Rio Olympics TV schedule: What to watch Wednesday

Team USA saw big medal wins for women's gymnastics and swimming on Day 4. On Day 5, USA faces Australia in men's basketball, among other events. Read on for a schedule of Wednesday's competitions.

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Charlie Riedel/AP
US gymnasts (l. to r.) Gabrielle Douglas, Lauren Hernandez, Aly Raisman, and Simone Biles celebrate at the end of the artistic gymnastics women's team final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 9, 2016. The US women's gymnastics team won the Olympic gold.

Team USA continues to pad its lead with new medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The American athletes begin Day 5 with 26 total medals, while China retains its second-place standing with 17. Hungary has edged out Australia for third place, largely because of the efforts of Katinka “Iron Lady” Hosszu, who won three gold medals in medley swimming events.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian, earned his 20th and 21st career gold medals on Tuesday. Mr. Phelps beat out South African rival Chad le Clos in the 200-meter butterfly, for which Mr. le Clos holds the world record time, and finished strong in the 4x200-meter relay with the aid of Conor Dwyer, Ryan Lochte, and newcomer Townley Haas.

USA’s Katie Ledecky held off Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom and took home her second Rio gold in the 200-meter freestyle, an event considered to be Ms. Ledecky’s greatest weakness in the pool. China’s star diver Chen Ruolin won big in the synchronized 10-meter platform, bringing her closer to the record for most diving golds in Olympic history.

American athletes dominated in women’s gymnastics, pulling in eight-point lead over Russia. It was the highest victory margin ever in a major gymnastics meet under the current scoring system – in the past four Olympic games, the margin has never exceeded 1.5 points. Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez, Gabby Douglas, and Madison Kocian dubbed themselves "The Final Five" after the win.

But it wasn’t all good news and gold for Team USA. Tennis champion Serena Williams, hindered by a shoulder injury, suffered a third-round loss to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina. Previously, Ms. Williams and sister Venus were knocked out of the women's doubles, the duo's first-ever Olympic defeat.

Here are a few events not to miss on Wednesday. You can watch on NBC-TV or online through live streaming. All events are in ET.

Swimming:

Wednesday will be another big day for swimming events in Rio. American and reigning champ Nathan Adrian, along with teammate Caeleb Dressel, will compete in the Men's 100-meter freestyle final at 10:03 p.m. Both Phelps and Mr. Lochte are slated to compete in the 200-meter individual medley semifinal, which begins at 10:29 p.m., as they set their sights on the finals. Ledecky will appear for Team USA in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay final at 10:55 p.m.

Basketball:

US Men’s Basketball will face off against Australia at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with Carmelo Anthony just 12 points away from becoming the leading all-time scorer for his team. US Women’s Basketball, who have scored more than 100 points in each of their past two games, will take on a winless Serbia. The women's team, led by University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, includes former Huskies Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, and Maya Moore.

Want to see more athletes go for the gold?

Schedule of all gold medal-worthy events on Wednesday:

9:22 a.m. Rowing – Men’s quadruple sculls, final

9:34 a.m. Rowing – Women’s quadruple sculls, final

11 a.m. Shooting – Men’s 50m pistol, final

2:25 p.m. Canoe slalom – Men’s kayak single, final

2:30 p.m. Weightlifting – Women’s 69 kg, final

3 p.m. Diving – Men's synchronized 3-meter springboard, final

3 p.m. Gymnastics – Men’s individual all-around, final

7:15 p.m. Fencing – Women’s individual foil, gold medal bout

8:30 p.m. Table tennis – Women’s singles, gold medal match

9:03 p.m. Swimming – Men’s 200m breaststroke, final

9:54 p.m. Swimming – Women’s 200m butterfly, final

10:03 p.m. Swimming – Men’s 100m freestyle, final

10:55 p.m. Swimming – Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, final

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