Olympic Viewing Guide: Clash of the Titans – Phelps vs. Lochte

June 27: All eyes are on the pool

The major U.S. Olympic trials are under way through July 2 in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Live coverage of many events can be found on the NBC Sports Network, and selected videos will appear on NBCOlympics.com. Here's what you should watch Wednesday, June 27:

The event: Swimming: women's 200m free, 200m IM (semifinals); women's 100m back, 100m breast (finals); men's 200m fly (semifinals) and men's 200m free, 100m back (finals).

When: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET, June 27, NBC.

Where: CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb.

Ones to watch: Michael Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing four years ago, taking his medal tally to 14 and making him the most successful Olympian ever. Phelps, 26, will face-off once again with Ryan Lochte in today's 200m freestyle final. Of competing with Lochte, Phelps told BBC Sports that, "One of the cool things about being able to race him, it doesn't matter what shape I am in, I always leave every ounce of energy in the pool. He brings every drop that I have out of my system.

"He's somebody I enjoy racing against and look forward to racing a lot over this year," added Phelps. Lochte, 27, is entered in 11 trial events and Phelps seven.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline ; color: #123cee}

Natalie Coughlin, 29, emerged on the international swimming scene in 2001 and has gone on to win 11 medals in 11 Olympic races and requires only two more in London to become the most decorated American female in history. Coughlin is the first woman in Olympic history to win back-to-back 100m backstroke gold medals and the first woman to break 59 seconds in the same event. She will be looking to continue her dominance in the event during tonight's 100m backstroke final.

Coughlin is seeded first ahead of teen swimming sensation Missy Franklin, who was a mere six-years-old when Coughlin first entered the 2001 world championships. "I love racing against Natalie," Franklin told USA Today. "She pushes me to a whole different level. And just watching her swim is so incredible. So to be actually swimming with her, it's such an honor." 

What happens: The fastest two swimmers in each individual event earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team bound for London.

Read more about the Olympic swimming trials and events.

For broadcast information, visit NBC 's Olympic website and click on "TV Listings" for your local listings.

Contact Us