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On his way: Usain Bolt
Look who's on his way to the Olympic village.
Usain Bolt, the undoubted biggest star of these London Games, used his Twitter account on Thursday to tell the world he was on the way from Birmingham to the capital.
The defending 100m and 200m champion has been training in Birmingham. There has been some talk of whether he is properly fit, especially after he didn't show up to an open training session on Tuesday.
The 100m heats take place on August 4, with the semi-finals and final on August 5.
At one stage, Bolt looked to be an overwhelming favourite, but Yohan Blake has proved to be a formidable rival this year.
Earlier this week, Bolt predicted he could run a time of 9.4 seconds, and hoped it would happen at the London Games.
'You can’t be sure when or where you can run a time like 9.4.
Sorry to see you go: Bolt poses for a photograph with volunteers in Birmingham
'But the major competitions are when I take it really seriously and shine through — that’s business time.
'It is impossible to run 9.2. The body isn’t made to go that fast no matter how hard you train, how good a shape you’re in or how good your technique.'
Treatment: Bolt grimaces, and then gets the giggles, as his physio goes to work
Bolt stunned the world at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, winning both the 100m and 200m titles with new world records.
He repeated the trick at the World Championships in Berlin a year later. At the 2011 World Championships, he won 200m gold, but was disqualified from the 100m after a false start.
Unforgettable: Usain Bolt wins the 200m at the Beijing Olympics
London 2012 Olympic Games: The essential guide - ITV
The London 2012 Olympic Games will see competitors from across the globe compete in 36 events across 19 days.
From Archery to Wrestling the full details are on the London 2012 website.
The big events to mark in your diary are:
Opening Ceremony 27th July
A spectacular show from artistic director Danny Boyle.
Saturday 28th July 2012:
Cycling - Road
Session time: 09:55 – 16:15 BST
Venue: The Mall
Mark Cavendish could win Britain's first gold medal of the Games.
Swimming
Session time: 19:25 – 21:35 BST
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Hannah Miley has high hopes for a medal in the 400m Medley and Roberto Pavoni has hopes for a medal in 400 Individual Medley.
Sunday 29th July 2012:
Cycling - Road
Session time: 11:55 – 16:15 BST
Venue: The Mall
Nicole Cooke and Lizzie Armitstead go for gold.
Archery
Session time: 14:55 – 19:00 BST
Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground
Alison Williamson aims to make up for a lot of near misses and competes in her 6th consecutive Olympics.
Swimming
Session time: 19:25 – 21:35 BST
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Rebecca Adlington goes for 400m freestyle gold.
Diving
Session time: 14:55 – 16:15 BST
Venue: Aquatics Centre
The 10m synchronised is one of British teenager Tom Daley's two events and this will be his first shot at a 2012 Olympic gold medal.
Tuesday 31st July 2012:
Equestrian - Eventing
Session time: 10:25 – 16:00 BST
Venue: Greenwich Park
The British have an exceptionally strong eventing team and will also go for gold individually with contenders like William Fox-Pitt and Mary King as well as Zara Phillips.
Canoe Slalom
Session time: 13:25 – 16:05 BST
Venue: Lee Valley White Water Centre
Britain's David Florence is in top form and is a strong contender for gold.
Judo
Session time: 13:55 – 16:50 BST
Venue: ExCel
Euan Burton is GB's top judo player and will be hoping to fight for a first Olympic judo gold in British history in the men's 81kg category.
Most likely hope for a women's medal is Gemma Howell, who is in sensational form and is in the mix for a gold.
Swimming
Session time: 19:25 – 21:35 BST
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Hannah Miley goes for a second medal in the 200m Medley.
Wednesday 1st August 2012:
Cycling - Road
Session time: 12:25 – 16:25 BST
Venue: Hampton Court Palace
Bradley Wiggins goes for gold for Team GB.
Thursday 2nd August 2012:
Cycling - Track
Session time: 15:55 – 18:30 BST
Venue: Velodrome
Today sees the men's and women's team sprint competitions: Sir Chris Hoy led GB's men to victory in Beijing, while this marks the debut of the newly introduced women's event.
Friday 3rd August 2012:
Rowing
Session time: 09:25 – 13:10 BST
Venue: Eton Dorney
Britain's Katherine Grainger - a silver medallist at the last three Olympics – is odds on to make it 4th time lucky and win gold this time round, this time in the women's double sculls.
Athletics
Session time: 18:55 – 21:55 BST
Venue: Olympic Stadium
Track and field events at London 2012 begin with the opening day of the heptathlon and Jessica Ennis will be attempting to open up a lead on her strongest day.
Swimming
Session time: 19:25 – 20:50 BST
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Rebecca Adlington came home with women's 800m freestyle gold from Beijing 2008 and will hope to make this a golden double.
Saturday 4th August 2012:
Athletics
Session time: 18:45 – 22:05 BST
Venue: Olympic Stadium
Can Jessica Ennis take the first Team GB gold medal in the stadium?
Mo Farah goes for his first gold medal in the 10,000m.
Greg Rutherford is ranked world number 1 at the moment in Long Jump, but can he also win gold?
Earlier in the day Oscar Pistorius goes in the men’s 400m heats - the first person to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Sunday 5th August 2012:
Sailing
Session time: 11:55 – 18:20 BST
Venue: Weymouth and Portland
Ben Ainslie already has three sailing Olympic titles to his name, he is looking to increase his haul today.
In the star class, Andrew Simpson and Iain Percy also go for gold.
Tennis
Session time: 11:55 – 20:30 BST
Venue: Wimbledon
The Olympic tennis tournament concludes with the men's singles final, won by Rafael Nadal for Spain in 2008. Andy Murray will shoulder the home hopes in the event.
Gymnastics - Artistic
Session time: 13:55 – 16:15 BST
Venue: North Greenwich Arena
Britain's charismatic Louis Smith has become a poster boy for the London Olympics, having won bronze on the pommel horse at Beijing 2008. That was Britain's first individual Olympic gymnastics medal for a century, but can he go on to gold in 2012?
Athletics
Session time: 18:45 – 22:05 BST
Venue: Olympic Stadium
Bolt goes in a fantastically competitive 100m against his training partner Yohan Blake.
Monday 6th August 2012:
Gymnastics - Artistic
Session time: 13:55 – 16:20 BST
Venue: North Greenwich Arena
At 27, British gymnast Beth Tweddle could be a decade older than some of her rivals at the London Games but she goes in uneven bars final tonight hoping for a medal.
Cycling - Track
Session time: 15:55 – 18:55 BST
Venue: Velodrome
Sir Chris Hoy, a winner of three Olympic gold medals at Beijing 2008, will hope to mount a defence of his men's sprint title.
Tuesday 7th August 2012:
Triathlon
Session time: 11:25 – 14:00 BST
Venue: Hyde Park
Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee go for gold in the triathlon.
Gymnastics - Artistic
Session time: 13:55 – 17:05 BST
Venue: North Greenwich Arena
The women's artistic gymnastics floor final at the North Greenwich Arena may give you a chance to see Beth Tweddle in Olympic action for the very last time. It's also the final artistic gymnastics event of the Games.
Cycling - Track
Session time: 15:55 – 18:30 BST
Venue: Velodrome
Chris Hoy goes in Men’s Sprint
Laura Trott tries to repeat her World Championship winning performance in the Omnium.
Victoria Pendleton swansong in the women’s sprint.
Thursday 9th August 2012:
Swimming - Marathon
Session time: 11:55 – 15:00 BST
Venue: Hyde Park
Keri-Anne Payne, the 2011 open-water swimming world champion, should prove a strong contender for Britain in the women's marathon swim, involving laps of Hyde Park's Serpentine lake.
Boxing
Session time: 16:25 – 18:00 BST
Venue: ExCel
Savannah Marshall in middle-weight and Nicola Adams in flyweight both go for gold.
Friday August 10th 2012:
Cycling - BMX
Session time: 14:55 – 17:20 BST
Venue: BMX Circuit
Shanaze Reade will try to right the wrongs of Beijing and goes for gold.
Saturday 11th August 2012:
Diving
Session time: 20:25 – 22:10 BST
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield go for individual gold in the 10m diving board.
Closing Ceremony 12th August
London 2012 Olympic torch relay visits London landmarks - Daily Telegraph
The flame travelled on to Regent's Canal, where it was taken on board a boat before appearing at St Pancras Station and being picked up by Little Britain comedian and charity fundraiser David Walliams at 8.24am outside Islington Town Hall.
It then made its way into the City of London, appearing at St Paul's Cathedral at 8.55am...
... before being taken to the Millennium Bridge where former Paralympic basketball star Ade Adepitan carried it across the River Thames at 10.03am.
From the South Bank it went on to take in Shakespeare's Globe and Windrush Square before appearing at Stamford Bridge, Holland Park and BBC White City where two torchbearers exchanged the flame at the site of the finishing line in the stadium of the 1908 Olympic Games.
On its route through Chelsea, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders got into character for their leg of the London 2012 Olympic Games torch relay down the King's Road.
At 5.03pm the torch will make its way down Oxford Street on a bus accompanied by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Angela Harvey.
Huge crowds are expected as the torch continues through the West End passing the Gielgud Theatre, where Chariots of Fire is currently being staged. Vangelis, who composed the original score, will play music to accompany it.
Camden boy and multiple amputee Patrick Cane, 15, who contracted meningococcal septicaemia, the virulent form of meningitis aged just nine months, will carry the flame in Trafalgar Square, the heart of the capital, at 5.40pm.
The torch will then be run to Downing Street by Kate Nesbitt, 24, who was the first woman in the Royal Navy to be awarded the Military Cross.
It will end its day's travels in Hyde Park at 7.10pm where a celebration cauldron will be lit and a concert held with performers including Dizzee Rascal, The Wanted, Mark Ronson and Katy B, Eliza Doolittle and Wretch 32.
London 2012 will show 'Britain can deliver', says PM - BBC News
The London 2012 Olympics will show the world "beyond doubt that Britain can deliver", the prime minister has said.
"Look at what we're capable of... even at a difficult economic time," he said, after US presidential candidate Mitt Romney raised doubts about the Games.
The Olympic torch visited No 10, where it was greeted by David Cameron, and it is now on its way to Buckingham Palace.
Meanwhile, the BBC's James Pearce says it looks likely that the opening ceremony on Friday will not sell out.
Our Olympics correspondent says spare seats are likely to be filled by troops or children, but a decision will be taken on the day of the ceremony.
Games organisers Locog said there were still tickets available for the event, priced at £2,012 and £1,600 each.
Organisers also posted a message on the London 2012 ticketing website to say that seats bought after 17 July will have a restricted view.
During the news conference at the Olympic Park, alongside London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, Mr Cameron said: "This is a great moment for us. Let's seize it."
He said security was his main concern.
"As prime minister, I feel that is an area I should take personal responsibility for," he said.
"The biggest concern has always got to be a safe and secure Games - that matters more than anything else."
In other news:
- The men's football is now under way, with eight matches taking place on Thursday, including Britain v Senegal at 20:00 BST (19:00 GMT)
- The PM is meeting David Beckham at Downing Street to discuss how to tackle world hunger. It comes ahead of a "hunger summit" on the final day of the Games, Sunday 12 August
- A planned strike by East Midlands Trains (EMT) during the Games has been called off after a pensions dispute was settled
- Locog has apologised after an official football programme listed Welsh footballer Joe Allen as English. It said the error would be corrected for Team GB's next match
- A unanimous decision has been made over who will light the Olympic Stadium's cauldron, Locog says, but it will be kept secret until the ceremony
- A global investment conference in London has kicked off a series of business summits intended to showcase the UK and attract investment during the Games
- A new record for arrivals at Heathrow is expected to be set on Thursday, with up to 125,000 incoming passengers
On Wednesday night, Games organisers apologised to North Korean athletes whose images were shown next to the South Korean flag.
Mr Cameron played down the flag blunder, which happened on the first day of sporting action, and delayed the women's football match between North Korea and Colombia at Glasgow's Hampden Park by about an hour.
"This was an honest mistake, honestly made," Mr Cameron said.
"An apology has been made and I'm sure every step will be taken to make sure these things don't happen again."
The prime minister called the eve of the Games "a truly momentous day for our country".
"Seven years of waiting, planning, building, dreaming, are almost over - tomorrow, the curtain comes up, the spectators arrive, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 can officially begin."
'Coming together'Mr Cameron earlier met the Republican candidate for the US presidency, Mitt Romney, during his campaigning and fundraising visit to London.
The meeting came after Mr Romney expressed concerns about "disconcerting" signs of a lack of readiness for the Games.
"The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials - that obviously is not something which is encouraging," Mr Romney told a US television station.
It was "hard to know just how well it will turn out", said Mr Romney, who managed the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Mr Cameron responded: "Of course, this is a time of some economic difficulty for the UK. Everybody knows that.
Mitt Romney: "I'm excited about the opening of the Olympics"
"But look at what we're capable of achieving as a nation, even at a difficult economic time."
He added: "In terms of the country coming together, I think the torch relay really demonstrates that this is not a London Games, this is not an England Games, this is a United Kingdom Games.
"I think we'll show the whole world not just that we've come together as a united kingdom, but also we're extremely good at welcoming people from across the world."
Mr Romney, who also met Labour leader Ed Miliband, later said outside Number 10: "I expect the Games to be highly successful."
London-based Olympic officials 'to blame' over wrong Korean flag - BBC News
Olympic officials in London are to blame for a flag row which jeopardised a women's football game at Hampden Stadium in Glasgow, it has emerged.
The North Korean women's team walked off after a video introducing their players showed the South Korean flag. They later returned to play the match.
BBC Scotland understands the video package was sent from London and Hampden organisers had no input.
Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "an honest mistake".
“Start Quote
End Quote David Cameron UK Prime MinisterWe shouldn't over-inflate this episode - it was unfortunate, it shouldn't have happened and I think we can leave it at that”
In a news conference on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Games, he told assembled journalists: "This was an honest mistake, honestly made.
"An apology has been made and I'm sure every step has been taken to ensure these things don't happen again.
"We shouldn't over-inflate this episode - it was unfortunate, it shouldn't have happened and I think we can leave it at that."
BBC Scotland's Olympics correspondent Kheredine Idessane said: "These video packages are sent centrally from London, out to the other venues, so, this isn't a Glasgow problem.
"There were the correct North Korean flags flying in the top tier of the stadium where they have all the flags displayed from countries who are competing in the tournament."
The North Korean team could only be persuaded to return for their match against Colombia after the error was corrected.
As yet the London games organisers have been unable to clarify who made the video.
The blunder had the impact it did because of the situation which exists between both Koreas.
Both countries are still technically at war after the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice.
Speaking after the match, North Korea's coach Sin Ui Gun said: "Our team was not going to participate unless the problem was solved properly."
A statement released by London 2012 organisers said: "Ahead of the women's football match at Hampden Park, the Republic of Korea flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea flag.
"Clearly that is a mistake, we will apologise to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again."
The incident made headlines around the world - except in communist controlled North Korea.
State news agency KCNA reported the women's Olympic football team beating Colombia 2-0 but made no mention of the flag row.
Meanwhile, Hampden Stadium will host two more Olympic football games on Thursday.
In the men's preliminaries, Honduras play Morocco at 12:00, followed by Spain v Japan at 14:45.
London 2012 Olympics: 30 American athletes to watch out for - The Guardian
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps, who has won 14 golds in two previous Olympics, may be lazy and have a bad work ethic, but I guess that's what it takes to re-write Olympic history. Fellow American swimmer Tyler Clary said a few weeks back that Phelps "doesn't have to work as hard" in training, and, side note to Clary, that's because the 27-year-old is blessed with the greatest swimming talent to ever take a lap. Phelps needs just two more medals to unseat Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina as the all-time gold medal leader, something Phelps could probably do while eating a Subway sandwich.
Missy Franklin
In the wake of a tragedy, swimmer Missy Franklin has even more of a reason to succeed in London. The 17-year-old Franklin trains just ten miles from Aurora, Colorado, sight of the recent, deadly movie theater shooting. "The only thing I can do is go to the Olympics and hopefully make Colorado proud and find a little bit of light there now." As if the Olympics didn't bring enough pressure, the teen has been dubbed "the female Michael Phelps." Franklin will have a chance to live up to her billing in seven events.
Jan Ebeling and Mitt Romney's horse, Rafalca
US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who organized the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, is once again involved with the Games, sort of. His horse, Rafalca will be at the Olympics competing with Jan Ebling, the riding tutor of Romney's wife Ann, in the sport of dressage. The German born Ebling, 53 who became a US citizen in 1998, will take on the dressage powerhouse that is his former country..
Sherif Farrag
Sherif Farrag has more to deal with than just his fencing opponents. As a American Muslim competing during Ramadan, he faces the question of fasting during daylight hours. Ramadan runs for the entire length of the 2012 London Games, and so the Egyptian-born competitor, who moved to the US at age nine, will have to figure out if he will fast, as will other Muslims competing at the Olympics. He is currently observing the fast during training, but is still unsure whether he can handle the strain of competition without food.
Holly Mangold
Holly Mangold isn't the only football player in her family. Brother Nick plays on the offensive line for the New York Jets, while sister Holly became the first woman to play in an Ohio High School State Championship football game. Facing limited football prospects after high school, Holly became a talented weightlifter who will compete in the snatch and clean and jerk events at the Games.
Jordan Burroughs
Freestyle wrestler Jordan Burroughs is thinking big. Before even reaching an Olympic podium, he has announced his intention to defend a gold medal he has yet to win. The 23-year-old New Jersey product knows that no American freestyle gold medalist has stuck around to defend his medal since 1996, and that's something he is out to change. Should the favorite at the 74 kilogram weight get the job done in London, he'll be out to match John Smith, who won in Seoul and Barcelona, the last American wrestler to successfully defend an Olympic title.
Evelyn Stevens
Four years ago Evelyn Stevens told her bosses at a New York investment bank to take this job and shove it. Today she is days away from cycling at the Olympic Games. That's quite a transformation, meteoric even. Within a year of leaving Wall Street, Stevens became a national champion in a sport she had no prior experience in. Recently, she won Belgium's Fleche Wallone, the first American to do so. A win in London would cap a story made for Hollywood.
Tyson Gay
The world's second fastest man, Tyson Gay, is lucky to be in London, considering that hip surgery kept him off the track for nearly an entire year. Back in March, the 29-year-old couldn't even jog, but now he's close to full steam, looking to unseat Jamaica's Usain Bolt in the 100-metres. It's a tough task, especially when you consider what sort of effort could be required to get on the podium in Track and Field's premier event. Admitted Gay:
"It will take a 9.7 to even get a medal, it's mind blowing,"
Jordyn Wieber
United States gymnasts are attempting to do something in London that they haven't accomplished since the 1996 Atlanta Games, win the women's team gold medal. It doesn't hurt to have the 2011 world all-around champion on your side, and Jordyn Wieber is set to lead that charge. The 17-year-old has already turned pro, and is on the verge of Olympic stardom. Wieber t-shirts are a top seller in her tiny home town of DeWitt, Michigan.
David Boudia
The changing of the guard in diving came in 2008 when China emerged as the preeminent power in the sport. They grabbed seven of the eight available golds, while the US left Beijing wearing a doughnut. That's something David Boudia is out to change in London. While the Purdue University product has the domestic credentials, with three NCAA Diver of the Year Awards, he'll need to make that jump to the next level in the 10-meter platform and in the synchro event with partner Nick McCrory in order to emerge with a medal.
Queen Underwood
The 28-year-old boxer was on the outside looking in, losing a one-point decision that cost her an opportunity to appear in the very first women's tournament in Olympic history. Then, last month, she finally got the call that she'd been desperately waiting for. Underwood was awarded an at-large place in the lightweight division, a sensible decision as she is a five-time national champion. The maiden women's tournament will have three events, fly, middle and lightweight.
Abby Wambach
Abby Wambach has scored 138 goals for the United States Women's Soccer team, second all time to Mia Hamm's 158, but not one of them were scored at the 2008 Olympics. Wambach missed out on the Beijing Games, fracturing her left tibia in a warm-up game against Brazil, so this time around, Wambach, who won gold with the team at Athens is taking nothing for granted. Her US side are out to avenge the USA's defeat by Japan in the 2011 Women's World Cup final.
Kim Rhode
She's on the verge of becoming the first American to medal in five consecutive Games, but you may not have heard of her. Kim Rhode won her first medal in shooting back in 1996 in Atlanta, and didn't stop there. Now the 33-year-old is shooting for history, although you'd never know it judging by her tweets: "BBQ'ed last night at my house with a few close friends one of which said he was surprised that I didn't look to nervous!!! Lol"
Lolo Jones
Four years ago in Beijing, Lolo Jones was the frontrunner to take a 100-meter hurdles gold medal. Then she tripped over the penultimate hurdle, stumbling to seventh place. While she may be focused redemption in London, it doesn't come at the expense of the 29-year-olds sense of humor.
@OliverTheDon: "ready 4 @lolojones to take home the gold #LoLondon"
@lolojones: "me too bc there's a Cash For Gold right around the corner from my house"
Cool, calm, and quite cooky, there's a lot more in Lolo's twitterspehere where that came from.
Lolo Jones looks dejected after failure in the women's 100m hurdles in Beijing. Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian .
Bernard Lagat
Middle-distance runner Bernard Lagat won two Olympic medals for his native Kenya in 2000 and 2004, and will be seeking his first for the United States in London. Lagat became a US Citizen in March of 2004, but competed for Kenya in Athens, which cost him a short ban from international competition as Kenya doesn't allow dual citizenship. After an unsuccessful Olympics in Beijing, the 37-year-old Lagat will run in the 5000 meters in London.
Mariel Zagunis
Fencing and the United States don't go together like, say, baseball and apple pie, but Mariel Zagunis is trying to change that. In 2004 she failed to qualify for Athens before Nigeria declined to send a team, opening up a place. Zagunis, whose parents both competed as rowers in Montreal 1976, went on to take advantage of the opportunity, capturing gold in the individual sabre, becoming the first US fencer to win in the sport for 100 years. Zagunis repeated the feat at Beijing, adding a bronze medal for her team efforts. She will carry the US flag during the opening ceremony.
Terrence Jennings
There probably aren't many world class athletes that can say that their career was inspired by a cartoon. As a boy, Terrence Jennings was all about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and seeing the show playing at a taekwondo shop inside his local shopping mall was enough to reel him into the sport. Years later, the 25-year-old who has recovered from two knee surgeries, knocked off Mark Lopez, a premier name from America's premier taekwondo family to earn a spot on the Olympic team.
Joseph Diaz Jr.
Joseph Diaz Jr. isn't just fighting for himself but for his family as well. The youngest member of the US Olympic boxing team, Diaz Jr. hails from one of the poorer regions of Southern California, and he believes boxing is his family's ticket out of poverty. With his father unemployed, and his mother working part-time, the sense of urgency Diaz Jr. is way beyond that of personal achievement in sport. The bantamweight thinks he can turn pro and become a world champion, but before that, he'll be boxing for gold in London.
Alex Morgan
Much more than just a pretty face, Alex Morgan is out to add her name to the list of US Soccer front-women. Mia Hamm, Hope Solo and Abby Wambach have been the linchpins of the program for years and the torch is expected to pass to Morgan in London as the US women go for gold. The 23-year-old striker has scored 19 goals in 16 games for the USA despite not becoming a regular in the team until earlier this year.
Allyson Felix
For two consecutive Olympics, Allyson Felix fell short in her signature event, the 200 meters, losing on both occasions to her rival Veronica Campbell-Brown. In between, the 26-year-old Californian has won three world championships, beating the Jamaican. Still, Felix tells Vanity Fair that she would trade all three of those world titles for that elusive Olympic gold medal. Should Felix be able to maintain her current form, grabbing gold is a distinct possibility. At the US trials, the USC grad run the 200 in 21.69 seconds the sixth fastest all-time.
Mary Whipple
Mary Whipple has rhythm and an Olympic gold medal. As coxswain of the 2008 women's eight in Beijing, Whipple led her team to victory, four years after helping them take silver in Athens. Whipple has been in the ninth seat throughout an impressive run that includes a world championship. The London Games are the swan song for the 32-year-old, who will guide her boat on the Olympic course some 25 miles west of the capital near Windsor Castle.
Reed Kessler
The 18-year-old New York native is poised to make Olympic history when she rides her horse Cylana, becoming the youngest show jumper in the history of the Games. Kessler is the young gun in a sport where it's possible to compete into your 50's. Having said that, there's a chance that Kessler could still be riding when the 2044 Games come around! Today however, she's got her eyes on London, telling New York Newsday: "But now the plan is to go there and win. If I didn't think I had a chance to bring home a medal, I wouldn't be going."
Margaux Isaksen
What's an Olympic preview without taking a look at modern pentathlon, the sport thought up by the founder of the modern Games, Pierre de Coubertin. Since 2008, with the future of the sport at the Games under threat, the shooting event has been combined with the running event, giving it a biathlon feel, "jazzing it up" for some. The other skills required are swimming, riding and fencing, of course. Margaux Isaksen is a gal with a gun, back for another crack at a medal after failing to reach the podium in Beijing. The only female competitor on the US team is hoping to continue the form that saw her take gold at the 2011 Pan American Games.
John Orozco
For John Orozco, making the leap from good to great required more than hard work. A native of the Bronx, Orozco needed to make a move to an elite gym in Chappaqua, a ritzy northern suburb of New York City, in order to develop his natural talent. Unable to afford the costs, six of his family members became employees of the facility to help pay his enrollment. The move paid off, and Orozco went pro in 2009 after a spectacular performance at the junior national championships. Since then he's enjoyed success on the highest level, and is now the 19-year-old is on the verge of inspiring global headlines at the London Games.
Steven Lopez
Some Olympians are showered in endorsements after Olympic success. Steven Lopez, who won a taekwondo gold medal in Sydney and Athens, got an offer to appear on television's The Bachelor in 2004. The Nicaraguan born Lopez, whose family moved to the US in 1972, didn't find love on set, declining the offer, but did continue to rack up Taekwondo accolades, taking a silver medal in Beijing. The 33-year-old whose sister Diana will also compete at the Games will become the become the all-time leader in Taekwondo medals should he reach the podium in his 80 kilogram weight class.
Kayla Harrison
Team USA can claim to be a powerhouse in many Olympic disciplines, but judo isn't one of them. Kayla Harrison represents a historic opportunity for the US to break new ground in the sport as the 22-year-old looks to become the very first American to win a gold medal. Harrison won two national titles before she turned 18, and became the first American to win gold at the world championships while competing in the 78 kilogram class. In 2008 she was denied the opportunity to compete in Beijing when the US failed to qualify for the Games in the division. Today, Harrison is expected to make up for the missed opportunity and win that elusive gold medal.
Ryan Lochte
Michael Phelps may have the historic career, but Ryan Lochte has the cover shot. The US swimmer often finds himself in the wake of his teammate, but when it came to appearing on the front page of Vogue, it was Lochte who finished first, joining Serena Williams and Hope Solo on the cover of the iconic fashion mag. Lochte, who has six medals of his own, also knows how to have a good time as the resident class clown. The easygoing 27-year-old is expected to medal in London while competing in four events for Team USA.
Dawn Harper
Dawn Harper doesn't get the publicity that Lolo Jones gets, one reason why many have forgotten who won the gold medal in the 100 meter hurdles when Jones tripped on the ninth barrier in 2008. It was Harper who was able to capitalize on Jones' mistake, leading to her gold in Beijing, and it was Harper who won the trials in the lead up to those Games. Regardless, Jones gets the pop, and has over 170,000 Twitter followers while the Olympic champion can't muster 3000. But with that publicity comes the pressure, and there's every chance that Harper could foil Jones' bid for redemption in London.
LeBron James
Can LeBron James go by his nickname "King" in London without offending the Royals? The Queen will likely let him off the hook, but fans of Team USA won't if he doesn't come back with a basketball gold medal. James, momentarily out of the frying pan after winning his first NBA title with the Miami Heat, goes straight back into the fryer as he goes for gold. With an American basketball public that's ready to jump all over James for the most minor of infractions, returning to the States without the right color medal would open up the King for another round of criticism.
Swin Cash
The resume is impressive. Two NCAA women's basketball championships, three WNBA titles, a FIBA World Championship gold medal and an Olympic gold. Four years after Team USA emerged victorious in Athens, a banged up Swin Cash was left out of the team, forced into the commentary booth. Since then the 32-year-old been all about getting that groove back, and that she did in 2010, leading the WNBA's Seattle Storm to a sweep in the championship series. A spot on Team USA followed, and with it, a chance to add on to her already lengthy list of accolades.
Bolt is lulling blake into a false sense of security
- his knibs, lancs, 26/7/2012 16:55
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