It’s time to tune in to cheer for Virginia’s Olympic athletes.
U.S. Men’s 4.
Photo courtesy of USRowing
Between soccer, swimming, shooting, rugby and rowing, Virginia will be well represented at this summer’s Olympic games, with at least six athletes from the Commonwealth competing in Rio. See them don the red, white and blue during the Parade of Nations in tonight’s opening ceremony, which will be broadcast on the East Coast at 8:00 p.m. on NBC. Then, don’t miss watching our own go up against elite athletes from every corner of the globe. Here’s a guide to when to catch individual events. Swimming: Leah Smith Four-time NCAA champion Leah Smith is a rising fourth year at UVA. She’ll compete in the Women’s 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle and 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
Leah Smith
Photo by Matt Riley, Virginia Media Relations
When to watch: 12:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7 – 400m Freestyle 9:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7 – 400m Freestyle Final 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10 - 4x200m Freestyle Relay 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final 12:00 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11 - 800m Freestyle 9:00 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12 - 800m Freestyle Final Shooting: Ginny Thrasher Wunderkind Ginny Thrasher, a native of Springfield, just finished her freshman year at West Virginia University. She’ll compete in both female shooting events: 50m 3-positions and 10m air rifle.
Ginny Thrasher
Photo courtesy of WVU Athletic Communications
When to watch: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 - 10m Air Rifle Final 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 11 - 10m Air Rifle Soccer: Ali Krieger and Morgan Brian Woodbridge native Ali Krieger and UVA graduate Morgan Brian are both members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, which qualified for the Olympics after beating Canada 2-0 earlier this year. (Note that soccer matches began before the opening ceremonies.)
When to watch: 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 - USA versus France 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9 - USA versus Colombia Rowing: Matt Miller A native of Springfield, Matt Miller graduated from UVA in 2011. In 2014 he began rowing at the National Training Center in Princeton, and he’ll compete in the Men’s 4 events.
Matt Miller
Photo courtesy of USRowing
When to watch: 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10 7:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12 Rugby: Carmen Farmer Former Virginia Tech softball player Carmen Farmer, a Richmond native who graduated in 2003, will travel to Rio to compete with the U.S. national rugby team. A lawyer currently living in Maryland, Farmer started playing rugby about four years ago. When to watch: 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 - USA versus Fiji 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 - USA versus Colombia 10:00 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7 - USA versus Australia
