ture of awesome. >> live from your olympic station 7 news takes you into the olympic zone. brought to you in part by dunkin donuts. >> reporter: since joining forces after the summer olympics in london 4 years ago stew mcmay and david hughes have become one of the top teams in class. the new englanders are hoping for more success in rio. ashley eaton doesn't prepare for just one event. he prepares for 10. how he packs for the games. and hit the sand in rio for a tour of some of the most famous beaches in the world. good evening everyone. after capturing a silver medal

board last week hickson was back at thauk wattic center today. as he looks to add to his medal collection. hickson overcoming a rough 4th dive in the semifinals. tied for second best score in the round. hickson finishing 4th on the strength of that dive earning a spot in the 3 meter spring board final. catch the final in our late nigh since 2012 new england native stew mcmay and david hughes have teamed up to form one of sailings top duos in the class. they won the gold medal at the european championship in denmark. nancy chen has more on tonight's home town heroes. >> reporter: sailor stew mcmay and dave hughes have known each other for more than a decade.

rio. however that's not the only thing motivating them. for beach volleyball there's the court. swimming the pool. olympic sailors their venue is the open ocean where anything can happen. >> there's no regulation grass length. and it's how the race committee chooses to drop the course in the ocean on that day. >> reporter: the sailing team of mcmay and hughes knows the water young. >> anybody who sails with me knows how beautiful it is. >> my family has a house on the water in wear ham massachusetts. >> the 2 person dingy after the 2012 olympics. >> team chemistry was good. we took one step at a time. >> reporter: there friend trevor moore was their coach.

supporter. >> reporter: but just as stew and dave were getting ready to set sail last year they got a call. >> trevor disappeared november bis cane bay. >> reporter: trevor had gone off the coast of miami himself. he did not make it back. >> do you join the search effort. maybe the way to honor trevor was to race. >> reporter: ended up finishing >> dave was crying as we crossed the finish line. >> reporter: the search for trevor called off 2 days before. stew and dave sailed on making the olympic team earlier this year. trevor won't be with them in person, stew and dave know he will be with them in spirit. >> he knew all the time that we could create and make a successful olympics for ourselves.

back on the water today for their final 3 prelim races. in rio nancy chen 7 news. >> anchor: mcmay and hughes sit in 4th place and will sail for a medal tomorrow afternoon. coming up on the 7 news olympic zone. she fights for her home town, her country and recognition. in rio clarissa shields is fighting for another gold medal. meet a track and field star a

when people ask me what it's like to win an olympic medal, i tell them, "you already know." the medals you've earned are all around you. your bronze. your silver. your gold. and liberty mutual insures them all.

liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance. >> reporter: checking the medal count team usa blowing away the field in rio. 28 gold, 28 silver and 27 bronze. the americans remain atop the

great britain second. women's boxing made it's olympic debut in london with clarissa shields of michigan to become the first american woman to win gold. fighting for more than just medals in rio. olympic zone's ann thompson has their story. >> reporter: this is what it means to fight like a girl in 2016. mikhaila myer. from flint michigan clarissa shields. >> i can go the whole full round and i won't get tired. >> worse comes to worse. >> somebody is going down. but it's not me. >> reporter: they are american olympians in women's boxing. >> you're on your own. it takes a strong person to climb their way to the top in this sport.

gold in london. >> the winner and olympic gold medalist clarissa shields. >> reporter: the events olympic debut. the women started fighting in the british capital as far back as the 1700s. >> when you were 11 and you walked into a gym did they think who is this little girl here? >> everybody has a looking kind of strange. its he was the first guy that i beat up. >> there's a huge misconception when it comes to female boxing that we have to sacrifice our femininity. i embrace it. i'm a girlie girl. >> we got ready for the opening ceremony the other day. i promise you she curled her hair for an hour. we had 20 minutes left.

i said mikhaila get off the mirror. >> reporter: these 2 share an ambition. >> the goal would be to make this a career option for women. >> i feel i have paved the way for women behind me. >> reporter: still elusive for women. >> i i'm going to be the main event. that's just building the sport up. >> reporter: a sport that as they showed me is about so much more than power. i do this? >> keep this hand up or you're going to get whacked to right. >> reporter: women of skill, speed and purpose. >> i fight for my home town. i fight for people that feel broken in my city. >> now we have usa on our back and doing it for the whole country. it's a way bigger level. >> reporter: shields begins her gold medal defense tomorrow.

zone. he holds the title of world's greatest athlete is dekath lite ashton eaton the greatest at packing. chafee about 5 things you may not about about the all american from brown. ? with simply right checking from santander bank, just make one deposit, withdrawal, transfer, or payment each month to waive the monthly fee. and there's no minimum balance. you're alright with simply right checking from santander bank. ? are you feeling alright, baby? ? with simply right checking from santander bank.

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>> going for gold brought to you by your new england honda dealers. >> reporter: junior shares his name his talent and his passion for running with his dad. in rio the 1500 meter runner will be following in his father's foot steps literally. in rio with his family's olympic

son because he has let ink to prove it. >> on the 5,000 meters. matt cent row wits breaks the american record. >> i enjoyed reading some of his training. one thing i look back at my father. this was toughness. >> listen to this crowd cheer him on. >> i went to my mom for the i wasn't going to get it from him. >> a while since i've run on this track. >> still don't pump those arms. >> forearm is everything. >> reporter: his father applied the same tough standard that worked for him. when he laid out a game plan for his son to run a 4:12 mile he hit it. >> i called him up.

he was tough about that. the next meet we had a plan of running 4:4. >> and then when it gets off track. i let him know he's off track. that's not being hard on him. >> come on don't ease up. >> reporter: following in his mark on the younger. >> where a hallmark card would have been fine. he had to get a tattoo to express our relationship. >> love you. >> [laughing]. >> every time i see him flip your shirt up. does your son love you like that huh. >> reporter: matthew tried to get his dad to make a deal that if he wins in rio his dad would

like father. >> reporter: ashton eaton of the united states are a track and field power couple. ashton in the decathlon. brianne in. hep tath lon. with events to prepare for. packing and traveling to the games from portland, oregon was a challenge. alex flanig an has their story. >> the olympic zone brought to you by united. one journey 2 teams. united for over 35 years. >> reporter: most olympians would be happy to compete in one event. for canadian hept athlete it's 7. her husband 2012 decathlon gold medal ashton eaton of the u.s. 10. it's hard to pack for a vacation. imagine packing for 3 weeks and enough snacks to see you through 17 events.

the food we're taking. serial, soup, beef jerky, granola. >> reporter: and clothes. each claim a floor of their house for gear. >> we have a bag full of shoes. a bag full of training clothes and regular clothes. for the olympics specifically we have one massive bag that weighs close to 100 pounds. >> reporter: then it's off to the airport for the first getting the pole into the airport a 2 person job. brianne heads home to drop the car and come back with her 2 bags. ashton drags 4 bags from the curb to the counter. then it's time for the poles and it's a struggle. now it's bri an's turn.

counter will ask can we make these smaller. >> that would be nice. >> no. >> reporter: united baggage handlers finally solve the puzzle. as they head for rio thoughts turn from travel to the track. team eaton dreaming of gold. >> we've been doing this together for 10 years. >> yeah. >> neither of us imagined it would come to if it did happen it would be the perfect ending. >> reporter: brianne captured the bronze medal. while ashton gets his chance to defend his gold medal beginning tomorrow in the 2 day competition. when we return on the 7 news olympic zone we head to rio to give you the inside scoop on the best beaches to visit for the

moms know their kids need love. and encouragement. they also know milk is a nutrient powerhouse. with 8 grams of natural protein, plus 8 other essential nutrients. it's no surprise 9 out of 10 u.s. olympians grew up drinking milk.

>> you're back in the olympic zone. brought to you in part by dunkin donuts. >> reporter: louisa chafee's bid for a medal coming up short today. the 3 time all american at brown university finishing 4th in the medal race. today an eighth overall in the standings. more on chafee in tonight's fast 5. head is star trek. so i'll go with that. oh, goodness probably one of the smiley faces. well, i finally got caught up on game of thrones. that was -- that was really good. definitely loved that for the dragons. i'm going to go with that one. i have an entire pump up play

a hello remix by marsh mellow. it's really good. it's got a great beat drop to it. either a professor of folklore mythology fairy tales that's what my major was in brown. or a lawyer. i'm not sure which one. >> reporter: with 23 beaches that stretch across more than 45 miles of sand each distinctive character and vibe. rio is a paradise for beach goers. drew the tough assignment of getting a first hand look of the best beaches that rio has to offer. >> reporter: as you make your way through the beaches of rio you realize it is less about the sand and more about the full out show. travelers mark elwood gives us

rio's best secret. welcome to the beaches of rio. >> i'm going to show you my 3 favorites. >> reporter: can you believe this is our job. >> this is copa cabana beach. it's like rio's back yard. >> reporter: when i pictured coming to rio this is what i pictured. the shopping. >> what do you think. >> i think you should get that one. >> reporter: the sports, even samba. the the day away. >> we like keep rina. >> reporter: looks like happy hour in rio. >> cheers. >> reporter: next up we head 3 miles down the road to ipa nema beach. >> this is ipa nema. it's more of a cat walk than a

brazil are different from the states. >> the first thing is you don't bring your own deck chairs. don't bring your own food. you buy it from the stands of the beach. you don't bring a towel. >> reporter: what do united states lay on. >> you bring a surang. >> if she said it i believe her. >> reporter: and if you would rather take in the sights without the scene there is something for it's really hidden away. almost no one knows it's here. it doesn't look like you're allowed to go in. but anybody can. >> reporter: thanks for showing us the beaches. this has been quite a day. >> this is amazing. look at this place. >> reporter: so if you are beach bound in rio pack your

shoes. just make sure to leave your inhibitions at home. >> reporter: and when you talk about the beach and olympics you can't help but mention carry walsh jennings and april ross. take on brazil tonight in a spot in the finals. a match you can catch live on 7 nbc. up next on the olympic zone we'll preview what else is in

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>> the olympic zone brought to you by bmw the ultimate driving machine. >> reporter: from rio de janeiro bob costas at the 2016 olympics. coming up for you in prime time. the final night of gymnastics. simone biles goes for a 4th gold in rio. with teammate aly raisman defending her title in the event. carry walsh jennings and april ross play for a spot on the gold medal final. the fastest women return with the 200 meter semifinals. plus oregon duck devon allen sprints for mens high hurdle gold. that's coming up in prime time. >> reporter: that's our time for this half hour. thanks for joining us. for the olympic news you can log

>> first man in history to win three 100 meter olympic crowns in a row. ? ? no matter where you come from, no matter how many times you've been here before. at the olympic games it's about finding a balance between recognizing the magnitude of the moment and maintaining the poise that got you here. this was their final chance to