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NBC Olympics to present extensive, unprecedented coverage of 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

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Mon, Mar 28th 2016 07:55 pm

Swimming, track and field, gymnastics, diving, rowing, wrestling, water polo and field hockey to air on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra

NBC Olympics will present an unprecedented 76 hours of coverage of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials across NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra - including more than 60 hours of coverage in primetime - in the months leading up to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. NBC Olympics' Trials coverage spans nine sports - swimming, track and field, gymnastics, diving, rowing, wrestling, water polo, field hockey and volleyball.

NBC Olympics' 76 hours of comprehensive coverage marks the most ever for the U.S. Olympic Trials, topping the 67.5 hours of coverage in 2012, and will feature some of the most anticipated stories and athletes of the Rio Olympics, including:

•Swimming - Michael Phelps, a four-time Olympian who stands alone as the most-decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals spanning three Games; 11-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte; Olympic gold medalist and nine-time world champion Katie Ledecky; and four-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin.

•Gymnastics - Three-time reigning world all-around champion Simone Biles; and reigning Olympic all-around gold medalist Gabrielle "Gabby" Douglas, and 2012 Olympic floor exercise gold medalist Aly Raisman, both members of the "Fierce Five" who won Team USA's second women's Olympic team gold.

•Track and Field - four-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix; 2012 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton; 2004 Olympic 100m gold medalist Justin Gatlin; and 2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Galen Rupp.

Trials coverage begins Saturday, April 9 (7 p.m. ET), on NBCSN with wrestling from Iowa City, Iowa, and concludes on Monday, July 18 (6:30 p.m. ET) with field hockey from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. NBC Sports has already provided live coverage of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials from Los Angeles and the Women's Olympic Volleyball Qualification Tournament, where the U.S. qualified for the Rio Games.

All events will be live streamed across NBC Sports Live Extra - NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs.

"As the U.S. Olympic rights holder through 2032, the Olympic Trials are a key component to our overall Olympic strategy," said Peter Diamond, executive vice president, programming, NBC Olympics. "This year, fans will be able to watch more of the compelling Trials coverage than ever before, as our nation's most talented athletes strive to represent the United States in Rio."

NBC and NBCSN will combine to present nine hours of primetime Trials coverage from St. Louis (men's Trials), and San Jose (women's Trials), including three primetime telecasts on NBC. Coverage of the men's Trials begins Thursday, June 23 (8:30 p.m. ET), on NBCSN, and continues on NBC on Saturday, June 25 (9 p.m. ET). NBC's coverage of the women's Trials from San Jose begins Friday, July 8 (9 p.m. ET), and continues on Sunday, July 10 (8:30 p.m. ET).

Biles will look to make her Olympic debut in Rio on the heels of three consecutive U.S. and world all-around championship titles (2013-15). Douglas won the individual all-around gold medal at the London Games. Douglas and Raisman, who earned the gold medal on floor exercise, were a part of the "Fierce Five" U.S. women's gymnastics squad that took home the team gold medal in London. Danell Leyva earned a bronze medal for Team USA in the men's all-around in 2012, while three-time reigning U.S. all-around champion Sam Mikulak will look to make his second Olympic appearance in Rio. Newcomer Donnell Whittenburg, who was second at the 2016 AT&T American Cup, is also expected to be a contender.

In addition to its Trials coverage of gymnastics, NBC Sports Group will televise coverage of P&G Men's and Women's Gymnastics Championships. The P&G Men's Gymnastics Championships will be telecast on Sunday, June 5 (2 p.m. ET), on NBC from Hartford, Connecticut, while NBC will air a pair of live primetime presentations of the P&G Women's Gymnastics Championships from St. Louis on Friday, June 24, and Sunday, June 26 (9 p.m. ET).

NBC Olympics will present eight consecutive nights of swimming Trials action in primetime, including seven primetime telecasts on NBC. NBC and NBCSN's 15.5 hours of coverage commences on Sunday, June 26, and runs through Sunday, July 3. Seven nights of live primetime coverage will air on NBC, with primetime coverage on Saturday, July 2 (8-9 p.m. ET), on NBCSN. NBCSN will also telecast daily qualifying heats.

Team USA hopes to build off of its dominant performance in London, where it won a total of 31 medals. Phelps will look to add to his total of 22 Olympic medals, the most in Olympic history, while Lochte aims to add to his 11 total medals. Franklin won four gold and five total medals in her Olympic debut in London, and nine-time world champion Ledecky looks to add to her medal count after stunning the field by winning gold in the 800m free in 2012.

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