The National staff
The Olympic Games are officially under way in Rio as Matt Smith picks five must-see events taking place on Sunday. All event times UAE.
• Rio 2016 TV: How to watch the Olympics in the UAE + schedules
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Men’s 100m backstroke
UAE swimmer Yaaqoub Al Saadi, 20, will be looking to set a personal best when he competes in the 100-metre backstroke heats (9.16pm) – one of two events the Emirati is competing in at Rio.
Al Saadi, who holds the national record in the 50m and 100m backstroke, won three golds at the last GCC Swimming Championship in Dubai. He likely needs to knock at least five seconds off his best time to progress.
Men’s 4x100m freestyle
Olympic legend Michael Phelps is tipped to be part of the United States team for the relay (6.54am Monday) as he aims to add to his 18 gold medals.
Taking part in his last Games, Phelps, 31, is also entered in three individual events.
Read more: Michael Phelps – new father, new focus – qualifies for record fifth Olympics
Gymnastics
Even on “autopilot”, Simone Biles, pictured, and Gabby Douglas will spearhead a powerful United States women’s gymnastics team’s bid for Olympic gold today. Douglas, 20, is the reigning Olympic all-around title-holder and Games rookie Biles, 19, is a three-time world all-around champion.
The US are the reigning Olympic and two-time world team champions, with gold theirs for the taking with the battle between Douglas and Biles set to ignite the all-around.
“We’ve done so many routines we’re kind of on autopilot right now, so it’s just like go, go, go, go,” warned Douglas, bidding to become the first woman since Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska in 1968 to win back-to-back all-around gold.
Cycling
World champion Lizzie Armitstead is favourite for the women’s road race (7.15pm) although she enters Rio under a bit of a cloud.
Armitstead was given an Olympic reprieve over three whereabouts ‘failures’ when the first was declared void by the Court of Abritration for Sport. She will be aiming to upgrade the silver she won at London 2012.
Read more: Expect another unpredictable road race on 'gnarly course' at Copacabana Beach
Archery
South Korea are heavy favourites to win the team title (from 4pm) in a discipline they dominate, having won 19 of 36 gold medals available since 1972.
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