POSTED: Tuesday August 3rd 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MICHAEL PHELPS HIGHLIGHTS NBC SPORTS' COVERAGE OF THE 2010 USA SWIMMING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Universal Sports Presents LIVE Weekday Coverage
Hambletonian and Ironman World Championships Round out NBC Sports Weekend Coverage
NEW YORK - August 3, 2010 - Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in U.S. history takes to the pool as NBC Sports presents highlight coverage of the 2010 USA Swimming National Championships from Irvine, Calif., this Saturday 4-6 p.m. ET and Sunday 4:30-6 p.m. ET.
Universal Sports will provide live coverage of the Swimming National Championships beginning tonight (Tuesday) at 9 p.m. ET and continuing tomorrow (Wednesday) at 9 p.m. ET.
The 2010 National Championship features more than 1,200 swimmers, as they compete to qualify for the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships Team and the 2011 FINA World Championships. Along with Phelps, highlighting the field are Olympians Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Ryan Lochte and Cullen Jones. NBC’s Olympic Swimming broadcast team of Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines call the event with Alex Flanagan on the deck providing interviews.
HAMBLETONIAN LIVE ON NBC SPORTS SATURDAY, 3 P.M. ET
NBC Sports presents live coverage of the 85th edition of harness racing's “Greatest Race,” the Hambletonian from the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., Saturday 3-4 p.m. ET. The Hambletonian is one of America’s oldest sporting events dating back to 1926, showcasing legendary Standardbred horses.
The Hambletonian attracts the world’s finest trotters including Lucky Chucky, whose trainer, Chuck Sylvester, has won the Hambletonian four times and whose rider, John Campbell, has won the race a record six times. Challenging Lucky Chucky is Holiday Road who has beaten Lucky Chucky three out of the four times they faced off.
NBC Sports will present a feature on Sylvester and Lucky Chucky, the sentimental favorite in the race. Sylverster’s 45-year-old son, Troy, passed away last year on Hambletonian Day as a result of injuries sustained in an ATV accident. Lucky Chucky raced that day, finishing third in the Peter Haughton Memorial.
The Hambletonian is the richest horseracing event of its kind with a $1.5 million purse. The Oaks, which will also be aired live, will highlight the best three year-old fillies.
Tom Hammond, Gary Seibel, Kenny Rice and Donna Brothers call the action.
IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, SUNDAY, 3 PM ET
NBC Sports presents taped coverage of the Emmy Award-winning 2009 Ford Ironman Championship, this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The show highlights 1,800 triathletes from around the world competing for the coveted Ironman title. Coverage features Australia's Craig Alexander and Great Britain's Chrissie Wellington who both defend their 2008 Ironman titles.
The race consists of 2.4-miles of swimming through tough ocean waves and 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through challenging lava-covered terrain. Only 100 professional triathletes are competing for the title. The rest are amateurs who are competing to either win their age group or competing just to finish.
The truly compelling and inspirational stories come from the pool of amateurs. Two stories are those of Rudy Tolson-Garcia, a double amputee who's trying to finish the Ironman and Elizabeth Thompson, who was unable to walk 2-years after suffering a stroke.
Al Trautwig provides commentary.
For more information contact:
Adam Freifeld
t:212-664-6772
e:adam.freifeld@nbcuni.com
About NBC Sports
NBC Sports is synonymous with superior production that elevates the event, broad promotion, and mutually-beneficial partnerships. Known as America’s Olympic Network, NBC has broadcast 12 Olympic Games, more than any other network. Its ability to amass large audiences with broad promotion, particularly for the Olympics, has resulted in NBC Sports broadcasting nine of the top 10 most-watched events in U.S. television history, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games which stands at No. 1 all time with 215 million viewers. In 2009, NBC Sports won the prestigious Peabody Award for its production of the Beijing Games and was named ‘Best in Sports Television’ at the Sports Business Awards.
NBC Sports partners with numerous leagues and governing bodies to broadcast some of the most prestigious properties in sports, including: ‘NBC Sunday Night Football,’ which is the premier primetime NFL game of the week; ‘Football Night in America,’ which is the most-watched NFL studio program; Notre Dame football; the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes; the U.S. Open Championship, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Ryder Cup; the NHL Winter Classic, NHL ‘Game of the Week,’ and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final; and Wimbledon and the French Open.
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Keywords · Michael Phelps · NBC · 2010 USA Swimming National Championships
Name: Adam M Freifeld
Organization: NBC Universal
Email:
Phone: 212-664-6772
URL: http://www.nbcuni.com/
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