Women dominate Wednesday's card of finals at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.Reigning world champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands destroyed in the women's 200-meter semifinals along with Jamaica's Elaine Thompson and Team USA's Tori Bowie.The women's long jump, led by Team USA's Brittney Reese and Tianna Bartoletta, start the night off as both soar for the podium.Lastly, Hillary BorKenyan by birth, American through naturalizationruns in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 10:55 a.m. ET. You won't want to miss his story or his race. Hillary Bor a Dark Horse in SteeplechaseYou have to go down the ranks to find where Bor sits among the world's best steeplechase runners. He's ranked 44th in the world, but he gets a chance Wednesday morning to possibly be the best.He's also a sergeant in the U.S. Army."I was actually scheduled to deploy with my unit, but my [Army] brothers deployed instead of me," Bor toldTim Hipps of theU.S. Army Installation Management Command. "That changed my mindset, that I needed to work out, because you don't take anything for granted. I started training hard, and I realized that I had a chance."His 8:25.01 was the sixth-fastest time in qualifying heats, nearly four seconds behind Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto. Brianna Rollins and Kristi Castlin Headline 100-Meter HurdlesTeam USA advanced three runners to the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles. More impressive, those three are in the top six. Even more impressive, Brianna Rollins and Kristi Castlin were No. 1 and No. 2 through Round 1.Rollins is the heavy favorite to win the gold medal in this event. Doing so would validate her coach's perception of her."She reminds me of Gail Devers with her combination of speed and power," said Rollins' coach, Lawrence Johnson, per Linda Robertsonof theNews and Observer. "I always had a feeling about her I couldn't shake. Adversity fueled her fire. Today, she's a superstar."Castlin, too, will show her colors as she, Rollins and fellow American Nia Ali gun for the podium in the semis and finals, which begin at 7:45 p.m. ET. Can Team USA's Brittney Reese Go Back-to-Back in Long Jump Final'Brittney Reese made her qualifying jump look so darn easy. She ran. She flew. She landed 6.78 meters away from the board and punched her ticket to the final."Reese fast and powerful, that's a qualifying jump for the No. 1-ranked long jumper in the world," said the announcer on the NBC Olympics live stream.Reese's presence in the final was never in question. Her quest to defend her 2012 gold medal will not be easy, however. Challenging her will be Serbia's Ivana Spanovic, Germany's Malaika Mihambo and Russia's Darya Klishina."It would mean a lot to be part of history," Reese told Patrick Magee of the Sun Heraldin June. "Having two gold medals would be a tremendous honor and would mean a lot to me. It'd show how hard I worked for them. I feel that it's reachable and something I can do."Team USA's TiannaBartoletta can't be ignored either as this group takes flight Wednesday night at 8:15 p.m. ET. Dafne Schippers Leads a Loaded 200-Meter FinalWith incredible staying power, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands slammed down the hammer in the opening semifinal heat, cementing her status as the favorite in this loaded field.Even when Jamaica's ElaineThompson approached her, Schippers stood tall and maintained her momentum as she downshifted under the shadow of the wire to win the opening semi in a time of 21.96.Team USA's Tori Bowie impressed by running 22.13 to win her heat. Considering Schippers' time in her qualifying heat even while easing up, though, Bowie will have to drop her time significantly to contend for the gold."It looks like you'll have to be under 22 seconds if you want to be on the podium this year,"said Ato Boldon, NBC's track analyst, during the broadcast.Schippers looks nearly invincible, but she'll have company at the wire in what promises to be a blanket, four-wide finish between the Dane, Thompson, Bowie and Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast.
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