Sports

July 26: Where and when to watch Minnesota Olympic athletes

Swimming - Olympics: Day 3
Regan Smith of Team USA competes in the Women's 100m Backstroke Semifinal on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Al Bello | Getty Images

Minnesota athletes will be competing in basketball, volleyball and swimming on Tuesday, but because of the time difference — Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of Minnesota — many of the competitions will air Monday night in Minnesota.

When do Minnesotans compete?

Regan Smith of Lakeville, Minn., will race in the 100 meter backstroke final. The competition is set to air on KARE 11 at around 8:30 p.m.

Smith, along with teammate Rhyan White, stand a strong chance to medal, with tough competition from Canadian Kylie Masse and Australian Kaylee McKeown, who holds the current world record at 57.45. Regan set a new Olympic record at 57.86 during the semifinals.

The U.S. women’s basketball team, with Minnesota Lynx players Sylvia Fowles and Napheesa Collier, will play against Nigeria to kick-off group play. You can watch the game at 11:40 p.m. on the USA Network cable channel.

The women’s volleyball team, including Minnesota’s Jordan Thompson, will play China starting at 9:05 p.m. Central Time, but the broadcast will start on Tuesday, July 27 at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.

Find the latest broadcast schedules at NBC and more Olympics coverage at KARE 11.

What’s happened so far?

Four people hold up gold medals.
The U.S. men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team of (from left) Zach Apple, Blake Pieroni, Bowe Becker and Caeleb Dressel poses after winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympics July 26, 2021, in Tokyo.
Petr David Josek | AP

Former Minnesota Gopher swimmer Bowe Becker was part of Team USA’s gold medal finish for the 4x100, beating Italy and Australia with at time of 3 minutes, 8.97 seconds, the third-fastest relay in history.

The women’s gymnastic team, which includes Minnesota’s Sunisa Lee, finished second behind Russia in the team qualifying competition. They’ll compete for the gold on Tuesday.

The men’s gymnastics team, which included Minnesota’s Shane Wiskus, finished fifth in the team final.