Runners pass by the Olympics flame on the first day of the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)
Runners pass by the Olympics flame on the first day of the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)
Canada's Jenna Martin, Dominican Republic's Raysa Sanchez, Jamaica's Rosemarie Whyte, Nigeria's Omolara Omotosho and Spain's Aauri Lorena Bokesa, from left, runs through the pouring rain in a women's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
United States' Sanya Richards-Ross, front left, competes in a women's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Jamaica's Rosemarie Whyte stands in the pouring rain during a women's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Britain's Jessica Ennis makes an attempt in the High Jump of the women's Heptathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
LONDON (AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:
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HELLO CAULDRON
After a magnificent unveiling at the opening ceremony, the Olympic cauldron kept a low profile during the first week of the London Games.
Now it's taken center stage.
Many visitors griped about not being able to see it while it was hidden in Olympic Stadium for the first week. It's hard to blame them. It's an impressive sight to behold.
? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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PHOTO OF GABBY DOUGLAS
AP photographer Gregory Bull knew it would come ? the moment when Gabby Douglas does that little bit extra.
Her leap, high above the beam, in the women's all-round individual gymnastics competition on Thursday is one of the iconic shots of the London Games.
"I know there is that one moment where she jumps higher and stretches further back than everyone else," said the San Diego-based photographer who has covered Douglas a number of times. "I knew that key moment was coming ? and I knew I should wait and nail it."
Denis Paquin, AP's deputy director of photography, says the beauty of the shot lies in the combination of "the graceful motion and the horizontal lines between the balance beam and her perfectly-positioned body ? all captured at the precise moment during her routine."
Here's another look at the picture: http://apne.ws/Qjv5dV
? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb
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WHERE IS BOLT?
AP's Jenna Fryer is scouring London and Olympic Park for sprinter Usain Bolt and seeing what people have to say about him. Here's her latest entry:
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It's well documented that Usain Bolt loves McDonalds, so the quest to catch the "fastest man in the world" led directly to the golden arches.
Since he's not staying in the athletes village, there was no need to go to the one there, where the food is free. But the first day of athletics during these games made the two-story McDonalds just steps from Olympic Stadium a possibility.
Lee, an East Londerner of Jamacian descent, exited the fast-food joint draped in the Jamacian flag and eating a Big Mac. He assured me Bolt was not inside.
"He's not due in to London until today," Lee said.
Huh?
"He's been in Birmingham training," Lee explained. "Bolt gets here today and he probably can't be eating chicken nuggets this close to competition."
I had planned next to head to Brixton, where a weekend street festival will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence, but Lee discouraged the trip.
"He won't be having time to go out there," Lee insisted.
Hmmmm. If Bolt has really been training all this time, maybe he needs a new pair of sneakers.
Next stop: The Puma store.
?Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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GOOGLE ME
Gabby Douglas said she woke up at 6 a.m. the day after winning the women's gymnastics all-around and "went on a tweeting mission."
Douglas also googled herself, reading all the headlines and scrolling through the photo galleries of her gold-medal winning performance on Thursday.
"I googled 'Gabby Douglas' and everything popped up. People tell me this is very big news and it's not hit me," said Douglas, who wants to use her new celebrity status to meet Usain Bolt and Serena Williams before the London Olympics are over.
?Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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PRIMAL SCREAM
Uzbekistan weightlifter Sherzodjon Yusupov's primal pre-lift scream made him an unexpected crowd favorite at the ExCel Centre.
Yusupov lets out a short but extremely loud yell ? the loudest of any weightlifter so far ? before his attempts. The crowd picked up on this and by the time Yusupov's last scream and lift came around the crowd yelled right back at him to show support.
Bouyed by the atmosphere, Yusupov cleared 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) in the clean and jerk. He then blew kisses to the British fans, many of whom gave Yusupov a standing ovation.
"I like the atmosphere, it is very warm. Everyone is shouting 'Yeah! Yeah!' when you lift," Yusupov said.
? Luke Meredith ? Twitter http://twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP
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TOO GOOD?
Team USA's 156-73 thumping of Nigeria on Thursday night has reopened the debate about whether LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the star-studded squad are simply too good to play in the Olympics.
The 83-point margin of victory and Carmelo Anthony's 37 points were greater even than anything the original Dream Team, including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, managed back in 1992.
Spokesman Mark Adams says the IOC does not think the incredible margin is damaging to the spirit of the games.
"There may be some games where some teams do miles better than others," Adams says, "but that doesn't mean there's not a good, decent level of competition and representation. And our job at the IOC is to balance those two things."
? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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PLASTIC BRITS
She represented Cuba, then Sudan. Now, Cuban-born Yamile Aldama is jumping for Britain.
The triple jumper has lept into the immigration debate over so-called "Plastic Brits," or people who obtain U.K. citizenship.
She represented Cuba at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She then moved to Britain but competed for Sudan when her British citizenship didn't arrive in time for Athens 2004.
For the 2008 Beijing games, she also competed for Sudan but then decided to represent Britain where her British husband and family lived.
Some sports commentators say the rules shouldn't allow athletes to jump from country to country.
But UK Athletics chief coach Charles van Commenee (he's Dutch) says Aldama is a special case and has overcome numerous hurdles.
Aldama's husband was jailed in 2001 for 15 years for trafficking heroin.
"She has had to overcome so many difficulties and the medal shines even more," said van Commenee.
? Paisley Dodds Twitter http://twitter.com/paisleydodds
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MUCH ADO ABOUT WENLOCK
His (or her) name is Wenlock, but what does the gender-vague mascot of the games represent?
?Wenlock is named after town of Much Wenlock in middle England, which helped inspire the modern Olympic Games.
?In the middle of Wenlock's head is a "taxi light" that is "inspired by London's black taxis."
?The shape of the head, with three ridges, represents the three medals won in each Olympic event ? gold, silver and bronze.
?The face is one large eye, representing a camera which lets "Wenlock record everything."
?Those rings around the creature's wrists are friendship bands.
? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb
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WEIGHING IN
There are heavyweights and then there are heavyweights.
And then there's Ricardo Blas.
The judo fighter from Guam weighs in at 480 pounds (218 kilos), nearly double most other competitors in the 220-pound and over division. And in a sport that requires competitors to push, throw and grapple with each other, all that bulk can be a distinct advantage.
Murmurs of wonder and a few "Who's that?" rippled through the crowd as Blas bounded onto the mat.
Blas's opponent, Guinea's Facinet Keita was a big man himself at 297 pounds (135 kilos), but he seemed out of ideas on how to take down the behemoth in their opening round match. The men slowly grappled and pulled at each other like giant tortoises until Blas ended the battle with a throw.
But the good times didn't last long. In the next round, Cuba's Oscar Brayson, a veritable stick figure at just 238 pounds (108 kilos) ended Blas's Olympic run with an impressive take down.
? Paul Haven, Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/paulhaven
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BREAK THE BOARD!
Fans knew they were seeing history at the Olympic basketball arena last night, the shooting was so hot, hot, hot.
Carmelo Anthony alone had 10 3-pointers and 37 points and he rested the last quarter.
When the score after the 3rd quarter hit USA 119, Nigeria 62, the announcer said "the scoreboard can't handle any number over 160." Fans then started chanting "Break the board! Break the board!"
In the last two minutes, the latest USA Dream Team appeared to be trying NOT to break the board, using up the whole shot clock before dropping points so clean the net barely moved.
Final: USA 156, Nigeria 73.
? Sheila Norman-Culp ? Twitter http://twitter.com/snormanculp
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QUICKQUOTE: BRING IT ON
"The Olympic trials prepared us for any kind of weather. I mean, we had pretty much four seasons in Eugene, (Ore.), so bring it on. If it wants to rain, if it wants to be windy, throw a tornado out there, USA is going to run and we're going to run fast every time." ? U.S. runner DeeDee Trotter after winning a 400-meter qualifier in the rain at Olympic Stadium on Friday.
? Mark Long ? Twitter http://twitter.com/apmarklong
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QUICKQUOTE: GET READY
"She's clueless on what she has done until she gets back to the United States. She's going to break barriers on so many different levels," Mary Lou Retton, a gold-medal gymnast herself, on the opportunities ahead for Gabby Douglas, winner of the women's all-around competition in London.
?Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING
Bound to happen. These Olympics are in London, after all. And the first serious rain of the athletics competition hit a little more than two hours into Day 1 at Olympic Stadium.
What began as less than a drizzle transformed into a downpour as DeeDee Trotter of the U.S. and other women crouched at the starting line for the third heat of the 400-meter hurdles on Friday morning. Trotter's hands were streaked by little rivulets of rain as she set them down on the soaked track.
She wasn't bothered a bit, though, easily finishing first in her heat in 50.87 seconds.
After about 10 minutes, the rain went away, replaced anew by a hot, hot sun. That's London weather for you.
? Howard Fendrich ? Twitter http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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MEDALING KIDS
Olympic athletes used to win medals. Now they just "medal."
Commentators and competitors, it seems, can't stop using it as a verb.
Cue fury on Twitter, with many decrying "medaled" and "medaling" as bad English.
Step forward John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Get used to it, he says.
The OED has long recognized "medal" as a verb. It even cites the earliest example of it from a letter written by Lord Byron in 1822.
What's more, Simpson adds, podium - as in "she podiumed" - could soon join it. "It is not unlikely for it to switch to a verb," he says.
Grammarians may grumble - but it has led to at least one joke.
"All I wanted was a gold medal," says the Scooby-Doo villain. "And I would have gotten away with it - had it not been for those medaling kids."
? James Clasper ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jamesclasper
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EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.
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