The 2012 Summer London Olympiad ~ Schedule and Information.

by **MJ Mod** Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:39 pm

This thread will be for all of the 2012 summer Olympics information! I will start here by posting the schedule for all the events- if you do not live in London or London’s time zone- be sure that the “MY TIME” option above the interactive schedule is gray. Click the down arrow to the left of the time slot you are looking at to show who will be playing at that specified time. Some sports already show what country is playing at what time without having to click the arrow.

Events that have already happened may have a "full replay" option to the right of the event name.

In the US the opening ceremony will be broadcast on NBC at 19:30 EDT/ 18:30 CDT/19:30 PDT

Archery
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Badminton
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Basketball
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Beach Volleyball
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Boxing
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Canoe/Kayak
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Cycling
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Diving
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Equestrian
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Fencing
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Field Hockey
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Gymnastics
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Handball
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Judo
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Modern Pentathlon
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Rhythmic Gymnastics
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Rowing
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Sailing
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Shooting
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Soccer
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Swimming
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Synchronized Swimming
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Table Tennis
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Taekwondo
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Tennis
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Track & Field
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Trampoline
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Triathlon
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Volleyball
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Water Polo
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Weightlifting
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Wrestling
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If you live in the US: If go to this link here and type in your ZIP code you can find your local TV listings for all of the Olympic events. It also has exclusive videos specific to your local NBC channel along with a listing of your state's athletes.

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Here is the online live coverage for the olympics. As streams become available they will show on this page. Click "LIVE NOW" if you want to view current live streams-or you can click through the dates to watch replays of the streams that have already happened or to see when streams will be broadcast on future dates.

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Feel free to post your own 2012 Olympics info. here also! Below is the link to the 2012 Olympics chat thread- which will be used for all here to chat about and discuss the 2012 Olympics!

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PLEASE NOTE: I FIND AND POST ARTICLES BEFORE SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT ARE WRITTEN ABOUT HAVE BEEN AIRED IN PARTS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE- IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ALL OF THE EVENTS YOU WANT TO SEE ON A PARTICULAR DAY AND DON'T WANT SPOILERS- PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF WHAT ARTICLES YOU READ. I POST THE DAY OF THE ARTICLE AT THE TOP OF EACH POST SO EVERYONE KNOWS.

by **MJ Mod** Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:31 pm

Opening ceremony kicks off Olympics
Updated: July 27, 2012, 10:42 PM ET

LONDON -- The queen and James Bond gave the London Olympics a royal entrance like no other Friday in an opening ceremony that rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who.

And the creative genius of Danny Boyle spliced it all together.

Brilliant. Cheeky, too.

The highlight of the Oscar-winning director's $42 million show was pure movie magic, using trickery to make it seem that Britain's beloved 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had parachuted into the stadium with the nation's most famous spy.

A short film showed Daniel Craig as 007 driving to Buckingham Palace in a black London cab and, pursued by the royal corgis, meeting the queen, who played herself.

"Good evening, Mr. Bond," she said.

They were shown flying in a helicopter over London landmarks and a waving statue of Winston Churchill -- the queen in a salmon-colored dress, Bond dashing as ever in a black tuxedo -- before leaping into the inky night over Olympic Park.

At the same moment, real skydivers appeared as the stadium throbbed to the James Bond theme. And moments after that, the monarch appeared in person, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip.

Organizers said it was thought to be the first time she has acted on film.

"The queen made herself more accessible than ever before," Boyle said.

In the stadium, Elizabeth stood solemnly while a children's choir serenaded her with "God Save the Queen," and members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force raised the Union Jack.

Boyle sprang another giant surprise and picked seven teenage athletes for the supreme honor of igniting the Olympic cauldron. Together, they touched flaming torches to trumpetlike tubes that spread into a ring of fire.

The flames rose and joined elegantly together to form the cauldron. Fireworks erupted over the stadium to music from Pink Floyd. And with a singalong of "Hey Jude," Beatle Paul McCartney closed a show that ran 45 minutes beyond its scheduled three hours.

Organizers said the cauldron would be moved Sunday night to the corner of the stadium where a giant bell tolled during the show.

Boyle turned the stadium into a giant juke box, with a nonstop rock and pop homage to cool Britannia that ensured the show never caught its breath.

The high-adrenaline soundtrack veered from classical to irreverent. Boyle daringly included the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and a snippet of its version of "God Save the Queen" -- an anti-establishment punk anthem once banned by the BBC.

The encyclopedic review of modern British music continued with a 1918 Broadway standard adopted by the West Ham football team, the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," by still another Queen, and other tracks too numerous to mention, but not to dance to.

The evening started with fighter jets streaming red, white and blue smoke and roaring over the stadium, packed with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people, at 8:12 p.m. -- or 20:12 in the 24-hour time observed by Britons.

Boyle, one of Britain's most successful filmmakers, who directed "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting," had a ball with his favored medium, mixing filmed passages with live action in the stadium to hypnotic effect, with 15,000 volunteers taking part in the show.

Actor Rowan Atkinson as "Mr. Bean" provided laughs, shown dreaming that he was appearing in "Chariots of Fire," the inspiring story of a Scotsman and an Englishman at the 1924 Paris Games.

There was a high-speed flyover of the Thames, the river that winds like a vein through London and was the gateway for the city's rise over the centuries as a great global hub of trade and industry.

Headlong rushes of movie images took spectators on wondrous, heart-racing voyages through everything British: a cricket match, the London Tube and the roaring, abundant seas that buffet and protect this island nation.

Opening the ceremony, children popped balloons with each number from 10 to 1, leading a countdown that climaxed with Bradley Wiggins, the newly crowned Tour de France champion.

Wearing his yellow winner's jersey, Wiggins rang a 23-ton Olympic Bell from the same London foundry that made Big Ben and Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. Its thunderous chime was a nod to the British tradition of pealing bells to celebrate the end of war and the crowning of kings and queens, and now for the opening of a 17-day festival of sports -- London's record third as host.

The show then shifted to a portrayal of idyllic rural Britain -- a place of meadows, farms, sport on village greens, picnics and Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne's bear who has delighted generations of British children tucked warmly in bed.

But that "green and pleasant land," to quote poet William Blake, then took a darker, grittier turn.

The set was literally torn asunder, the hedgerows and farm fences carried away, as Boyle shifted to the industrial transformation that revolutionized Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries, the foundation for an empire that reshaped world history. Belching chimneys rose where only moments earlier sheep had trod.

The Industrial Revolution also produced terrifying weapons, and Boyle built a moment of hush into his show to honor those killed in war.

"This is not specific to a country. This is across all countries, and the fallen from all countries are celebrated and remembered," he explained to reporters ahead of the ceremony.

"Because, obviously, one of the penalties of this incredible force of change that happened in a hundred years was the industrialization of war, and the fallen," he said. "You know, millions fell."

Olympic organizers separately rejected calls for a moment of silence for 11 Israeli athletes and coaches slain by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The parade of nations featured most of the roughly 10,500 athletes -- some planned to stay away to save their strength for competition -- marching behind the flags of the 204 nations taking part.

Greece had the lead, as the spiritual home of the Games, and Team Great Britain was last, as host. Prince William and his wife, Kate, joined in thunderous applause that greeted the British team, which marched to the David Bowie track "Heroes." A helicopter showered the athletes and stadium with 7 billion tiny pieces of paper -- one for each person on Earth.

Both Bahrain and Brunei featured female flag bearers in what has been called the Olympics' Year of the Woman. For the first time at the Games, each national delegation includes women, and a record 45 percent of the athletes are women. Three Saudi women marching behind the men in their delegation flashed victory signs with their fingers.

Two-time Olympic fencing champion Mariel Zagunis, the first American to win a fencing gold in 100 years at the 2004 Athens Games, carried the U.S. flag.

NBA stars Yi Jianlian and Pau Gasol carried the flags for China and Spain, while WNBA player Lauren Jackson was Australia's flag bearer.

"This is a major boost for gender equality," said the International Olympic Committee president, Jacques Rogge. These are his last Games as head of the IOC. He steps down in 2013 after completing the maximum two terms.

Rogge honored the "great, sports-loving country" of Britain as "the birthplace of modern sport," and he appealed to the thousands of athletes assembled before him for fair play.

"Character counts far more than medals. Reject doping. Respect your opponents. Remember that you are all role models. If you do that, you will inspire a generation," Rogge said.

The queen then said: "I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era."

Last month, the nation put on a festive Diamond Jubilee -- a small test run for the Games -- to mark her 60 years on the throne, a reign that began shortly after London's last Olympics, in 1948.

Former world heavyweight champion and 1960 Rome Olympic gold medalist Muhammad Ali was cheered when he appeared briefly with his wife, Lonnie, before the Olympic flag was unfurled.

Some 8,000 torch bearers, mostly unheralded Britons, had carried the flame on a 70-day, 8,000-mile journey from toe to tip of the British Isles, whipping up enthusiasm for a $14 billion Olympics taking place during a severe recession.

Soccer star David Beckham drove the Olympic flame down the Thames toward the stadium in a speedboat.

The final torch bearers were kept secret -- remarkable given the scrunity on these, the first Summer Games of the Twitter era.

The show's lighter moments included puppets drawn from British children's literature -- Captain Hook from "Peter Pan," Cruella de Vil from "101 Dalmations" and Lord Voldemort from J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, as well as Mary Poppins.

Their appearance had a serious message, too -- the importance of literacy.

"If you can read and write, you're free, or you can fight for your freedom," Boyle said.

Boyle's challenge was daunting: To be as memorable as Beijing's incredible, money-no-object opening ceremony of 2008, the costliest in Olympic history.

"Beijing is something that, in a way, was great to follow," Boyle said. "You can't get bigger than Beijing, you know? So that, in a way, kind of liberated us. We thought, 'Great, OK, good, we'll try and do something different.'"

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Jul 28, 2012 10:35 pm

Here is the medal count page. It shows each country, its rank, and how many medals they have received thus far. So far after day 1 of the games, China is in first place with 4 gold and 2 bronze, Italy is in second place with 2 gold 2 silver and 1 bronze, and the United States is in third place with 1 gold 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.

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Here is the list of all the Olympic athletes that have won medals. It shows the athlete's name, his or her respective country, the athlete's sport, and whether they won gold, silver, or bronze.

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by **MJ Mod** Sun Jul 29, 2012 5:58 pm

DAY 1 (JULY 28) RECAP
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Review: Lochte stars in the pool
28 July 2012

American swimmer Ryan Lochte dazzled on Day 1 taking gold in the 400m Individual Medley, but it was a disappointing night for Michael Phelps as the eight-time Beijing gold medallist could only manage fourth.

Lochte cruised to victory in four minutes, 05.18 seconds, followed in by Brazil’s Thiago Pereira and Japanese 17-year-old Kosuke Hagino.

Phelps said: “I'm a bit frustrated, I'm not feeling that great. I just want to put this race behind me and move on.

"It's not the start that I would have liked to have had but I've just got to move up.

"I have a bunch of other races and hopefully we can finish a lot better than we started. That's what I'm going to try to do.”

Sun Yang was crowned Olympic champion in the 400m Freestyle as he continued to leave an indelible mark on the global stage.

The 20-year-old was second over eight lengths at the World Championships in Shanghai last year before producing a sublime 1,500m Freestyle in which he lowered Grant Hackett's long-standing world record.

He qualified fastest from a dramatic morning session which had seen defending champion Park Tae-hwan disqualified and then reinstated.

South Korean Park was second in the final, with Peter Vanderkaay of the United States third.

Ye Shiwen, just 16, secured China's second gold of the session and also the first long-course world record set by a woman since the ban on performance-enhancing suits.

Ye produced a superb freestyle to stretch away and touch in four minutes 28.43 seconds. World champion Elizabeth Beisel was second with Ye's compatriot Xuanxu Li third.

The last final of the night saw Australia claim gold in the women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay final.

Alexandr Vinokourov stunned the home crowd who had hoped to cheer Mark Cavendish to victory as he sprinted to Olympic gold in the men’s Cycling Road Race.

The United States’ women’s Basketball team were pushed by Croatia before pulling away in the fourth quarter to win 81-56.

The Croatians trailed by just three at half-time but the US kicked on to cruise home with Tina Charles top-scoring with 14 points.

There was a surprise earlier as China knocked off the Czech Republic 66-57 but the second game saw European champions Russia beat Canada 58-53.

New Zealand rowers Hamish Bond and Eric Murray smashed the world record in the men’s pair, previously set by Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell in 2002.

Murray and Bond won their Olympic heat to qualify for the semi-finals with a victory in six minutes 08.50 seconds.

The first gold medal of London 2012 went to China with shooter Yi Siling winning the women's 10-metre air rifle title at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

The world number one and gold medal favourite lived up to her billing by beating Poland's Sylwia Bogacka into second. China's Yu Dan collected the bronze.

China’s Wang Mingjuan claimed the first Weightlifting gold in the women’s 48kg weight category at ExCel while in the Judo there were golds in the under-48kg category for Brazil’s Sarah Menezes and Russian Arsen Galstyan in the men’s -60kg.

Italy claimed a shock gold in the men's Archery Team event as Michele Frangilli held his nerve to hit a 10 with the last arrow of the final against the United States.

Italy were nine behind with one shot remaining when Frangilli struck centre gold.

The dramatic 219-218 win for Frangilli, Mauro Nespoli and Marco Galiazzo against Brady Ellison, Jacob Wukie and Jake Kaminski capped a day of surprises in the competition, with favourites South Korea losing 224-219 to the USA in the semis.

The United States left with silver, while the Koreans saw off Mexico to take bronze.

Italian joy was tempered, however, as Fencing star Valentina Vezzali missed out on a piece of Olympic history.

The 38-year-old police officer was thwarted by compatriot Arianna Errigo in the semi-finals in her bid for an amazing fourth consecutive foil gold at the Games.

No woman has achieved that in any individual Olympic event - and the only men to have done it are Carl Lewis in the long jump (1984-96) and fellow American Al Oerter in the discus (1956-68).

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by **MJ Mod** Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:38 am

DAY 2 (JULY 29) RECAP
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China is still #1 in the medal count with 12 medals- 6 gold 4 silver and 2 bronze. The US is #2 with 11 medals- 3 gold 5 silver 3 bronze. In 3rd place is Italy with 7 medals- 2 gold 3 silver and 2 bronze.

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Review: Golden day for France
30 July 2012

France enjoyed a wonderful night in the pool with two Olympic golds while the second evening of competition also saw two world records smashed in the Aquatics Centre.

Camille Muffat clinched the women's 400m Freestyle title with a wonderfully aggressive swim - as Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington took bronze - before, in the final race of the night, Yannick Agnel powered past USA's Ryan Lochte in the final 10m to hand them gold in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay.

The evening's action started with an equally-stunning display from USA's Dana Vollmer, who smashed the world record - she swam 55.98 - to claim gold in the 100m Butterfly.

Another world record went in the men's 100m Breaststroke as South African Cameron van der Burgh obliterated the opposition to win in 58.46.

The United States' men's Basketball team lived up to their dominant reputation with a 98-71 rout of France in their opening game.

Although the French, who have plenty of NBA-calibre talent in their squad, were able to match them for the first quarter, the defending champions quickly began to wear them down thereafter.

Kevin Durant led the Americans with 22 points while Kevin Love had 14 and Kobe Bryant 10. Durant added nine rebounds.

Brazil beat Australia 75-71, Nigeria held on to see off Tunisia 60-56, Spain eased past China 97-81 and Russia overcame hosts Great Britain 95-75.

Marianne Vos edged out Lizzie Armitstead in a thrilling sprint finish to win the women's Road Race.

Vos, 25, needed all of her power to deny Great Britain star Armitstead a home victory at London 2012 after they and Russian Olga Zabelinskaya were left after a four-strong breakaway, guaranteeing themselves at least a medal after a wet 140km ride.

And it was Dutchwoman Vos who ended her six-year wait to add to her 2006 world title after five World Championship silvers with a time of 3:35.29.

Kazakhstan's Zulfiya Chinshanlo won gold in the women's 53kg Weightlifting, setting new Olympic and world records in the process.

In the Hockey, Olympic women's champions Holland beat Belgium 3-0, New Zealand edged out Antipodean neighbours Australia 1-0 and world champions Argentina thrashed South Africa 7-1.

China notched their sixth gold to continue their domination of the medals table.

Guo Wenjun was the recipient after coming first in the women's 10m Air Pistol.

Shooter Kimberly Rhode set US Olympic history as she won gold in the women's Skeet.

The 33-year-old set a new Olympic record in qualifying, with 74 hits out of 75, and went on to equal her own world record with a perfect 25 in the final for a total of 99 in front of a packed shotgun range at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

It means Rhode is the first American to win an individual sport medal at five consecutive Olympic Games.

North Korea's An Kum Ae won Judo gold with a sudden-death victory over Cuban Yanet Bermoy Acosta in the women's -52kg final at ExCeL.

Georgian Lashas Shavdatuashvili claimed the men's -66kg title with a narrow win over Hungarian Miklos Ungvari.

China's Wu Minxia hailed a 'marvellous miracle' after she secured her place in Olympic Games history with a hat-trick of springboard synchro titles alongside He Zi at the Aquatics Centre.

Wu cemented her place as one of the greatest female divers of all time as she also drew level with former synchro partner Guo Jingjing, who she teamed up with to win the past two Olympic crowns, with a record six medals at the Games.

The 26-year-old, whose early career was blighted by injury, could even surpass that mark next week when she and He go head-to-head in the individual springboard.

There was a shock in the men's football as Spain, whose senior team are world and European champions, crashed out after losing their second successive match, 1-0 to Honduras in Newcastle.

Brazil had no such problems, beating Belarus 3-1, while Team GB beat the UAE 3-1.

Korea Republic maintained their remarkable record in women's Team Archery, winning a seventh consecutive Olympic gold at Lord's.

Lee Sung-jin, Ki Bo-bae and Choi Hyeonju defeated Chinese trio Cheng Ming, Fang Yuting and Xu Jing 210-209 on the last arrow in wet and windy conditions.

Hungary's Aron Szilagyi continued Hungary's impressive record in the men's Sabre Fencing by beating Italy's Diego Occhiuzzi in the final.

At Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Italy's Fabio Fognini but women's second seed Agnieszka Radwanska was a shock first-round loser - going down 7-5 6-7 (5/7) 6-4.

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by midangerous Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:48 pm

I'm cheering for the U.S. Dressage Grand Prix and the U.S Basketball

! Go team! cheers

Thanks for the schedule!

by **MJ Mod** Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:14 pm

DAY 3 (JULY 30) RECAP
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China is still first in the medal count with 17- 9 gold 5 silver 3 bronze. The US is in 2nd with 17 medals total- 5 gold 7 silver and 5 bronze- and in 3rd is Japan with 11 medals- 1 gold 4 silver and 6 bronze.

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Review: Hosts celebrate unexpected Gymnastics success
30 July 2012

Host Nation Great Britain won their first men's Olympic Artistic Gymnastics Team medal in a century when they claimed bronze at the North Greenwich Arena today.

Louis Smith, Max Whitlock, Daniel Purvis, Sam Oldham and Kristian Thomas scored a total of 271.711 as they produced a stunning team performance in front of a royal audience.

Britain had initially been awarded silver but an inquiry into the score of Kohei Uchimura's Pommel Horse routine saw Japan claim silver and Great Britain downgraded to bronze.

China retained their gold medal with 2008 silver medallists Japan leapfrogging Britain's score of 271.711 with an upgraded total of 271.952.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry led the support as Britain won their first Olympic Team medal since the bronze at the Stockholm Games in 1912 to thunderous applause from the Host Nation crowd.

A medal of any colour would have exceeded all expectations for the British team and bronze had looked like the best they could aim for against the powerhouses of the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

In a tense finale, it looked as if they had done enough to secure the bottom step on the podium after going head-to-head with Ukraine on the last piece of apparatus as the USA faded away.

Ukraine were in bronze medal position and Japan in silver with the final rotation to go, but brilliant performances on the floor by Whitlock, Purvis and Thomas saw them seal their place on the podium, as Japan faltered and finished in fourth.

However, there was a twist in the tale, as Japan launched an inquiry into three-time world champion Uchimura's score, leaving Britain waiting to learn their fate.

In the pool, Ruta Meilutyte claimed a gold medal for Lithuania in the women's 100m Breaststroke.

The 15-year-old led from start to finish to touch in 1:05.47 seconds as she held off a fast-finishing Rebecca Soni, the Beijing silver medallist.

American Matt Grevers claimed the 100m Backstroke crown in a new Olympic record while his countrywoman Missy Franklin took the women’s equivalent and Frenchman Yannick Agnel won the 200m Freestyle to claim his second Olympic title in 24 hours.

Romanian shooter Alin George Moldoveanu won a titanic tussle with world number one Niccolo Campriani of Italy to claim Olympic gold in the men’s 10m Air Rifle.

There were gold medals in the Judo for Japan's Kaori Matsumoto in the women's -57kg division and Russian Mansur Isaev in the men's -73kg division.

China’s Li Xueying took the gold in the women’s 58kg Weightlifting division while Kim Un Guk triumphed to win gold in style for DPR Korea in the men's 62kg competition which saw Olympic and world weightlifting records tumble.

Chinese divers Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan claimed victory in the Synchronised 10m Platform and at Wimbledon, top seed Roger Federer eased into round three with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Julien Benneteau while, in the women’s event, Serena and Venus Williams claimed straightforward victories but world number one Victoria Azarenka was taken to three sets by Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu.

Elsewhere, Yana Shemyakina won Ukraine's first-ever individual Fencing gold at the ExCeL in the women's Epee to round off an amazing day.

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by **MJ Mod** Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:48 pm

Day 4 Review: History in the pool
31 July 2012

Spectators at the Aquatics Centre witnessed drama and history on Day 4 as Michael Phelps became the all-time most decorated Olympic athlete, while Ye Shiwen claimed a second title.

Phelps moved alongside Larisa Latynina on 18 medals following the 200m Butterfly, although any sense of achievement may have been bittersweet given he was beaten at the touch by South African Chad le Clos and had to settle for silver.

The 27-year-old then anchored the United States 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay team to gold as he moved on to 19 medals - with Phelps now the owner of 15 gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

The Baltimore swimmer still has three races to come and is expected to finish his Olympic career with 22 medals.

The Bob Bowman-trained athlete paid tribute to his three relay team-mates, and said: 'I thanked those guys (in the huddle) for helping get to this moment.

'I told those guys I wanted a big lead in the last leg and they gave it to me.

'I just wanted to hold on, I just wanted to thank them for allowing me to have this moment.'

Phelps had the Butterfly won until the final metres but he got his finish wrong - his usual perfect spotting of the wall replaced with a glide that would have had Bowman tearing his hair out.

Phelps was disappointed but was philosophical, saying: 'Obviously I would have liked to have had a better outcome in the 200m fly.

'Chad swum a great race, I have got to know him over the last year, he is a hard worker, a fast racer and a tough competitor.

'I would have liked to have won my last race, but it wasn't a terrible time. It was decent.'

Le Clos was hugely emotional, crying on the podium, seemingly stunned by the magnitude of his achievement which saw the South African beat his idol by 0.05 seconds in 1:52.96.

He said: 'This is a dream of mine, I have always said Michael Phelps was my hero.

'I wanted to be in the final for my main event, I achieved that goal and my coach said you have done all you have to do.

'But I just remember sitting in the call room thinking that Michael Phelps has never lost this race for 10 years in international meets.

'I remember turning in the last 50 and just looking at him underwater and realising this is my hero, it's crazy.

'I can't describe how I felt. In the last 25 metres, I can't explain what came over me.'

'I'll have to try and defend my title in four years time, but to beat Michael Phelps is something I have wanted my whole life, it is exactly what I have been dreaming off since I was 12.'

Meanwhile, Ye followed up her victory in the 400m Individual Medley, with the 16-year-old adding the shorter Medley title.

Tonight she turned third after 150m before producing a blistering freestyle leg to win in a new Olympic record of 2:07.5.

Australian world champion James Magnussen was quickest into the 100m Freestyle final.

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by **MJ Mod** Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:25 am

DAY 4 (JULY 31) RECAP
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China is still first in the medal count with 23 medals- 13 gold 6 silver 4 bronze. In second is the US with 23 medals total also- 9 gold 8 silver and 6 bronze. In 3rd is Japan with 13 medals- 1 gold 4 silver and 8 bronze.

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~

Review: Phelps books his place in history
1 August 2012

Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all-time after claiming a silver and a gold at the Aquatics Centre.

The American finished second in the 200m Butterfly - just behind South Africa's Chad le Clos - to equal the record of 18 Olympic medals set by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina in 1964.

He then returned in the final race of the night to take number 19 as the USA cruised to victory in the 4 x 200m Freestyle relay.

Phelps was on the final leg and was afforded a hero's reception as he powered to victory after being put in pole position by Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens.

Allison Schmitt of the United States won the women's 200m Freestyle final in an Olympic record and 16-year-old Chinese sensation Ye Shiwen clinched her second gold of the Games in the 200m Individual Medley.

Germany’s Michael Jung clinched double gold - in both the Team and Individual Eventing at Greenwich Park.

Jung, riding alongside Peter Thomsen, Dirk Schrade, Sandra Auffarth and Ingrid Klimke, helped Germany land the team event earlier and he returned to edge out Sweden's Sara Algotsson Ostholt to also claim individual gold. Algotsson Ostholt would have finished first but she had the last fence down and that enabled Jung to triumph.

The team event saw Germany edge out Great Britain, whose line-up included the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, with New Zealand third.

World champion Denisse van Lamoen was dumped out in the first round of the women's Individual Archery competition at Lord's.

Van Lamoen, who was Chile's flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony and is the country's current athlete of the year, was paired with the player she defeated for world gold last year - Georgia's Kristine Esebua - and was bundled out in straight sets.

Both players were well short of their best in the ranking round, hence lowly seedings of 31 and 34, but Esebua found her feet to win 6-0.

Esebua could not pull off another big win though, and was soon defeated by second seed Lee Sung-jin of Republic of Korea.

In the Hockey, defending Olympic women’s champions Netherlands edged out Japan 3-2, New Zealand beat South Africa 4-1, Belgium and China drew 0-0, Great Britain saw off South Korea 5-3 and Argentina lost 1-0 to the United States.

Spain, fancied to push the United States in the men’s Basketball, saw off Australia 82-70 while Russia crushed China 73-54, Lithuania outclassed Nigeria 72-53 and Brazil overcame Great Britain 67-62.

France's Tony Estanguet won Olympic gold in the individual Canoe Slalom (C1) in a time of 97.06. It was the 34-year-old's third gold medal in the event after he triumphed in Sydney and Athens.

Germany's Sideris Tasiadis was second and the defending Olympic champion, Slovakia's Michal Martikan, took third place at the Lee Valley course.

Chen Ruolin and Wang Hao were comfortable winners in the Synchronised 10m Platform to claim China's third gold medal in as many events at the Diving pool so far, ahead of Mexico and Canada.

Slovenia judoka Urska Zolnir won gold in the women's -63kg with victory over China's Xu Lili, while Republic of Korea's Kim Jae-bum beat defending Olympic champion Ole Bischof to take the gold in the men's -81kg class.

At Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic thrashed Andy Roddick for the loss of three games while Maria Sharapova had to work harder to oust home hope Laura Robson.

The USA clinched Gymnastics gold in the women’s Team final ahead of Russia and Romania.

History was made at a packed ExCeL with Africa's first-ever Olympic Fencing medal. But 21-year-old Egyptian Alaaeldin Abouelkassem had to settle for silver and not the gold he was really looking for - and looked like he might grab.

That went to China's world number nine Lei Sheng, who came from 13-12 down to win 15-13.

Lin Qingfeng went some way to restoring China’s reputation as a Weightlifting superpower after taking Olympic gold in the men’s 69kg.

China dominated proceedings on home soil four years ago, winning eight of the 15 golds on offer at Beijing 2008. But their mantle has been firmly challenged at London 2012, with China, DPR Korea and Kazakhstan each taking two golds from the first six on offer at ExCeL while the men’s team were yet to stand on top of the winners’ podium.

But all that changed after Lin comprehensively took the field apart with a total of 344kg, with silver going to Indonesia’s Triyatno (333kg) and Romania’s 20-year-old Razvan Constantin Martin clinching bronze (332kg).

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by **MJ Mod** Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:57 am

US WINS 1ST OLYMPIC WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS TITLE SINCE '96
July 31, 2012

LONDON (AP) - One by one, the Americans thundered down the runway, soared high above the vault and slammed into the mat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

When the fireworks were over, so was everybody else's chance for the gold medal.

The Americans lived up to their considerable hype and then some Tuesday night, routing silver medalist Russia and everybody else on their way to their first Olympic title in women's gymnastics since 1996. Their score of 183.596 was a whopping five points better than Russia's, and set off a debate over whether this is the best U.S. team of all time. Romania won the bronze.

"Others might disagree. The '96 team might disagree. But this is the best team," U.S. coach John Geddert said.

The Americans didn't botch a single routine, and all but three of their 12 scores were 15.0 or higher. The Russians, on the other hand, had just one score above 15 in their last two events as they unraveled down the stretch. They sat on the sidelines sniffling and watching glumly as the Americans turned their final event, floor exercise, into a coronation.

When the final standings flashed, chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" rocked the arena, and the U.S. women, who backed up to get a better view of the scoreboard, held up their index fingers for the cameras - in case anyone had a doubt.

"The feeling was incredible," world champion Jordyn Wieber said. "To have this gold medal around your neck, it's really an indescribable feeling."

The Americans had come into the last two Olympics as world champions, only to leave without the gold. But national team coordinator Martha Karolyi recognized six months ago that this was a special group, stronger than previous U.S. teams.

It's not just the titles these Americans have won, though there are plenty: last year's team gold at the world championships, along with Wieber's all-around crown and McKayla Maroney's title on vault. It's their fierce competitiveness, and the unshakable faith they have in themselves. Rather than flinching under the weight of the heavy expectations, it made them stronger. When they noticed the Russians and Romanians peeking in on their training sessions, they cranked up the oomph in their routines, the better to intimidate.

Even Wieber's failure to qualify for the all-around final, which left her teammates stunned following Sunday's sessions, turned out to be a minor speedbump.

"I told them just believe in yourself," Maroney said. "Live up to that Olympic moment, because you're never, ever going to forget it."

Unforgettable, like their performance.

The Americans opened on vault, their strongest event, unleashing a barrage right that let the Russians know in no uncertain terms that they - and everyone else - would be playing for silver.

"They're just so far ahead of anyone else," Britain's Rebecca Tunney said.

All of the Americans do the high-difficulty, high-scoring Amanar - a roundoff onto the takeoff board, back handspring onto the table and 2.5 twisting somersaults before landing. It's got a start value - the measure of difficulty - of 6.5, a whopping 0.7 above the vault most other gymnasts do, and they ripped off one massive one after another.

Going first, Wieber did perhaps the best one she's ever done, getting great height in the air, her legs locked together. When her feet slammed into the mat on landing, she threw up her arms and smiled broadly. Anyone wondering how she was coping with the devastation she felt Sunday had their answer.

"I was pretty disappointed, but I had to put it together mentally, especially for this team," Wieber said. "A team gold medal was also officially a goal of mine, and I had to pull myself together and move on and be stronger mentally for the team."

Gabby Douglas went next, and her vault was even better. Then came Maroney, who may as well claim her Olympic vault gold now. She got so much height on her Amanar it's a wonder she didn't bump her head on the overhead camera. She hit the mat with tremendous force yet didn't so much as wiggle, triumphantly thrusting her arms in the air as she saluted the judges.

The Americans strutted out of the event with a 1.7-point lead, and never looked back.

"We definitely started the competition with a bang," Maroney said.

Russia erased all but four-tenths of the deficit on uneven bars, where Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina defy the laws of gravity. But the Americans threw down another challenge on balance beam, making the 4-inch slab that stands 4 feet in the air look like child's play. Kyla Ross, the only American who wasn't on that world team last year (she was too young), performed like a ballerina with her long legs and gorgeous lines. She landed one somersault with her left foot curled over the edge of the beam, yet never flinched.

Douglas has struggled on balance beam all summer, with a fall the second day of the U.S. championships costing her the title. But she has been clutch in London, delivering the highest score in qualifying and again Tuesday night. She whipped off a series of backflips as if she was still on the ground, a look of intense concentration on her face. She had a small balance check on a leap, swaying slightly and waving her arms to steady herself, but it was a minor error.

Aly Raisman wasn't her usual steady self, wobbling on a somersault and taking a step back on her dismount. But it hardly mattered because the Russians, following the U.S. on beam, were about to implode.

Mustafina swayed and wobbled so badly on the landing of a leap it's a wonder she didn't fall off. Komova almost stepped on the judges on her dismount. The grim mood darkened even further on floor exercise, where Anastasia Grishina stumbled on one pass and botched another when she all but came to a dead stop in the middle of the floor. World champion Ksenia Afanaseva finished the night by landing her dismount on her knees.

"We did everything we could," Komova said.

The Americans swore they weren't watching the scoreboard, but there sure seemed to be some extra sparkle in their final three routines.

Wieber's bright smile widened as she danced and tumbled, the crowd clapping in time to her techno pop music. Fans the world over will be humming the "Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" from the start of Douglas' music and little girls are sure to be bouncing in their backyards trying to get as high as she does on her leaps. Raisman closed it out with a rollicking routine to "Hava Nagila," soaring high on her tumbling passes and sticking a landing with a cement-like firmness.

Coach Mihai Brestyan was jumping up and down as Raisman finished, the tears already starting to fall. They gave way to shrieks of joy as she collapsed into her teammates' arms.

"We knew we could do it," Raisman said. "We just had to pull out all the stops."

Now they need a catchy nickname, something like "The Magnificent Seven" from 1996.

"I like Fierce Five," Maroney said. "Because we are definitely the fiercest team out there."

And they've got gold to prove it.

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by **MJ Mod** Wed Aug 01, 2012 3:57 pm

Here is the women's team gymnastics final full replay:

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Here is the swimming final recaps from 7/31 which includes the relay where the US received gold and the race that gave Michael Phelps his 19th Olympic medal- making him the most decorated olympian ever.

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by **MJ Mod** Wed Aug 01, 2012 4:03 pm

Michael Phelps speaks with Bob Costas after winning his record 19th Olympic medal in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.

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Highlight: Michael Phelps' 19th Medal Ceremony

Michael Phelps is awarded his 19th career Olympic medal after winning gold as the anchor of the U.S. men's 4x200m freestyle relay team.

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by **MJ Mod** Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:12 am

DAY 5 (AUGUST 1) RECAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

China maintained it's 1st place position in the medal count with 30 medals- 17 gold 9 silver and 4 bronze. The US is just 1 behind with 29- 12 gold 8 silver and 9 bronze. In 3rd is Japan with 17 medals- 2 gold 4 silver 11 bronze.

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Review: Host nation claim first golds
1 August 2012

Bradley Wiggins wrote his name in history after becoming the first man to win the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the same year with victory in the Road Cycling Time Trial.

The 32-year-old claimed his fourth Olympic Games gold and seventh medal in all, surpassing Sir Steve Redgrave with a British record haul of Games medals, in an imperious victory.

Wiggins was the penultimate of 37 riders to take to the course and completed the 44km route in 50:39.54 to triumph by 42 seconds, with fellow Briton Chris Froome third in 51:47.87.

World champion Tony Martin of Germany clocked 51:21.54 to claim silver.

Wiggins, who is from London, said: 'It's been an amazing six weeks.

'This was the plan. I've answered all the questions in the last six weeks.

'We've done it. To win another Olympic title in another event, it's never, ever going to get any better than that.'

In the women's event, Kristin Armstrong retained her title and promptly announced her retirement.

The 38-year-old from the United States finished the 29km route in 37:34.82 to win a second successive gold in the discipline after a triumphant race against the clock in Beijing in 2008.

Armstrong was last of the 24 riders to roll down the start ramp and led at every time check, with world champion Judith Arndt of Germany second in 37:50.29 and Russia's Olga Zabelinskaya, who finished third in Sunday's road race, taking bronze in 37:57.35.

In the Aquatics Centre, Daniel Gyurta of Hungary set a new world record in winning the men's 200m Breaststroke.

Gyurta lowered Christian Sprenger's world mark by 0.03 seconds to 2:07.28. Britain's Michael Jamieson was second with Japan's Ryo Tateishi third.

China's Liuyang Jiao won the women's 200m Butterfly and Nathan Adrian edged out James Magnussen by one-hundredth of a second in the 100m Freestyle.

Great Britain celebrated their first gold medal of the London 2012 Games - which was swiftly followed by number two courtesy of Wiggins - after Helen Glover and Heather Stanning stormed to victory in the final of the women's Rowing Pair.

Glover and Stanning dominated the field, winning by more than a length to make history at Eton Dorney as the first British female rowers to be crowned Olympic champions.

Australia pipped world champions New Zealand to win silver but neither crew was able to keep up with the blistering pace set by the British pair.

Ukraine cruised to victory in the women's Quadruple Sculls and Germany held off the challenges of Canada and Great Britain to take gold in the men's Eight.

South Korean teenager Jangmi Kim beat reigning Olympic champion Ying Chen of China with her final round to win gold in the women's 25m Pistol while world champions Kai Qin and Yutong Luo maintained China's dominance in the Diving with gold in the Synchronised 3m Springboard.

Italy's Daniele Molmenti celebrated his 28th birthday with gold in the men's Kayak Single (K1).

The current European champion, who could only manage 10th in Beijing, won in a time of 93.43, ahead of the Czech Republic's Vavrinec Hradilek in silver and Germany's Hannes Aigner, who claimed bronze.

In the men's Hockey, Australia defeated Spain 5-0, Pakistan beat Argentina 2-0, New Zealand stunned India 3-1 and Holland overcame neighbours Belgium 3-1 while South Africa drew 2-2 with Great Britain.

On the Basketball court, France's women's team saw off Canada 64-60 to secure their place in the quarter-finals, as did China following their 76-52 thrashing of Angola.

Australia edged Brazil 67-61, while Russia beat Great Britain by the same score. The Czech Republic overcame Croatia 89-70.

Brazil's men's footballers continued their impressive progress with a 3-0 defeat of New Zealand and Egypt joined them in qualifying for the last eight from Group C with a 3-1 defeat of Belarus.

Great Britain, Senegal, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Honduras also advanced to the last eight.

World champion Lucie Decosse claimed Olympic Judo gold for France with victory over German Kerstin Thiele in the women's Middleweight (63-70kg) final at ExCeL while Dae-Nam Song triumphed in the men's Middleweight (81-90kg).

Xiaoxia Li caused an upset against Chinese compatriot Ning Ding to claim Olympic gold in the women's Table Tennis Singles.

Japan's Kohei Uchimura won Individual All-Around Artistic Gymnastics gold at the North Greenwich Arena.

Uchimura, who won silver in the competition four years ago in Beijing, scored 92.690 to see off the challenge of German Marcel Nguyen in silver medal position with American Danell Leyva in bronze, just under two points off the lead.

China's Xiaojun Lu won gold - and set a new world record - in the men's 77kg Weightlifting while Venezuela claimed just its second Olympic gold as Ruben Limardo won the Fencing Individual Epee.

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by **MJ Mod** Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:29 am

Top NBC Moment: Phelps Tribute ... 19 Medals

With the 4x200m freestyle relay win by the U.S., Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in the history of the Games. Run through every medal Phelps has won through his Olympic career

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Bob Costas Talks To The 'Fabulous Five' After Gold

The American women's gymnastics team sits down with Bob Costas after their triumphant performance in the women's team final.

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by **MJ Mod** Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:36 am

Dressage scores could set records
By: Sarah Edmonds
UPDATED: Aug 1, 10:02p ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A generation remembers the day in 1976 when Nadia Comaneci scored the first-ever 10 in gymnastics, breaking Olympic scoreboards not calibrated to handle perfection.

Now the sport of dressage, essentially the equine equivalent of the gymnastics floor exercise, is seeing a similar grading revolution after decades where judges viewed 80 percent as an insurmountable barrier.

And it is entirely possible the London Olympics could witness the toppling of yet more records when the multi-phase dressage contest gets underway on Thursday.

"It's absolutely correct that the top marks have gone up. We have seen new world records coming in a string," said Trond Asmyr, Director of Dressage and Para-equestrian Dressage at the Federation Equestre Internationale, the sport's governing body.

Nor, he says, are the rising marks the result of inflation.

"We have a fantastic breed of good horses. We have never, ever had the level of horses we have today. It's amazing."

Riding, training and horse management have also improved to unprecedented levels, he said.

Two horses - Germany's Totilas and Great Britain's Valegro - have set new records in the past three years and some in the equestrian world say with the quality young horses now climbing the ranks, this is only the beginning.

Between them, Totilas and Valegro have earned record scores in each of the three top-level dressage tests - the grand prix, the more difficult grand prix special and the freestyle, which is set to music and not pre-set like the other two.

Totilas, knocked out of the London Games by rider Matthias Rath's glandular fever, earned a record 84.09 percent grand prix score in August 2009 and 92.30 percent - the first mark above 90 percent - in the freestyle four months later.

In dressage, judges seated at various points around the arena rate each movement - such as the halt, the extended canter, the difficult on-the-spot trot called the piaffe - out of 10. These scores are then collated to produce a percentage.

In dressage, 10 means excellent, not perfect.

Charlotte Dujardin of Britain only started riding at the top level of international dressage last year, but she and Valegro immediately landed in the record books with the highest-ever grand prix debut score of 74 percent.

In April this year, they posted the highest-ever mark in a grand prix special of 88.02 percent.

Carl Hester, mentor and teammate of the record-breaking Dujardin is delighted at the bursting of the 80 percent dam.

"It was almost like you couldn't use 10, you just didn't dare use 10. Now the judges can be persuaded to give 10. What could be better?" he said. "I'm all for it."

Valegro, he said, deserved his lofty grades.

"The horse has not yet had a flaw or shown anything that we could say wasn't going to make him a champion," he said, adding that Dujardin's incredible focus and determination is also key.

"She'd climb over her mother to win this thing," he said with a grin. "She would. She's that determined."

Catherine Austen, Olympics correspondent for Horse and Hound magazine, agreed that horses and riders had improved immeasurably.

"In British dressage ten years ago, if you got 65 percent, you were a national hero. And now suddenly we have broken all barriers," she said.

"I think it's addictive and also catching, like a cold. Once a judge is brave enough to start awarding nines and 10s, then everyone gets brave enough as well."

With Totilas out of the Games, London will be deprived of a showdown between the two great horses - a battle of beauty Hester thinks Valegro, nicknamed Blueberry, would win.

But even without Totilas, Asmyr thinks these Olympics are likely to produce some impressive scores.

And with a new format that has cut team sizes to three and made all scores count, there are likely to be some gasp-inducing moments over the four days of competition.

"I think we will see a number of performances both in the grand prix and the grand prix special above 80 percent," Asmyr said. "I would be happy and not surprised if we had at least one result above 90 percent in the freestyle."

He smilingly declined to say which horse he saw hitting that high watermark.

The four days run like this:

Over the course of Thursday and Friday, all 50 horse-rider pairs will perform a grand prix test.

The top seven teams and the top 11 individual riders after the grand prix go through to the grand prix special on August 7. This decides the team medals.

The grand prix special also serves as a qualifier for the Aug. 9 freestyle where the leading 18 horse-rider pairings - a maximum of three per country - contend for individual Olympic glory.

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by **MJ Mod** Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:42 am

What to watch: Olympics Day 6
By: Matthew Kitchen, NBC Olympics
UPDATED: Aug 1, 7:50p ET

Aly and Gabby aim for gold in the women's all-around, Phelps and Lochte go head-to-head in the 200m IM, and Mitt Romney's horse, Rafalca, makes her Olympic debut. Here's what were watching on Day 6.
Related to this Blog

Women’s Gymnastics All-around – With Jordyn Wieber out of the all-around, Russian Viktoria Komova and Gabby Douglas, who scored huge to help the U.S. win gold in the team final, are now the favorites in the all-around. Surprise entrant Aly Raisman should take the third spot on the podium, and could vault the field if the top two gymnasts falter.

200m IM Final – Michael Phelps swims for his 20th medal Thursday night when he faces friend and rival Ryan Lochte in their second head-to-head matchup of the Games. Phelps out-touched Lochte at Trials and with the 200m back he and his grill will be swimming beforehand, Phelps could make up for the 400m IM fourth place he earned on day one.

Equestrian Dressage – Rafalca, the horse owned by Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, and ridden by Jan Ebeling, makes his Olympic debut Thursday in equestrian dressage. Stephen Colbert will be watching with anticipation as his favorite new athlete aims for gold in the “Sport of the Summer” against American riders Steffen Peters and Tina Konyot.

Rowing: Women’s Eight – Mary Whipple coxed the Americans to silver in Athens, gold in Beijing, and she looks to repeat with her strongest team yet in London. They’ve been the best group in the world for five years running, but the Brits and Canadians could make the podium, along with Romania, which has never missed out on a medal in this event.

Men’s Volleyball – The Americans, led by team captain Reid Priddy and star Clay Stanley, square-off against the Brazilians who they upset in the gold medal match back in Beijing. The American are underdogs again in an important matchup that will likely determine which of Group B's last two unbeaten teams earns the knockout tourney's top seed.

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by **MJ Mod** Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:02 am

DAY 6 (AUGUST 2) RECAP

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The United States is now first in the medal count with 37 medals- 18 gold 9 silver and 10 bronze. China is is 2nd place with 34 medals- 18 gold 11 silver 5 bronze. In 3rd place is Japan with 19 medals- 2 gold 6 silver and 11 bronze.

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~

Review: Hoy gets GB on track
3 August 2012

There was plenty for Host Nation Great Britain to savour as they enjoyed their best day of the London 2012 Games so far, but they were not the only ones celebrating on a dramatic Day 6

At the Velodrome, Chris Hoy hailed his fifth Olympic Games gold as his best ever, after Great Britain's men's Team Sprint squad triumphed on a night of high drama.

Having set a world record in the first round, Hoy, Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny promptly clocked another in a stunning finale, finishing in 42.600.

In a repeat of the final four years' ago at Beijing 2008, France's Gregory Bauge, Michael D'Almeida and Kevin Sireau had to settle for silver, finishing in 43.013, with Germany third.

Hoy said: 'When I crossed the line, I didn't have to look at the scoreboard, I knew we'd won. I thought my first win in Athens was the most memorable for me, but this by far is my greatest win.'

Germany's Miriam Welte and Kristina Vogel had earlier won gold in the women's Team Sprint, but only after China were relegated for a takeover offence. Australia's Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch (32.727) claimed bronze ahead of Ukraine.

Britain's men's Team Pursuit squad also set a world record. The quartet of Ed Clancy, Steven Burke, Geraint Thomas and Peter Kennaugh - who set the world record in winning April's Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne - went 0.796 seconds faster, clocking 3:52.499.

South Africa's rowers clinched Olympic gold in the men’s Lightweight Four at Eton Dorney after prevailing in a thrilling finish. They, Great Britain and Denmark were all in contention in the final 50 metres but the quartet of James Thompson, Matthew Brittain, John Smith and Sizwe Ndlovu just did enough to cross the line first. Britain managed silver with Denmark coming third.

The United States retained their Olympic title in the women's Eight to continue their dominance of the event. The USA, five-time world champions and unbeaten since 2006, beat Canada into silver with the Netherlands taking bronze.

New Zealand duo Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan won the men's Double Sculls final ahead of Italy and Slovenia.

It was a wonderful night for the United States in the pool with Michael Phelps, predictably, leading the way by claiming his 20th Olympic Games medal - and his first individual gold of the meet - in the 200m Individual Medley.

Phelps led from start to finish and held off fast-finishing team-mate Ryan Lochte down the final freestyle leg to win in 1:54.27, just 0.04 seconds outside his own Olympic record.

It means Phelps is the first man to win the event at three consecutive Games and comes just 48 hours after he won his 18th and 19th Olympic medals to overtake Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina, who held the previous record with 18.

Lochte took silver in 1:54.90, with Hungary's Laszlo Cseh taking bronze.

Another American, Rebecca Soni, claimed gold in the women's 200m Breaststroke after smashing her own world record in the final.

The 25-year-old took control of the race after the opening length and touched in a time of 2:19.59, taking more than four tenths of a second off her previous best, set in the semis. Japan's Satomi Suzuki claimed silver with Russian Iuliia Efimova taking bronze.

Team USA's Tyler Clary surprisingly got the better of Lochte in the 200m Backstroke. Lochte led at the final turn but faded in the closing 50m, allowing Clary to snatch victory in a new Olympic record of 1:53.41, with Japan's Ryosuke Irie claiming silver.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands ensured there would not be an American clean sweep of the evening's four finals, powering to victory in the 100m Freestyle and lowering her Olympic record - set the day before - to 53.00.

The 21-year-old stormed down the final length to finish ahead of Aliaksandra Herasimenia and China's Yi Tang.

At Wimbledon, Andy Murray beat Nicolas Almagro to set up a men’s Tennis Singles semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic, who beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The other semi will see world number one Roger Federer take on Juan Martin Del Potro.

In the women's event, Serena Williams will take on Victoria Azarenka in the last four while Maria Sharapova will meet Maria Kirilenko in an all-Russian clash.

Italy's version of the 'Dream Team' did what was expected of them by adding Team Fencing gold to the three individual medals they won on Saturday in the women's Foil.

Valentina Vezzali, Elisa Di Francisca - now a double gold medal-winner in London - and new world number one Arianna Errigo were in unstoppable form all day and took the title with a 45-31 victory over Russia.

For 38-year-old Vezzali, Italy's flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony, it meant a sixth gold of her glittering career - and that equals the Italian record of fellow fencers Edoardo Mangiarotti and Nedo Nadi.

Hosts Great Britain claimed two more gold medals in the space of five minutes this afternoon.

First Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie led a British one-two in the two-man Canoe Slalom - David Florence and Richard Hounslow finishing second - before shooter Peter Wilson claimed the men's Double Trap title.

World record holder Wilson finished two clear of Sweden's Hakan Dahlby with a total score of 188 out of 200 shots fired. Russian Vasily Mosin won bronze after a shoot-off with Kuwaiti Fehaid Aldeehani.

Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov delivered Europe's first singles Table Tennis medal in 12 years by claiming bronze with a 4-2 defeat of Taiwan's Chuang Chih-yuan.

Zhang Jike took the gold and, in the process, completed the Grand Slam as Wang Hao endured more Olympics heartache at the London 2012 Games.

Wang, the silver medallist in Athens and Beijing, lost 4-1 as Zhang became just the fourth man to complete the Grand Slam of World Cup, World Championships and Olympic success.

USA's Kayla Harrison clinched Judo gold in the women's Half-Heavyweight (70-78kg) category after beating Britain's Gemma Gibbons in a hard-fought final.

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by **MJ Mod** Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:39 pm

Top NBC Moment: Gabby Wins All-Around Gold

Gabby Douglas wins the gold medal in the all-around gymnastics competition. Carly Patterson won in 2004 and Nastia Liukin took the title in 2008, marking three straight golds for the United States.

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by **MJ Mod** Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:50 pm

Ryan Lochte: I'll Definitely Be In Rio

Bob Costas talks with Ryan Lochte after his final Olympic swim to review his performance in London and look to what's ahead, with Lochte insisting that he plans to return for the 2016 Olympic Games.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:08 am

Medal count standings Day 7 (August 3):

1. United States- 43 medals: 21 gold 10 silver 12 bronze
2. China- 42 medals: 20 gold 13 silver 9 bronze
3. Russia- 23 medals: 3 gold 12 silver 8 bronze

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:36 pm

Preview: Saturday promises to be 'Super'
4 August 2012

With 25 gold medals to be won in 11 different sports, ‘Super Saturday’ is one of the most eagerly awaited days at London 2012.

Day 8 of the Games promises more thrilling Athletics action at the Olympic Stadium, there will also be Swimming medals to be won at the Aquatics Centre and Track Cycling drama at the Velodrome.

Hyde Park will be the venue for the women’s Triathlon and there will also be Rowing, Tennis, Badminton, Trampoline, Fencing, Shooting and Weightlifting medals up for grabs.

On the track, Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will look to defend the 100m title she won in Beijing four years ago. Great Britain’s Mo Farah will have the home crowd on their feet if he can kick for home and win the 10,000m final.

The majority of a packed-out crowd at the Olympic Stadium will also be hoping Great Britain's Jessica Ennis wins gold in the Heptathlon - with the 800m the final event in the competition. Day 8 will also feature finals in the men’s Long Jump and the women's Discus.

At the Aquatics Centre, Michael Phelps will get the chance to end his remarkable Olympic Games career with yet another gold medal when the USA team compete in the 4 x 100m Medley Relay final. America qualified fastest for the final despite resting their strongest four swimmers, including the most decorated Olympian Phelps - who will be determined to end his glittering career by standing on top of the podium yet again.

World record-holder Sun Yang will fancy his chances of winning a second gold medal at London 2012 when he races in the men’s 1500m Freestyle final, while Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands will look to add the women’s 50m Freestyle title to the 100m gold she won at the Games. There is also the women’s 4 x 100 Medley Relay final.

The picturesque Hyde Park will be the venue for the women’s Triathlon, with Helen Jenkins the favourite to win gold for Great Britain, and thousands of spectators are expected to gather along The Mall for the men’s 20km Race Walk.

Four Rowing golds are at stake at Eton Dorney, with finals to look forward to in the men’s Four, the men’s and women’s Lightweight Double Sculls and the women’s Single Sculls.

There will be plenty of Cycling, but just one final at The Velodrome with the women’s Team Pursuit title to be decided.

The women’s Trampoline final will take place at North Greenwich Arena, while medals will be won in the women's Team Epee Fencing at ExCeL, the men’s 94kg Weightlifting as well as the women’s Trap Shooting and women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions.

Wimbledon will see the women’s Singles and men’s Doubles finals in Tennis, while at Wembley Arena there is the women’s Doubles and women’s Singles gold medals up for grabs in the Badminton.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:28 pm

Phelps bows out with 18th gold
04 August 2012 20:53

All eyes were on Michael Phelps as he brought to an end a career few can ever hope to match as he claimed his 18th Olympic gold medal as the USA won the 4 x 100m Medley Relay.

The 27-year-old now has 22 medals - 18 gold, two silver and two bronze - 12 years after his Games career started in Sydney when he was fifth in the 200m Butterfly.

Six golds and two bronze medals in Athens were followed by his historic eight gold medals in Beijing four years later.

When he was introduced before the final race of his career, his composure appeared to slip slightly.

He swam the butterfly leg and handed over to Nathan Adrian in first place for the freestyle as the USA clinched another title in 3:29.35.

The USA also won the women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay from Australia and Japan in a new world record.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:16 pm

Super Saturday smashes all expectations
4 August 2012

It really has been a Super Saturday for London 2012 fans, with 25 gold medal events making it the busiest day in the Olympic calendar.

All the Olympic venues were packed with activity – but the Olympic Park in particular was flooded with fans and supporters from all over the world eager to support their country and cheer on their favourite athletes.

Canadian fans saw their women’s Track Cycling team win a bronze medal in the Team Pursuit at the Velodrome: 'We filmed it all, it was amazing. We had goose bumps, it was so electrifying – a big day for us!'

Meanwhile, Usain Bolt fans dressed in Jamaican colours to see him qualify for the next round of men's 100m in the Olympic Stadium.

Fans of women’s Hockey had a great time at the Riverbank Arena watching Japan go head to head against Belgium, and then GB against China: 'It’s quite festivally, a really good buzz!', they said of their experience.

As well as thousands of fans, plenty of famous faces could be spotted in the Olympic Park today –including Team GB kit designer Stella McCartney, who watched on as her father Paul lead a rendition of ‘Hey Jude’ in the Velodrome. Cycling fans not only enjoyed a Beatles song, but also saw GB's Joanna Rowsell, Dani King and Laura Trott smash the world record on their way to victory in the women's Team Pursuit. One spectator exclaimed: 'It was electric when the girls won their gold. Absolutely brilliant!'

All in all, today will be a hard act to follow – but tomorrow there are an additional 23 medals to win, bringing the total for the weekend up to 48.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:37 pm

DAY 8 (AUGUST 4) RECAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Medal count standings Day 8 (August 4):

1. United States- 54 medals: 26 gold 13 silver 15 bronze
2. China- 53 medals: 25 gold 16 silver 12 bronze
3. Great Britain- 29 medals: 14 gold 7 silver 8 bronze

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~

Review: Great day for Great Britain
5 August 2012

Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah struck gold for Great Britain in front of a capacity crowd of 80,000 at the Olympic Stadium on a sensational evening for the Host Nation.

Ennis started the party with a dominant victory in the Heptathlon before Rutherford leapt to victory in the Long Jump, the 25-year-old's winning effort of 8.31m coming at precisely the same time as Ennis was being introduced to the fans before her final event, the 800m.

And Farah then rounded off three astonishing triumphs in the space of 45 minutes with a blistering 53-second last lap in the 10,000m, to take gold ahead of training partner Galen Rupp.

Ennis had a commanding lead going into the 800m but still stormed to victory to improve her national record to 6,955 points and win from Germany's Lilli Schwarzkopf and Tatyana Chernova.

'I can't believe I've had the opportunity to come to my first Games in London and won an Olympic Gold medal. It's unbelievable,' said 26-year-old Ennis, who missed the Beijing 2008 Games after suffering a career-threatening foot injury.

Rutherford, who heads the world rankings in 2012, took the lead in the second round with a jump of 8.21m and was never overtaken, the 25-year-old then jumping 8.31m in the fourth round to extend his lead.

Australia's Mitchell Watt took silver with 8.16m and American Will Claye bronze with 8.12m.

World 5,000m champion Farah had thought his race would not come down to a last-lap burnout as rivals feared his sprinting speed, but in the end that was what happened and Farah hit the front at the bell to time his finish to perfection.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce defended her Olympic 100m title.

Fraser-Pryce edged out world champion Carmelita Jeter to win in a time of 10.75, with the USA’s Jeter just 0.03 behind and Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown taking bronze in 10.81.

In the morning, defending champion Usain Bolt strolled into the semi-finals of the men’s 100m in 10.09, while South Africa's Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 'Blade Runner' made the semi-finals of the 400m as defending champion LaShawn Merritt crashed out with a hamstring injury.

British success was not confined to the track, with the rowers and cyclists setting the stage for the evening heroics.

At Eton Dorney, Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking won the women's Lightweight Double Sculls with the men’s Four also going the way of the hosts.

Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter narrowly failed to make it a hat-trick after losing out to the Danish pair of Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist in the men's Lightweight Double Sculls.

Czech Republic's Miroslava Knapkova won gold in the women's Single Sculls.

In the Velodrome, the British women’s Team Pursuit team defeated the USA in the final.

Britain have won four of the five gold medals on offer after three days of Track Cycling, with five events to come, after Joanna Rowsell, Dani King and Laura Trott clocked 3:14.051 to triumph with a sixth consecutive world record in the three-woman, three-kilometre event.

The Olympic Swimming programme came to an end with Michael Phelps bowing out with the 18th gold medal of his record-breaking career.

The USA superstar, in the last race of his career, swam the butterfly leg as his country claimed gold in the 4 x 100m Medley Relay final.

The USA also won the women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay while, earlier, China's Sun Yang took the gold and broke the world record in the men’s 1500m Freestyle.

Serena Williams became the first woman to claim the Tennis career Golden Slam in both Singles and Doubles after a ruthless demolition of Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon.

No player apart from German Steffi Graf had previously won all four grand slam events and an Olympic gold in the Singles.

Williams’ 6-0 6-1 win over Russian Sharapova saw her join Graf in achieving that feat, although she can also claim the added distinction of having also done it in the Doubles alongside sister Venus.

'I didn't expect this. Oh my gosh. I have a gold medal in singles,' Williams said.

'I got the gold. I'm just so happy.'

Victoria Azarenka took the bronze after beating Maria Kirilenko 6-3 6-4, while the American Bryan brothers - Mike and Bob - won the men’s Doubles by beating French duo Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Nicola Spirig won Triathlon gold for Switzerland after edging out Sweden’s Lisa Norden in a photo finish.

Jamie Lynn Gray of the USA was a runaway winner of the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Shooting final, 4.4 ahead of Serbia’s Ivana Maksimovic with Czech Adela Sykorova third.

China's Li Xuerui completed her dream run at Wembley Arena by outbattling her illustrious compatriot Wang Yihan to claim Olympic Badminton gold.

The 21-year-old failed to convert two match points in the second game but managed to summon enough energy to clinch a draining women's Singles final 21-15 21-23 21-17.

Italian Jessica Rossi won gold in the Trap Shooting, Canada’s Rosannagh MacLennan claimed the women’s Individual Trampoline crown and China’s Chen Ding won the men’s 20km Race Walk.

The men’s Football semi-finals will see Japan take on Mexico and South Korea meet Brazil.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:48 pm

Day 8 Review: Volleyball contenders dig deep
05 August 201201:27

It was a day of come-from-behind victories and hard-fought encounters in the men's Volleyball tournament.

Russia completed a stunning turnaround to offer the highlight, coming from two sets down to topple reigning champions the USA.

It was the first time this tournament that the world's number-two ranked side have justified their reputation, handing the USA their first defeat of the round-robin games in the process.

The difference proved to be on the spike. Russia found the floor 67 times compared to America's 49. Maxim Mikhaylov was responsible for 27 of their points and was well supported by Sergey Tetyukhin (21).

The tone for the day had been set earlier, when Italy dug deep for a comeback of their own, seeing off Australia 25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 14-25, 13-15.

Jon Uriarte's men took a two-set lead over the world number fours before running out of gas and letting them off the hook.

While ranked 22 themselves, a win for the Volleyroos would still have been considered an upset, but it was not to be as once Italy found their rhythm, Australia stopped finding the floor.

Michal Lasko stepped up to grab 25 points and Australia's big, powerful team simply tired under the weight of pressure.

Germany's turnaround in form continued at Earls Court in the morning as they swept Tunisia aside 3-0 to record a second successive win in Pool B.

Vital Heynen's men had looked to be out of the running for qualification when they lost their opening pair of games, before a thrilling five-set victory over Serbia on Thursday got them back in with a chance.

They backed that up with a 65-minute whitewash here, meaning they head into their final game against Brazil with every chance of progression.

Poland, meanwhile, turned on the style to beat Great Britain 3-0 as they justified the big expectations on their shoulders.

Argentina pulled out all the stops to end Bulgaria's unbeaten run, producing a shock four-set win.

The Europeans have been the surprise package of the competition so far - defeating favourites Poland on Tuesday - but they were undone tonight.

In the final game of the evening, Brazil beat Serbia 3-2.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:59 pm

Day 8 Review: Fraser-Pryce stars alongside GB trio
05 August 201200:11

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce defended her 100m title in a time of 10.75 on what turned out to be a golden night for Host Nation Great Britain.

World champion Carmelita Jeter of the USA was second in 10.78, with Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown third in 10.81.

Fraser-Pryce said: 'It's completely different to Beijing (2008 Games) because there I was inexperienced.

'I was young and I never believed I could win. This time I was a bit nervous but I believed in God and I trusted him to carry me through.'

Britain, meanwhile, won three gold medals in one Athletics session for the first time in Olympic history as Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah delighted a capacity crowd of 80,000.

Ennis claimed a commanding victory in the Heptathlon, and Rutherford then leapt to victory in the Long Jump.

The 25-year-old's winning jump of 8.31m came at precisely the same time as Ennis was being introduced to the crowd before her final event, the 800m.

And Farah then rounded off an astonishing evening with a blistering last lap in the 10,000m, completing it in 53 seconds to take gold ahead of training partner Galen Rupp of the USA.

Ennis said afterwards: 'I can't believe I've had the opportunity to come to my first Games in London and won an Olympic Gold medal. It's unbelievable.'

Rutherford took the lead in the second round with a jump of 8.21m and was never headed, then jumped 8.31m in the fourth round to extend his lead.

'I don't think I'll ever get bored of hearing that,' Rutherford said after being reminded he is now an Olympic champion. 'That is the most amazing feeling in the world.'

World 5,000m champion Farah described his victory as the 'best moment of my life'.

'I've never experienced something like this, it doesn't come around that often and to have it on your doorstep with that amount of people supporting you and shouting your name...it's never gonna get any better than this,' Farah said. 'This is the best moment of my life.'

Sandra Perkovic threw a Croatian national record of 69.11m to win the women's Discus title, while China's Chen Ding strolled to gold in the men's 20km Race Walk.

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by **MJ Mod** Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:06 pm

Here are a few pix of London at night

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by **MJ Mod** Sun Aug 05, 2012 6:10 pm

Michael Phelps Reviews His Final Olympic Games

Bob Costas speaks with Michael Phelps about his historic London Olympics and legendary career, with Phelps breaking down his performances in London.

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by **MJ Mod** Sun Aug 05, 2012 6:14 pm

London 2012 volunteers make the Games
5 August 2012

Halfway through the Games, we reflect on the charisma, character and incredible contribution that the London 2012 Games Maker volunteers have made to the Games so far.

The world’s biggest sporting event is made possible by up to 70,000 volunteers, or Games Makers, who have given up their time to help welcome the world to London.

Across the Olympics, both in venues and back-of-house, volunteers are performing a wide variety of specialist and generalist roles – whether running information desks, helping out on the field of play, checking tickets or working in the medical services team.

‘I feel like I’m making history’

One volunteer relishing their role is Steve Tarrant from Poole, whose job it is to carry the medals and flowers presented to Sailing medallists during the Victory Ceremonies in Weymouth. Steve said: 'After being disabled 12 years ago, I made it my aim to achieve new challenges. I couldn’t give up the chance to be involved in the biggest sporting event in the world. One of the highlights for me is feeling like I’m making history as one of the first wheelchair users to do this role.'

There are also lots of volunteers working behind the scenes – like Jacintha Mack Smith, a member of the London 2012 website team. She says that volunteering at the Games has shown her how exciting live sport can be: 'Even if you don’t know much about the sport itself, the spectacle of it all is amazing – the crowds, the noise.'

‘I feel lucky and proud that everyone is giving 110%’

Charlotte, a 23-year-old Londoner, is a member of the Sport Info team for Archery. Having recently graduated in dentistry, she is working some of her shifts in the Polyclinic in the Olympic Village.

Charlotte said: 'I was desperate to be involved in any way possible. It is a bit of a coincidence that I've ended up using my dentistry skills, but it’s been amazing – getting to meet some of the leading dentists in my chosen profession has been unexpected but a great opportunity.'

'It’s truly amazing what people can achieve when we all come together. People are so excited, touched – even on the Tube, strangers are chatting to one another, and the Tube drivers are announcing when Team GB wins gold! I feel lucky and proud that everyone seems to be giving 110% because of the Games.’

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by **MJ Mod** Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:02 am

DAY 9 (AUGUST 5) RECAP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Medal count standings Day 9 (August 5):

1. China- 61 medals: 30 gold 17 silver 14 bronze
2. United States- 60 medals: 28 gold 14 silver 18 bronze
3. Great Britain- 37 medals: 16 gold 11 silver 10 bronze

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~

Review: Bolt storms to gold
6 August 2012

Usain Bolt retained his Olympic 100m title by recording the second-fastest time ever to blow away the field.

All the talk beforehand was of Bolt’s injury worries and how his title was under threat from Jamaican compatriot Yohan Blake.

But, despite a sluggish start, he picked up in the middle of the race to power home in an Olympic record of 9.63, with Blake second in a personal best-equalling 9.75. USA’s Justin Gatlin came third, also in a PB, in 9.79.

Bolt said he knew from his run in the heat he was in the right kind of form to win the title.

'I was happy,' he said. 'When I went out in the first round I felt I could do this. I was slightly worried about my start, I didn’t want to false start again.

'I think I sat in the blocks a little bit so I don’t think it’s the best reaction in the world, but I executed and that was the key.

'My coach said, "stop worrying about the start, the best part of your race is at the end, that’s where you rule".

'So I stopped worrying about the start and I executed.'

The USA’s Sanya Richards-Ross took gold in the women’s 400m in 49.55, with Great Britain’s defending champion Christine Ohuruogu clocking a season's best of 49.70, just 0.02 ahead of DeeDee Trotter on the line.

Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi won gold in the men’s 3,000m Steeplechase, Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova triumphed in the women’s Triple Jump and Hungary’s Krisztian Pars won the men’s Hammer Throw.

Ethiopia's Tiki Gelana revelled in the rain as she claimed a surprise gold in the women’s Marathon. The 24-year-old, competing in her first major championship, set a new Olympic record of 2:23:07.

Kenya's Priscah Jeptoo took silver, five seconds back, and Russia's Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova the bronze, leaving the pre-race favourite, Kenya's Mary Keitany, to settle for fourth.

Andy Murray claimed the biggest title of his career - Olympic gold - by defeating world number one Roger Federer in the men’s Singles Tennis final at Wimbledon.

Murray avenged his defeat to Federer at SW19 four weeks ago with a stunning 6-2 6-1 6-4 success. He then teamed up with Laura Robson for the Mixed Doubles final but was unable to make it double gold as the Belarusian pair of Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi prevailed.

Venus and Serena Williams won the women’s Doubles, becoming the first players to win four Olympic Tennis titles. Less than 24 hours after Serena joined older sister Venus as a three-time gold medallist with victory in the Singles - completing the career golden slam in the process - the USA pair saw off Czech Republic duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-4.

In Weymouth, Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen of Sweden won gold in the Star class, with Britain’s Ben Ainslie triumphing in the Finn.

Ainslie’s fourth gold made him the most successful sailor in Olympic history. 'I am pretty speechless,' he said. 'It has been a tough week.'

'There was amazing competition, especially from Jonas Hogh-Christensen from Denmark, but this was the time to do it in front of a home crowd.'

Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng completed a Chinese clean sweep of the Badminton gold medals at London 2012 with victory in the men's Doubles final.

The top seeds edged out Denmark's Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21-16 21-15 at Wembley Arena. Cai and Fu's success came after the great Lin Dan had successfully defended his Singles title with a 15-21 21-10 21-19 win over rival Lee Chong Wei.

China also tasted success at the Aquatics Centre with Wu Minxia confirming her status as one of the best women's divers in history by easily winning the 3m Springboard. The world champion claimed the first individual mark of 10 at these Games to claim a record-equalling sixth Olympic medal in the Diving pool.

She finished with a score of 414.00 to be 34.8 clear of compatriot He Zi, who she won gold alongside in the synchro. Wu's victory also meant that China remained on course for a clean sweep of the eight gold medals on offer in Diving, having now won all five events so far.

Laura Sanchez Soto claimed the bronze for Mexico. Another Chinese, Zhou Lulu, edged a dramatic +75kg Weightlifting tussle with Russia’s Tatiana Kashirina to claim gold, while Hamid Mohammad Soryan Reihanpour won Iran’s first Greco-Roman Wrestling gold in the 55kg category.

In the Velodrome, Denmark’s Lasse Hansen won gold in the men’s Omnium ahead of France’s Bryan Coquard and Briton Ed Clancy.

The Olympic Fencing competition ended as it started last Saturday - with Italy striking gold, this time in the men’s Team Foil.

China's Zou Kai won gold in the men's Artistic Gymnastics Floor final, Hungarian Krisztian Berki won the Pommel Horse crown and Romania's Sandra Raluca Izbasa rocketed to glory in the women's Vault final.

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