Summer Olympics 2021: What to Watch for on Day 16 in Tokyo

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Breanna StewartEric Gay/Associated Press

The last three weeks have brought a constant stream of exciting games, but the Tokyo Olympics conclude on Day 16.

Seventeen gold medals will be awarded on the final day of action. Most notably for Team USA, two women’s teams are aiming for the top of the podium. Basketball takes on Japan, and volleyball meets Brazil.

Additionally, the Closing Ceremony is slated for Sunday morning with a prime-time replay in the evening.

Sleep schedules will soon return to a typical pattern, but we’re staying up late one final time. Day 16’s events run from Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, so all start times listed are ET.

This is your guide to Day 16 at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Athletics

Men’s marathon: 6 p.m. ET Saturday, USA and NBC

            

Basketball

Women’s gold-medal game: United States vs. Japan, 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday, NBC

               

Boxing

Men’s light final bout: Keyshawn Davis (USA) vs. Andy Cruz (Cuba), 1:15 a.m. ET Sunday, CNBC

Men’s super heavy final bout: Richard Torrez Jr. (USA) vs. Bakhodir Jalolov (Uzbekistan), 2:15 a.m. ET Sunday, CNBC

               

Cycling

Medal events begin at 10:45 p.m. ET Saturday, USA and NBCOlympics.com

           

Handball

Women’s gold-medal match: Russian Olympic Committee vs. France, 2 a.m. ET Sunday, USA and NBCOlympics.com

            

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Group all-around final: Coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET Saturday, USA

               

Volleyball

Women’s gold medal-match: Brazil vs. United States, 12:30 a.m. ET Sunday, USA and NBC

                   

Water Polo

Men’s gold-medal match: Greece vs. Serbia, 3:30 a.m. ET Sunday, USA

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Eric Gay/Associated Press

After leaving the 1992 Barcelona Games with bronze, the U.S. women’s basketball team has celebrated six consecutive golds.

And now, only Japan stands in the path of No. 7.

Team USA advanced to the championship round with a 79-59 triumph over Serbia. Brittney Griner (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Breanna Stewart (12 points, 10 rebounds) both posted a double-double in the win, and Chelsea Gray scored 14 points. The victory also extended the team’s Olympic winning streak to 54 games.

As expected, the U.S. is the heavy favorite. Japan had never advanced to the semifinals in the competition—let alone won a medal—before these Olympics. Plus, in pool play, the U.S. beat Japan 86-69.

NBC will broadcast the game at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

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Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Beach volleyball stars April Ross and Alix Klineman earned gold for the U.S., and the women’s indoor team is aiming for the same.

Will the world’s No. 1 team finally break through?

Team USA has collected five medals in the women’s indoor volleyball since its debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games. However, all three previous appearances in the gold-medal match (1984, 2008 and 2012) ended with heartbreak and a silver.

The final opponent for the U.S. is Brazil, which earned gold at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games. Brazil is a perfect 7-0 and has only dropped four sets in Tokyo.

USA will carry the match at 12:30 a.m. ET Sunday, and NBC coverage is expected to start at 1:30 a.m. ET.

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Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Serbia has competed under a few delegations in the history of the Summer Olympics—Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro—but the nation has consistently thrived in men’s water polo. Most recently, Serbia took gold at the 2016 Rio Games.

Greece, on the other hand, has only played for a medal once in 15 previous appearances. The 2004 team narrowly missed out on bronze when Athens hosted the Summer Games.

But the Greek team is no stranger to defying history; it’s already defeated a couple of traditional powers in Tokyo. Greece toppled Montenegro—the fourth-place finisher in 2008, 2012 and 2016—and nine-time gold medalist Hungary to reach the final.

The gold-medal game is slated to begin at 3:30 a.m. ET Sunday and will be available on USA.

Also of note, the United States will challenge Croatia in the fifth-place game at 10 p.m. ET Saturday.

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Nathan Denette/Associated Press

Shortly after the competitions end Sunday morning, the Closing Ceremony will begin at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

Along with the Parade of Nations, the Olympic flag will be lowered and handed to a representative of the 2024 Paris Games. The Olympic flame will be extinguished, as well.

Kara Winger, a four-time Olympian, will be the flag bearer for the United States. Winger served as one of two captains for the U.S. track and field team in Tokyo.

For the early crowd, the festivities can be seen on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

NBC’s prime-time production will begin at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, and the three aforementioned outlets will also carry the ceremony.