic golds if she defends that crown.
The men’s 400-meter individual medley, men’s 400-meter freestyle and the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay are the other medal events in the pool.
Japan’s first gold medal of the Olympics could come in the men’s skateboarding street competition. The host nation has two of the top competitors in that discipline and they will go head-to-head with Nyjah Huston of the United States.
Saturday’s full schedule can be found here on NBCOlympics.com. The NBC networks will carry numerous events on television, with swimming being in the primetime spotlight on NBC. All events can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.
Predictions
Katinka Hosszu Defends 400 IM Title
Hosszu is the queen of the 400-meter individual medley.
The 32-year-old won the event in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and she took the event on five occasions at the World Championships.
Hosszu is the reigning world champion in the event. The last World Championships were held in 2019.
In total, the Hungarian owns 64 gold medals from the World Championships and European Championships in short and long course pools. Three of those golds have come at the Olympics.
Hosszu won the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter backstroke at Rio as well. All of the pressure will be on her to start her Olympic program on a high note.
The individual medley tests swimmers in all four disciplines. Hosszu and her competitors will swim the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle for 100 meters each in the IM.
Japan’s Yui Ohashi and Hali Flickinger from the United States are expected to be Hosszu’s top competition, but it would be a surprise if anyone dethrones the Hungarian given her strong track record in the event.
Yuto Horigome Captures Gold For Japan
Yuto Horigome could be one of the first host nation heroes that emerges from Olympic competition.
The 22-year-old skateboarder is the favorite to capture the street competition that takes place on Saturday night at 11:25 p.m. ET.
Horigome won the World Championships title in skateboard street in Rome earlier this year. He also has a X Games gold medal from 2019 on his growing resume.
Horigome may not be the only Japanese skater to land on the medal podium. Sora Shirai is projected to be one of the top performers in the event as well.
If Horigome and Shirai both medal, it would give Japan its first dual-medal event winners of the early Olympic schedule.
The Japanese duo will have more focus on them than first thought on Saturday night since Daiya Seto failed to reach the final in the men’s 400-meter individual medley.
Horigome is Japan’s best shot to capture a gold medal on Saturday night. He should be able to back up his world title while fending off his fellow countryman and the top American competitor, Nyjah Huston.
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