The best thing about the Olympics is that you can just turn on the TV and see what’s going on. Every four years, we all spend two weeks getting really invested in table tennis and water polo. But maybe you’re a serious business person who can’t afford to have Peacock open in another window all day while you crunch numbers in a spreadsheet. How can you make sure you don’t miss the events everyone is going to be talking about? I’ve rounded up what I think are going to the best events over the next two weeks. I even included when (in Eastern Time) the events will be airing, because I care. Let’s go.
Gymnastics
This is kind of a gimme. Of course you know that you want to watch gymnastics — it’s kind of what the Summer Olympics are all about (to me, at least). Simone Biles is going to be the star of the show, competing in at least five of the six days of competition. (Side note: Biles is such a star that while most athletes are swapping pins featuring their country’s flag at the Olympic Village, she has her own custom pin to hand out.) She may appear in all six, depending on how she does on the uneven bars which are technically her “worst” event. When you’ll want to tune in is up to you (the team final is on July 30 and the all-around final is on August 1), but I would recommend not missing the vault finals on August 3. Not only is that where Biles routinely dominates, but it’s where she has some strong competition. After Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took home the gold medal for vault. She intends to do so again, which will create some fierce competition between the two.
When to tune in: July 30, 12:15 p.m.; August 1, 12:15 p.m.; August 3, 10:20 a.m.
Track
Running is a sport that doesn’t really translate well on television (there should be a normal person on the sideline, for scale), but you can always tell that Sha’Carri Richardson is running faster than everyone. After missing out on the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC, Richardson is making her Olympic debut in Paris. Here’s where it gets good: The reigning Olympic champ for the 100M is Elaine Thompson-Herah, but she’s out of the race due to an Achilles injury. Richardson’s main competition is now Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Shericka Jackson, who took home the silver and bronze medals three years ago, but who both lost to Richardson at the 2023 World Championships. It’s going to be a very close race, and it’s also going to be ten seconds long. You need to stay glued to the TV on August 3, or you’ll miss it.
When to tune in: 1:10 p.m., August 3
Skateboarding
I don’t want to make you feel bad, but there’s a skateboarder in the women’s competition who was born in 2010. Australia’s Chloe Covell is 14 years old, and is already more successful than you or I. Covell isn’t even the only 14-year-old in the sport, she’s joined by Japan’s Coco Yoshizawa, who is going to turn 15 in September. If you want to feel remarkably uncool, you can catch them skating on July 28.
When to tune in: 11 a.m., July 28
Surfing
Did you know that the Olympic surfers will be riding a wave called Teahupo’o, which translates to “place of skulls”? Thousands of miles away from Paris, our top surfers will be in Tahiti, riding one of the most intense and dangerous waves in the world. For context, people get paralyzed on this wave. There’s a reef on the seafloor just underneath, and if you crash you get thrown right into it. Pull up Peacock on July 30 for the men’s and women’s finals, where you’ll (probably) be watching as American surfer Carissa Moore caps off her professional career with one final, wild drop in.
When to tune in: 5:45 p.m., July 30
Breaking
New sport alert! New sport alert! They put breakdancing in the Olympics, and it’s going to be very cool. Representing the U.S. is Sunny Choi, who until very recently was director of global creative operations of skincare at Estée Lauder. Sorry to be corny, but the Olympics really are an advertisement for following your dreams. (Do not yell at me about all the bad things about the Olympics, I’m aware!) Anyway, the Olympics are saving the best for last, and the breakdancing events are scheduled for the last two days of the games. The women will compete on August 9 and the men on August 10. Remember when everyone spent their summers watching So You Think You Can Dance? This will fill that void.
When to tune in: 2 p.m., August 9; 2 p.m., August 10
Speed Climbing
I just happen to like this one. Look at them scramble!
It’s like the spider monkey scene from Twilight. If you want to watch a bunch of people seemingly float up a wall, the women’s final is on August 7 and the men’s final is on August 8.
When to tune in: 6:35 a.m., August 7; 10:30 a.m. August 8
Swimming
If you are interested in the men’s individual medley, I can’t help you. What I can tell you are all the days that Katie Ledecky, the fastest woman to ever swim, is going to compete. American exceptionalism is out, except for when Ledecky finishes a full pool length before everyone else and is just chilling by herself for a few seconds. The seven-time gold medal winner will be competing in different events from July 27-August 3, but I’d be sure to clock in on July 31 and August 3. That’s when Ledecky will be swimming the 1,500-meter freestyle and 800-meter freestyle, respectively. She currently holds the world record for both of those races, and it’s always cool when she beats herself.
While Ledecky is surely going to dominate, there’s another swimming event that’s less about who wins or loses. After months of speculation as to whether or not they could get all the poop particles out of the Seine, the marathon swimmers are going to hop into France’s famous river and swim for ten kilometers (six miles, to us Americans). It’ll be fun to watch a bunch of insanely strong and fast athletes swim past Notre Dame, plus, there’s an element of danger. Will they get E. coli? We’ll find out on August 7 for the women and August 8 for the men.
When to tune in: 2:30 p.m., July 31; 2:30 p.m., August 3; 1:30 a.m. August 7; 1:30 a.m. August 8