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5 To Watch: Women's Gymnastics, Brazil's Soccer Quest Highlight Rio Day 2

Stanford student, ranked world No. 1, hopes to make his mark in individual foil fencing

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THE GYMNASTS TAKE THE FLOOR

Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and the other American gymnasts will be competing on all of the apparatuses, from balance beam to uneven bars, to qualify for the finals in team, all-around and event competition. The top eight teams will advance to the finals, and the U.S. Olympic women are the favorites to take team gold medal.

Douglas didn’t have a great performance at the Olympic Trials, but the reigning all-around gold medalist is hoping to bounce back and lead the team to a second team gold in a row. 

Sunday is also a chance to see Simone Biles in the Olympic arena for the first time. She’s won three straight all-around world championships and four U.S. gymnastics titles in a row, too, so it would be safe to say expectations are high. 

How to Watch: See the women begin the qualifying round as they try to defend their gold medal here on your smartphone or desktop computer, or on NBC Sports, at 1:30 p.m. PT.

>> Watch this event LIVE online here

Alexander Massialas Fencing
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Alexander Massialas adjusts his foil during team Men's Foil competition at the Pan-American Fencing Championships on June 24, 2016 at the Convention Center Vasco Nunez de Balboa in Panama City, Panama.

CAN MASSIALAS BE FOILED? 

Alexander Massialas, a 22-year-old Stanford student, was the youngest American male athlete at the London Games four years ago, but wants to set a much more important record this time around.

Team USA has never won a gold medal in individual foil fencing, but Massialas is the world No. 1, and is looking to change that Sunday. Coached by his dad, he gives the U.S. it’s best-ever shot at taking gold in a sport that dates back to the first Olympic games in Athens in 1896.

How to Watch: Fencing begins at 12 p.m. PT. Watch it here on your smartphone or desktop computer, or on MSNBC.

>> Watch this event LIVE online here

Katie Ledecky 800 heat
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Katie Ledecky of the United States competes in the final heat for the Women's 800 Meter Freestyle during Day Seven of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CenturyLink Center on July 2, 2016, in Omaha, Nebraska.

LEDECKY GOES SOLO

Stanford-bound swimmer Katie Ledecky continues her quest to dominate the Rio Games after anchoring the U.S. women’s 4x100-meter freestyle Saturday night.

Ledecky, 19, made a big splash four years ago in London. She is competing in five events this summer: the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle along with the 4x200-meter free relay to go with Saturday’s race. 

She went into the Olympics with the world record in 400-meter freestyle, so she’ll have one eye on her opponents in the pool and one on the clock when she dives in for the high-octane event.

How to Watch: Keep up with Ledecky’s quest for gold in Rio from the Aquatics Center here on your smartphone or desktop computer, or on NBC at 9 a.m. PT for the preliminary heats. If she advances, the final will be at 3 p.m. PT.

>> Watch this event LIVE online here

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Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena of the USA Men's beach volleyball team.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

If any sport says "Rio," it’s beach volleyball at Copacabana, and on Day 2 of the games American newcomers Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat are headed to the Olympic sand. On the men’s side, Phil Dalhausser returns to Olympic sand with his partner from the past, Nick Lucena.

The year 2013 was big for Sweat. She won her first domestic volleyball tournament that year, then teamed up with Kendrick, who won the title in 2011. Now the pair are taking their first bows at the Olympics, hoping to make a big impact and escape the shadow of the top American beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross. 

Dalhausser already has one gold medal, from the 2008 games in Beijing, but didn’t medal in London in 2012. Now paired up with Lucena, he’s got a good chance at a second medal, since the duo ranked third going into the Olympics in June.

How to Watch: Watch the women at 7 a.m. PT here on your smartphone or on your desktop computer, or click here to watch the men at 12:30 p.m. PT. Both matches will air on NBC. 

>> Watch the women's event LIVE online here

>> Watch the men's event LIVE online here

BRAZIL’S SOCCER DROUGHT

Soccer is Brazil’s national sport, but their soccer team wasn’t able to score in their opening game Thursday, a scoreless draw against South Africa, even though South Africa ended the match down a man. 

Led by stars Neymar (you may recognize him from his world-famous team, FC Barcelona) and Gabriel Jesus, the "Selecao," as they’re known in Rio, will be roaring back onto the pitch with a match against Iraq. They have a point to prove in this competition — Brazil hosted the World Cup two years ago, and the national team wasn’t able to win on home turf.

How to Watch: The opening whistle is at 6 p.m. PT. You can watch the game here on your smartphone or desktop computer, or on NBC Sports.

>> Watch this event LIVE online here

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