A Jamaican sprinting legend goes for gold and Japan’s men’s soccer team begins the knockout round looking to turn some more heads.
Here are the key events to look out for on Day 8.
If you’re wondering where to watch the action in Japan, check your local TV listings or make use of this handy streaming guide by The Japan Times.
Baseball: Quest continues for Samurai Japan
Japan’s baseball team may have left things a little too close for comfort in the opener against the Dominican Republic, but the end result should give them confidence heading into their second game against Mexico.
Samurai Japan struggled at the plate for much of the game Wednesday but it’s hard to imagine a team with Seiya Suzuki, Yuki Yanagita and Hayato Sakamoto staying quiet for long.
First pitch at Yokohama Stadium is at 12 p.m.
Athletics: The fastest women on Earth
Track and field picks up steam on the second day of competition at the National Stadium, with the women’s 100-meter final capping a busy day of action.
Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Olympic champion at the distance in 2008 and 2012, has her sights on a seventh Olympic medal. A gold medal would tie her with Usain Bolt as the only sprinters to win three Olympic titles at the distance, while a medal of any color would give her more medals in the 100 than anyone in history, male or female.
The fastest women in the world got off to a blazing start on Friday in the heats, perhaps showing that the summer heat won’t be a factor for sprinters, with both Fraser-Pryce and compatriot and 2016 gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah posting impressive times.
Medals will also be handed out in the men’s discus throw and the 4×400 relay mixed final. The night session begins at 7:10 p.m., with preliminary heats and qualifications taking place in the morning from 9 a.m.
Judo: One last gold?
From Naohisa Takato in the men’s under-60 kg to Akira Sone in the women’s over-78 kg, Japan’s judoka have been piling up gold medals for the host country at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan.
One top prize is still on the table: Gold in the mixed team event.
The event, which has been won exclusively by Japan going back to the 2017 when it made its world championship debut, is new to the Olympic program this year. With a varied roster of gold medalists at its disposal, Japan is a clear favorite to cap the judo competition with yet another gold. France, winner of three of the four silvers at the worlds, would appear to be the host’s biggest competition.
Japan has a bye to the quarterfinal and will need need to win that round and a semifinal in order to battle for the gold in the evening session, which begins at 5 p.m. with the bronze medal matches.
Soccer: Men’s knockout round begins
Japan has been full marks throughout the men’s soccer tournament, earning hard-fought wins over South Africa and Mexico before steamrolling reigning world champions France. But as the JT’s Dan Orlowitz writes, the Olympic tournament has long struggled for legitimacy due to a lack of prestige and amid a crowded international soccer calendar.
But don’t tell Japan that. The energetic host side has legitimate medal hopes if they play like the confident group that stormed out to an early lead against Mexico.
Japan plays New Zealand in the quarterfinals beginning at 6 p.m. Other matches feature Spain against Cote d’Ivoire at 5 p.m., Brazil vs. Egypt at 7 p.m. and South Korea against Mexico at 8 p.m.
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