Tag Archives: Summer Olympics
Aly Raisman Wins Olympic Gold 2012
U.S. captain matched Gabby Douglas in gold medals, winning the title on floor exercise Tuesday. Add in the bronze on balance beam from earlier in the day, and she becomes the most decorated of the Fierce Five.
Good thing Raisman had such a big day because the rest of the Americans came up empty-handed. Douglas had another rough day, finishing seventh on balance beam after a fall. World champion Jordyn Wieber, voted most likely to leave the Olympics with the biggest haul, was seventh on floor and finishes without any individual medals.
Danell Leyva and Jonathan Horton were fifth and sixth, respectively, on high bar, leaving the U.S. men with only Leyva’s all-around bronze.
“I’m so happy, going home with two Olympic gold medals and a couple of titles under my belt,” Douglas said. “I’m so happy for Aly, she deserves to be up on that podium. She had a great beam routine and I’m so proud of her.”
Raisman may not have Douglas’ bubbly personality or Wieber’s resume but she is prized her for her steadiness, and that consistency paid off big in London.
Perhaps energized by her surprise bronze on beam, Raisman’s floor routine had an extra spark. Her tumbling passes were some of the most difficult, and she got such great height on them you could have parked a double-decker bus beneath her. Her landings were not only secure, one was so powerful it practically shook the floor.
Coach Mihai Brestyan was hopping up and down and pumping his fist as she finished, and even Raisman was impressed with herself, mouthing “wow” after she saluted the judges. When her score, a 15.6, was posted, teammate McKayla Maroney yelled “whoa!” so loudly from the stands it could be heard across the arena.
There were still five gymnasts to go, but none came close. When reigning world champion Sandra Izbasa landed her final tumbling run on her head, Raisman let herself exhale. And smile.
Catalina Ponor, the 2004 champion on floor, won the silver. Aliya Mustafina of Russia got the bronze, her fourth medal of the Olympics.
Katie Ledecky Wins Gold
15-year-old Katie Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle at the London Olympics on Friday.
The youngest member of the U.S. swim team narrowly missed a world record in the grueling race, falling off pace on the last lap and finishing in 8 minutes, 14.63 seconds.
Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain touched in 8:18.76 to take the silver medal and defending champion Rebecca Adlington of host Britain finished in 8:20.32 for bronze.
London Olympics 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Wins Team Gold Medal
The U.S. women captured the gold medal with an overall score of 183.596. Russia scored a 178.530 to take the silver and Romania won the bronze with a score of 176.414.
The 2012 U.S. women’s gymnastics team is composed of Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney. According to the Olympic format, each team selects three gymnasts for each of the four apparatuses in the final — balance beam, uneven bars, vault and floor.
The 16-year-old Douglas performed in each of the rotations while Wieber was called on for the floor, vault and uneven bars. Raisman worked the floor and the beam, with Ross performing on the beam and the uneven bars. Maroney was the only U.S. gymnast with just one event but no one on the team registered a score higher than her 16.233 on vault. That score was the highest of all competitors in the team final.
Russia was the primary challenger for the U.S. team in middle stages of the competition but completely fell apart during the floor routine, with two gymnasts falling during their routines. After Russia’s mistakes, the U.S. team headed to the floor knowing three solid performances would likely win them the gold. Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman delivered impressive floor routines to clinch the first team gold for the U.S. since the “Magnificent Seven” won in 1996.
Michael Phelps wins record 19th medal
Michael Phelps won his 19th Olympic medal, as we all knew he would, surpassing Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina as the most decorated Olympian of all-time.
But it was not in the way we might have expected. Already, there had been a fourth place finish and a second. Then, at the Aquatics Centre Tuesday, he came second again, in the 200-meter butterfly, before (at last) finishing first as anchor of the 4×200 freestyle relay.
Michael Phelps swimming the anchor leg, the United States won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. France won silver with China taking bronze. This is the 19th medal of Phelps’ career, making him the most decorated Olympian of all time.
“I started smiling with about 20 meters to go,” Phelps said after the win, via Nicole Auerback of USA Today. “That’s the first time I’ve ever done that.”
Handed a sizable lead for the anchor of the 4×200, Phelps had the luxury of enjoying the trip. Coming off disappointing results in the 4×100-meter relay and the 200-meter freestyle, Ryan Lochte delivered a powerful performance in the first leg, handing Conor Dwyer a lead. Although the gap was closed on Dwyer, he built it back up before Ricky Berens hit the water. The lead continued to grow and Phelps never let the competitors get close.
London Olympics 2012 – Marianne Vos Wins Gold In Women’s Road Race
Olympic women’s road race Sunday in a rain-drenched sprint. Britain’s Elizabeth Armitstead took the silver, the home country’s first medal of the London Games.
Vos, the former world champion, made a daring move past Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya to emerge from the three-rider breakaway. She powered past a small group of fans waving the Dutch flag, then raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the finish line.
Zabelinskaya won the bronze medal after a frantic finish through a driving rain that was reminiscent of four years ago in Beijing, when Britain’s Nicole Cook pulled away late to win the gold medal.
Nobody could blame Vos for the scream she let loose across the finish line.
The Dutch rider, who won track cycling gold in the points race at the Beijing Olympics, had grown accustomed to finishing just off the top step in major races. Vos has won five straight silvers at the world championships, and had never stood on the podium in an Olympic road race.
LIVE Updates From The Start Of London Olympics Opening Ceremony 2012 HD Photos & Videos
The 2012 London Olympics officially begin on Friday with the highly-anticipated Opening Ceremony helmed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle. That some of the events have already taken place (including a thrilling comeback by the U.S. women’s soccer team) won’t detract from the “Isles Of Wonder”spectacle unfolding at the Olympic Stadium in London.
With its elaborate — and somewhat still secret — production, the 2012 Opening Ceremony will aim to produce moments as memorable as Muhammad Ali’s inspiring torch lighting in Atlanta and the breathtaking long-range, pyrotechnic archery of Barcelona.
