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Swimming at the Olympics: What to Watch For

Like most years, we dive into the Olympics by diving into the pool. Swimming dominates the first week of the games. Expect some familiar faces and some new ones, many of them Americans, on the medals stand.

Competition gets underway on Saturday night, July 24, in Tokyo, which is Saturday morning in the United States. Competition continues every day until the evening of Saturday, July 31, U.S. time.

How does the meet work?

For most events, competitors swim heats, with the top 16 times qualifying for the semifinals. The eight fastest swimmers in the semis advance to the finals.