There was no shortage of must-see action on Day 12 of the Tokyo Olympics. New Jersey and New York City were featured on the track in one of the biggest showdowns of the Games so far (which more than lived up to the hype) and U.S. women's basketball extended their win streak.
The banged-up USA women's volleyball team took on the Dominican Republic in a quarterfinal matchup with one of its marquee players last seen in a wheelchair.
American skateboarders looked to upset Japan in the women's park debut, but came up short. The Japanese team took gold and silver, the latter of which was won by a 12-year-old who is Japan's youngest Olympian.
Without further ado, here are our 4 to Watch on Day 12:
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DON'T MISS THE ACTION: For a complete rundown of all the day's events in Tokyo, visit the streaming schedule page for NBCOlympics.com. Watch every event live there, on the NBC Sports App and connected set-top boxes and catch the highlights in primetime on NBC.
1. World Record Set As NJ, NYC Finish 1-2 in Women's 400m Hurdles
One of the biggest showdowns of the entire Tokyo Games went down at the Olympic Stadium Tuesday night, as New Jersey's Sydney McLaughlin and New York City's Dalilah Muhammad faced off in the women's 400m hurdles final — and neither disappointed.
McLaughlin broke her own world record to win the gold medal, running in 51.46. Muhammad, who led for a large part of the race and was neck-and-neck with McLaughlin coming down the stretch, finished with a personal best of her own at 51.58 as she claimed the silver. That time would have been god enough to also break the previous world record, but wasn't enough for her to repeat as Olympic champion.
McLaughlin came into Tokyo with the world record in the event, while Muhammad won the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was the first Olympic medal for McLaughlin, who took nearly half of a second off her previous world record.
The two did not disappoint in Tokyo. McLaughlin posted the best semifinal time in the event on Tuesday with a 53.03 mark. Muhammad won her heat with the second-best overall time of 53:30.
Fellow American Anna Cockrell also raced in the final after placing second in the third semifinal heat on Tuesday. She was disqualified due to a lane violation.
In a second session early Wednesday, Courtney Frerichs won silver in women's steeplechase, After taking the lead for most of the race, she was passed on the final lap by Uganda's Peruth Chemutai. Chemutai went on to win the first gold medal by a Ugandan woman in Olympic history.
Allyson Felix advanced and will attempt to win another medal in the women's 400m final. The 35-year-old mother finished second in her heat to automatically qualify for the race. Felix crossed the finish line in 49.89 seconds.
MORE: NY's Rai Benjamin relives 'best race in Olympic history'
2. Team USA Heads to Semifinal After Beating Australia to Extend Winning Streak
The U.S. women’s basketball has won 53 straight Olympic contests dating back to 1992. Now, the squad stands two more victories away from a seventh straight gold medal.
The U.S. jumped out to a comfortable lead early en route to a 79-55 rout of Australia in its quarterfinal matchup at the Tokyo Olympics. That fast start led to a spot in the Final Four as the team extended its winning streak to 53 games and put itself within two victories of a seventh straight gold medal.
Breanna Stewart had a game-high 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Brittney Griner added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Team USA went 3-0 in the group stage by beating Nigeria, Japan and France. A’ja Wilson has been the leading scorer with over 20 points per game in her Olympic debut, while Breanna Stewart is averaging a double-double through three contests.
The U.S. now advances to face Serbia, which defeated China 77-70 in the quarterfinals, on Friday at 12:40 a.m. ET.
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3. U.S. Women's Volleyball Dominates the Dominican Republic in Quarterfinals
The U.S. women’s volleyball team faced adversity throughout the preliminary round, and the road didn't get any easier going into the quarterfinals.
Team USA went 4-1 in round-robin action while dealing with apparent ankle injuries to two marquee players in Jordan Thompson and Jordyn Poulter, but the first-place finish in Pool B dominated the Dominican Republic, 3-0, in the knockout quarterfinal on Wednesday.
The Americans head to the semifinal taking place Friday, Aug. 6, though it's not yet clear which nation they will face.
Thompson sat out of the quarterfinal match, though the team is hopeful she can return at some point in the elimination rounds. Poulter, meanwhile, exited Sunday’s comeback win over Italy and watched the remainder of the game from a wheelchair.
The Dominican Republic lost its first three matches in Tokyo but turned things around with wins over Kenya and Japan to secure a quarterfinals berth.
MORE: Second injury for USA women's volleyball team
4. Japan Takes Gold, Silver in Women's Park Skateboarding; Americans Shut Out of Medals
Japan won its third straight gold to kick off the inaugural Olympic skateboarding competition, but was unable to sweep the podium this time.
After winning gold in the men’s and women’s street events last week, the host nation entered the women’s park final with a pair of medal favorites. They would take gold and silver in this competition as well, with Sakura Yosozumi placing first and Kokona Hiraki — who's just 12 years old, Japan's youngest Olympian ever — taking the silver.
Great Britain’s Sky Brown placed third, edging out the favorite in the competition, Misugu Okamoto.
The 15-year-old Okamoto was well ahead of the competition in 2020, winning the X Games, Dew Tour and world titles that year. But the year delay for the Tokyo Olympics gave time for the competition to catch up, as Yosozumi and Brown were able to complete a 540.
Jordyn Barratt, Bryce Wettstein and Brighton Zeuner represented the U.S. Wettstein was the only American to move on to compete in the finals after finishing fifth in the preliminary round with a score of 44.50. She would ultimately finish sixth, with the top four riders clearly ahead of the rest of the pack.
MORE: History made at women's skateboarding podium
