Rio Olympics TV schedule: What to watch Monday

Highlights of Day 3 include the men's gymnastics team final, a history-making fencing performance by Ibtihaj Muhammad, and the first-ever Olympic gold medal for women's rugby sevens. 

First Look

Going into Day 3 of the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Americans have earned the most medals – 12 in total – with China and Italy trailing behind with eight and seven respectively. That could change Monday, as some of the world's top swimmers, gymnasts, and fencers compete for the gold and the first-ever Olympic gold medal winner of women's rugby sevens is determined. 

Here are some of Monday's most high-profile events, available to watch on NBC-TV or online through live streaming. All events are in Eastern time. 

Gymnastics: The men's team final – expected to be a close competition – begins at 3 p.m. China scored the most points in the qualifier on Saturday, followed by the United States. Russia, Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Ukraine, and Germany will also compete. Standouts to watch include Russia's David Belyavskiy, Briton Max Whitlock, American Sam Mikulak, and Japan's Kohei Uchimura, the reigning Olympic individual champion, considered by many to be the greatest gymnast of all time.

Swimming: Some of the biggest names in swimming will hit the pool to compete for medals in the 200m freestyle (men), 100m backstroke (men and women) and 100m breaststroke (women) finals, all of which begin at 9 p.m. At noon, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, will make his individual 2016 Olympic debut in the 200m butterfly preliminary heats. Katie Ledecky, the American who has set 11 world records and took home the gold at age 15 in 2012, will go up against Swedish world champion Sarah Sjöström, fellow American Missy Franklin, and Italy's Federica Pellegrini in the 200m freestyle semifinals. 

Fencing: Regardless of performance, Team USA is set to make history as Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes the first American to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab. Ms. Muhammad, ranked eighth, is part of a strong team of Americans this year that also includes No. 3 ranked Mariel Zagunis, who took home the gold in 2004 and 2008. Italy, which won the most fencing medals in 2012, is expected to give another strong performance in 2016. Women's individual saber kicked off at 8 a.m., with the semifinals at 3 p.m. and the gold medal bout at 4:45. 

Rugby sevens: The new world champion of women's rugby sevens will be decided on Monday, as teams square off in the semifinals and finals. At 11:30 a.m., current world champion Australia will face Canada and New Zealand will take on Great Britain; then, at 4:30 p.m., the winners will compete for the first-ever women's rugby sevens Olympic gold medal. New Zealand defeated the Americans 5-0 on Saturday in the quarterfinals. 

Basketball: The Americans are favored to win both the men's and women's titles this year, an outcome that would award the women's team with their sixth straight gold. The women have a 42-game Olympic winning streak after beating Senegal 121-56 on Sunday, breaking their own record for the most points scored in an Olympic game. The women's team will go up against Spain at 11 a.m., while the men play Venezuela at 6 p.m.