Swimming youth movement

More precisely, this is no pool for old men. Or women.

Through three head-spinning, status-quo-shaking days at the Aquatics Centre, a pattern has been established: The youth movement is on. The top step of the medal podium has belonged to the baby faces, the teens in tears, the kids who would need fake IDs to buy beer in America.

Swimming has progressively become older, as the biggest stars found they could make a living from the sport from prize money and endorsements. But these Olympics may be the signal that you can't hang around forever before someone swims past you and steals the spotlight. At the very least, this is no country for complacency.

On the women's side, three of the five individual gold medals have gone to a 15-year-old (Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte), a 16-year-old (China's Ye Shewin) and a 17-year-old (America's Missy Franklin). And you can expect more from Ye (the top finals qualifier in the 200 individual medley) and Franklin (swimming a women's record of seven events). They will win gold again at these Games.

On the men's side, the stars of the show has been a strapping pair of 20-year-olds: 6-foot-7&f rac12; Yannick Agnel of France, who has won gold on successive nights; and 6-6 Sun Yang of China, who set a world record in the 400 freestyle on Saturday night and then won silver Monday in the 200 free. There should be more individual and relay medals for both young men as well: Yang is the world-record holder and heavy favorite in the 1,500 free, while Agnel will be a load in the 100 free.

There have been other young guns on the podium, too: 17-year-old Kosuke Hagino won bronze in the men's 400 IM, and the entire medal stand for the women's 400 IM was comprised of teenagers – Ye, followed by 19-year-old American Elizabeth Beisel, followed by 18-year-old Xuanxu Li of China.

But it's not just the age of the winners. It's the age and stature of the competitors they're taking down.

Agnel single-handedly stopped the Ryan Lochte locomotive in its tracks, coming from behind to beat the 27-year-old American star in the 4x100 freestyle relay on Sunday night and then dominating him in the 200 free on Monday, as Lochte faded to fourth. Just when America was working up a serious case of Lochtemania, after he won the 400 IM on Saturday to start the meet, Agnel changed the narrative.

When Hagino has grandkids, he'll tell them about who he out-touched for the bronze medal in the 400 IM: none other than Michael Phelps, 10 years and 16 Olympic medals his senior. But while Japan celebrated Hagino's bronze, it later mourned the toppling of breaststroke king Kosuke Kitajima – the 29-year-old finished a weak fifth in the 100 breaststroke on Sunday.

Both Phelps and Kitajima were bidding for the first-ever individual Olympic swimming three-peats. Stunningly but tellingly, neither hit the podium in their first tries. (Phelps still can do it in the 200 fly on Tuesday and 100 fly on Friday, while Kitajima has a shot in the 200 breast on Wednesday.)

On the women's side, Meilutyte won the 100 breaststroke by holding off 25-year-old Rebecca Soni, a 2008 gold medalist. Meilutyte broke into tears after swimming a sizzling preliminary heat Sunday, then cried some more when they put the gold medal around her neck the next night.

"At the moment I can't speak too much," she said after the race. "But it means a lot to me and I'm so proud."

Meilutyte then skipped the winner's press conference, which was set for 10:30 p.m. on Monday night London time. Must have been past her bedtime.

U.S. assistant coach Bob Bowman has a vested interest in seeing at least one graybeard keep the kids at bay for the next week – he's Michael Phelps' personal coach. But he thinks the youth movement is a positive sign.

"I think it's about time," he said. "The older guys have stayed around so long, I think it's actually good to see some young people up and coming. I think for too long the younger swimmers have thought they couldn't beat the older ones. Now they see they can, and it should be good for the next generation."

Of course, every trend comes with prominent exceptions. American Matt Grevers looks better than ever at age 28, winning the 100 backstroke in an Olympic-record time Monday night and saying he has no plans to slow down anytime soon. Runner-up to Grevers was American teammate Nick Thoman, age 26.

And no American woman has been more electric so far that Dana Vollmer. At age 24 and having competed in her first Olympics eight years ago, Vollmer showed no signs of aging in blasting to a world record and gold medal in the 100 butterfly on Sunday.

But in general, these are shifting times at the swimming venue. The old guard, which was testing the long-established limits of longevity by trying to win medals across three Olympics from 2004-12, is under siege. We came here talking about Phelps and Lochte and other veterans, but the kids are coming for their medals.

And they're smiling and gushing like Missy Franklin did Monday night.

She repeatedly paid the proper respect to her elders on the American team – like her former Denver buddy Tim Tebow, she has a remarkable ability to always say the gracious thing at a young age. But the best part of her press conference was when a reporter asked her where her medal was.

"Right here in my pocket," she said, pulling it out and holding it up. "Isn't it pretty?"

"So you finally got one," the reporter responded.

"I finally did," she said, then smiled at the silliness of the comment. "After 17 years."

16-year-old Olympian McKayla Maroney looks like Posh Spice

Have you been watching the United States  women’s gymnastics team at the Olympics? If so, one of the girls on the team may look rather familiar.  Not for her work on the bars or the beam but because she looks a whole lot like a certain pop star/fashion designer/mom. Yes, you are not alone in thinking that 16-year-old Olympian McKayla Maroneylooks like Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham.

It’s the facial structure, the dark hair, and last but not least their smoldering eyes. 

 

 

Jordyn Wieber eliminated from all stuns US gymnasts

"It was hard because of course I wanted that spot, but I also wanted Ally to do her best also for the team and for herself," Wieber told NBC after Raisman's results came in.

"It's always been a dream of mine to compete in the all-around at the Olympics and shoot for that gold medal," said the reigning world champion. "I'm really proud of Ally and Gabby (Douglas) both and I'm happy that they both made it to the all-around and I'm glad that I'll be able to help the team out in team finals."

Wieber's coach John Geddert didn't speak to reporters immediately afterwards, but he issued a statement that said it all: "I'm basically devastated for her. She has trained her entire life for this day and to have it turn out anything less than she deserves is going to be devastating. She has waited her entire career for this. She is happy for her teammates and disappointed that she doesn't get (to) move on."

Still, the Americans must move on. The team final is up first, Tuesday night at North Greenwich Arena, and the USA is favored to win its first team gold since 1996. But how will Wieber, considered the most unshakeable of performers, respond? She might have waited her entire career for a shot at the all-around gold, but the other four members of the team, and Wieber, have been training for the primary goal.

Former U.S. coach Bela Karolyi said the results could have a negative effect on the USA's chances for the team gold if Wieber doesn't' psychologically respond from the disappointment. "I'm afraid, to be honest," he said about the gymnast he called the anchor of the team.

The Americans go into the team final with the best qualifying score, just ahead of Russia and defending Olympic champion China. The USA had three of the top four all-around qualifying scores.

But Russia has three in the top nine.

As the team's recent history shows, the top spot on the podium isn't a given. The USA won worlds in 2003 and 2007 before earning team silver at the Olympics one year later.

Raisman said Wieber's competitive toughness will help her overcome the disappointment in the team final. "The team final is so important. We have been training so hard," Raisman said. "We have to turn the page and keep fighting."

For most of the year, the battle for the individual all-around Olympic gold medal was expected to come down to Douglas, the spunky upstart who won the U.S. trials, vs. Wieber, the steely reigning world champion. Off in the distance was Raisman, considered the team's steadiest performer but not the headliner.

"I was OK with being under the radar. I didn't feel like I had any pressure," said Raisman, who at 18 is the team's oldest member and also its captain.

Before Raisman performed last in the USA's floor rotation Sunday, Douglas and Wieber held the top two spots in all-around qualifying. The stakes were high: Only two gymnasts from each country qualify for the all-around final.

After several uncharacteristic mistakes, Wieber had left the door open. Wieber had lost only two all-around competitions since 2008, both to fellow Americans (Raisman and Douglas.) Marta Karolyi, the national team coordinator, compares Wieber's mental toughness to that of Nadia Comaneci, which made the minor wobbles, including stepping out of bounds on the floor exercise, even more surprising.

As the musical notes of Raisman's floor routine, "Hava Nagila," began, Wieber's shot at the all-around lessened with every high-spirited clap from the crowd. Raisman, always steady, shined in her signature event, the one that earned her a bronze medal at the world championships last year.

Raisman's score gave her 60.391 points; Douglas finished 0.126 behind her. Wieber was 0.359 points back. Raisman and Douglas will be the two gymnasts to represent the USA in the all-around.

"It was hard because, of course, I wanted that spot," Wieber said in a statement. "But I also wanted Aly to do her best for the team."

Dominque Dawes, a member of the 1996 gold medal team and here an anlysist for FOX admitted she was surprised by Wieber "because all the talk has been about Jordyn and Gabby and that rivalry, which I think could have been great for the sport. But as I've been saying, Aly is a different gymnast now."

Later in the evening, Wieber seemed to be regrouping, saying on her Twitter account: "Thank you for all your love and support. I am so proud of our team today and I can't wait for the team finals!!"

Before Raisman met with news reporters, she hadn't had a chance to speak with Wieber, but the two are roommates in the Olympic village.

"It's really hard because we're best friends, and I know that she wanted it," Raisman said. "I felt so bad because she worked so hard, I know she is still a good friend so she'll be happy for me."

Neither Bela nor Marta Karolyi, who have been around the sport for decades, could recall a result this stunning. A world champion failing to qualify for a chance to compete for the Olympic gold. Bela said the lineup, which had Raisman going last on the floor at the end instead of Wieber could have affected the world champion's performance.

Nevertheless, it's also a testament to the team's bottomless depth.

"They just had a stronger day today than Jordyn did," Marta Karolyi said. "You are always striving for perfection, but we're still human beings not machines. The other girls were so strong, and Jordyn wasn't quite as sharp."

Karolyi has a deep appreciation for what she considers Raisman's greatest quality: her consistency. Karolyi stood next to Raisman as both spoke to separate groups of news reporters Sunday.

As Raisman said, "I'm just so happy," Karolyi paused and turned to Raisman.

"Me too," she said. Then the coach cradled Raisman's face and leaned close. "Finally, all your hard work paid off," she said.

Four years ago, before Raisman reached the highest levels of her sport, she was in the stands at the national championships. The roving announcer in the arena who walks the place entertaining the crowd before events, stopped to talk to Raisman. The camera focused on her. Her image was on the giant video screen above. He asked her where the Beijing Olympics would be held. Um, Beijing? Then he tossed her a T-shirt and said, "Maybe you'll be down there competing someday."

Raisman said, "Yes, definitely."

It's a conversation that's probably happened in arenas across the country. A promise made by a young girl with big dreams. However, this one turned out to be true. That very clip was replayed this summer at gymnastics qualifying events as Raisman made her Olympic run.

"I wanted to see myself there," Raisman said in an interview after qualifying for the Olympic team. "I was inspired."

That inspiration, and so much of emotion, was evident in the moments after the Olympic team was named earlier this month. Most of her teammates were crying. Raisman was bawling.

"Everything hit me because I've been working so hard and thinking about that moment for so long," she said then. "That was my biggest fear — not to make the team." In truth, she was a lock.

When the team returned to its hotel, about 30 members of the Raisman and Wieber families piled into one room and caught the final minutes of the NBC delayed telecast, including Raisman's reaction.

"I looked like my dog died," she said. "Everyone was laughing in the hotel room. I was hysterically laughing at myself because I was hyperventilating so much."

Though many think rivals must be enemies, former U.S. Olympian Shawn Johnson has said that's not necessarily the case. "In everyone's mind, they think, 'Why would you be best friends with your biggest competitor?' What they don't see is we grew up with each other, we push each other, support each other, room together. Yes, there's rivalry. Yes, there's tense times. We're all teenage girls, all going through teenage drama, we fight and love each other like sisters."

For Wieber and Raisman, that has always been the case. "We always room together and always have the best time," Raisman said. During their journey to London, Wieber, Raisman and Maroney have chronicled their friendship in Tweets. One picture of all three crammed together in an ice bath post-competition, shivering, huddling together, perhaps captured their friendship the best.

"We're the type of friends where we look each other and start hysterical laughing," Raisman said. "We look at each other and know what each other is thinking. We're that close. Even though we live so far apart (Raisman in Massachusetts, Wieber in Michigan, Maroney in California) we're with each other on trips and we're with each other every single second. It's really amazing we never get sick of each other."

When they're not together for gymnastics, they text and Skype endlessly. "We miss each other," Raisman said.

They share make-up. ("Me and Jordyn wear the same kind because we both have dark features," Raisman said.) They shop together. They talk about boys. And for the last year, they've reached the top of the gymnastics world together.

On Tuesday, amid all so many roiling emotions, crushed dreams and fulfilled promises, they get a chance to do that again.

Contributing: Joe Rexrode

Bela Karolyi: U.S. gymnast Jordyn Wieber was eliminated

"What a travesty!" Karolyi said in an NBC interview with Al Michaels. "How someone can afford to cut one of the best gymnasts?"

Wieber, the reigning world champion, had the fourth-best score in Sunday's team qualifying, but teammates Aly Raismanand Gabby Douglas finished ahead of her. Countries are limited to two eligible gymnasts for the all-around final, so Wieber is out.

"But that is not the reason. How can it be a reason?" Karolyi, who coached teams from Romania and the U.S. to Olympic gold, said of the rule. "To eliminate somebody because a teammate beat her. Still among the first four gymnasts in the world, and still you're eliminated?"

Karolyi also reiterated that he was "troubled" by the fact that Wieber did not go last in any of the events.

He criticized the lineups right after competition Sunday, saying Wieber is the "anchor" of the team and should have gone last on floor because judges often give higher scores to the final performer on an apparatus.

But John Geddert, the U.S. head coach and Wieber's personal coach, said the lineups were not an issue. The coaches and team coordinator Martha Karolyi - Bela's wife - decided to put the strongest performer in each event last in that event.

According to Bela Karolyi, Martha Karolyi said of the decision: "I protected the team before anyone."

"I think she's right in a way," Bela Karolyi said. "The team gold is very important. It shows the power of the nation. I can accept that."

And now it's critical that Wieber rebound emotionally if the Americans are going to win it Tuesday night for the first time since 1996.

Karolyi said he believes Wieber's "anger and frustration will come out" and help her give a focused performance Tuesday night.

"I know her enough to say, she's a strong person," Karolyi said. "She's suffering here, she's hurt. … I can't wait to see her. I can see her fighting spirit. I can see her with her teammates embracing the moment."

Wieber could have used some time with her family Sunday night, but the best she could do inside theOlympic Village was share tears over the phone with her mother, Rita.

Inside the Village, the Wieber recovery mission is under way.

"You can't focus on the negative; you've got to stay positive, like 'I'm going to go to team finals. I'm going to dominate this,'" Douglas said. "We're still planning on pumping each other up since this is kind of like a heartbreak day for some, and I hope it will go well."

Wieber did not speak to reporters after the competition, though USA Gymnastics later released a statement in which she said she was "a bit disappointed" at not making the final.

But Geddert and brother Ryan Wieber both used the word "devastated" to describe her.

Monday will be about repairing that psyche so Wieber can help the team.

"I feel bad for Jordyn," said Raisman's coach, Mihai Brestyan. "(But) we need Jordyn up, she's very important to the team. We need to keep them focused."

Olympic Rules: No Bad Tweet

Hussein Malla/AP Photo

A rude tweet insulting athletes from another country has cost a second Olympian a spot at the games.

Michel Morganella, one of the players on Switzerland’s Olympic men’s soccer team, sent out such a tweet following his team’s 2-1 loss to South Korea on Sunday. Morganella’s tweet said that Koreans should “burn themselves” and described them as “retards.”

Despite Morganella’s quick apology posted on his Twitter page, a prompt response from the Swiss team chief resulted in Morganella’s Twitter account deleted from the social networking site and his dismissal from the team.

“He discriminated, insulted and violated the dignity of the South Korean football team and the South Korean people,” Swiss team chief Gian Gilli said to Reuters.

Morganella is the second Olympian to get the boot because of a racially charged tweet. Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou was left in Athens after her so-called “joke” about Africans in Greece.

“With so many Africans in Greece, at least the mosquitoes of West Nile will eat homemade food!!!” she tweeted.

The triple jumper was no longer welcome to travel to London with her fellow Greek athletes.

“Social media is, in the end, about how people are using it,” says social media expert Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer and professor at Columbia University. “Social media doesn’t change the people who are using it and racism has been part of human nature and part of sports for centuries.”

He added, “Twitter is like athletes having their own press conference.”

The International Olympic Committee created “IOC Social Media, Blogging and Internet Guidelines” which clearly states that upon noncompliance of the guidelines an athlete can be stripped of their Olympic Games accreditations.

“These athletes know they live in a world of sponsorships, public opinion and their fans,” said Sreenivasan.  “The world today is about branding, having a following, having people cheer you on and social media has a role in that, social media can build you up.”

Social media can also break you down. An inappropriate tweet can send you out of London, out of the Olympics and straight home faster than you can tweet your apology. Game over.

Gymnast superstar Jordyn Wieber at the London Olympics continues to reverberate

Wieber, the 17-year-old gymnast from DeWitt, Mich., who entered the Games as the leader and star of Team USA’s “Fabulous Five” and the current world champion, failed to qualify for the individual all-around title Sunday after uncharacteristic slip-ups cost her one-tenth of a point and put her in third place behind teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, respectively. Countries can enter just two gymnasts in the all-around final, so by the rules Wieber was out.

“We have always known the 2 per country rule, we are not crying of spilt milk, yet it makes it difficult to explain how the 4th best AA finisher, the former world champion, does not get a shot at fulfilling her dream, just because her country happens to be incredibly strong,” her coach John Geddert wrote in a Facebook posting.  “The sting of this injustice is painful and for the record I have voiced this opinion time and time again …. To penalize an athlete or country for being OUTSTANDING is not in the spirit of sport and certainly not the spirit of the Olympic Games.”

Geddert has coached Wieber during her entire career and is also the women’s team coach; he declined to speak to the media about the situation.

Bela Karolyi, the gymnastics coaching legend who led the “Magnificent Seven” USA women’s gymnastics team to gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, also blasted the rule.

“What a travesty!” Karolyi said in an interview with Al Michaels after the results. “How someone can afford to cut one of the best gymnasts?..To eliminate somebody because a teammate beat her. Still among the first four gymnasts in the world, and still you’re eliminated?”

Karolyi, whose wife, Martha, is the current U.S. women’s national team coordinator, questioned whether a “lineup mistake” cost Wieber a chance at the title.  The former coach told reporters he was “troubled” by the fact that Wieber did not compete last as the anchor of the team.  Geddert has reportedly said the lineups were not an issue.

Wieber posted on her own Facebook page that it was “hard to explain these feelings” but that she is honored to be on Team USA.

Wieber’s title as world champion may have preceded her misfortune.  Only four reigning world champions have ever gone on to win Olympic gold in Olympic history.

“Jordyn is a phenomenal athlete and I think it just goes to show you that at the Olympic Games anything is possible,” Kerri Strug, a member of the gold medal-winning “Magnificent Seven” team, told “Good Morning America.”  “She didn’t have the competition of her life in the prelims but she can come back in the team finals and show everyone how strong she is.”

Despite the surprise in the individual race, the United States as a team dominated on Sunday, finishing with 181.863 points to Russia’s 180.429. Defending Olympic champion China was third with 176.637 points.

The team is fighting to capture its first team title since Strug led the “Magnificent Seven” to the top of the podium in Atlanta 16 years ago.

In addition to Wieber, Douglas and Raisman, the “Fabulous Five” of Team USA consists of McKayla Maroney, the 16-year-old reigning world champion on the vault, and Kyla Ross, 15, the youngest member of the team.

Douglas, 16, earned the nickname “The Flying Squirrel,” from coaches for her flexibility and speed, while Raisman stands out as the team captain and elder stateswoman at 18-years-old.

“This women’s team is phenomenal,” Strug said.  “They’re mentally so tough.  They’re physically fit.  They have so much depth.  Going into the finals they’re leading the Russians by a point and a half so we’re expecting great things from them.”

Even Wieber, it appears, has already turned her individual disappointment into a focus on the next goal, the team final on Tuesday.

“Thank you all for your love and support,” she Tweeted late Sunday. “I am so proud of our team today and I can’t wait for team finals!!”

London 2012 gymnastics: U.S. falls - China wins gold

The Chinese won their second straight Olympic title and third in four games Monday, making fools of everyone who wrote them off after a dismal performance in qualifying.

“After getting up from bed I thought we were going to win it,” said Chen Yibing, one of only two holdovers from the Beijing squad. “We have the abilities and the skills.”

China’s score of 275.997 points was more than four points better than Japan, which needed help from a DVR to finish second.

Britain initially was announced as the silver medalist, setting off raucous celebrations at the O2 Arena, Princes William and Harry included. The British don’t have a proud history in gymnastics — barely any at all — and this was their first men’s team medal in a century.

But Japan questioned the score of three-time world champion Kohei Uchimura on pommel horse, the very last routine.

While judges huddled around a video screen, the British partied andUchimura and his teammates sat stone-faced against a wall.

“I couldn’t say anything,” Uchimura said. “I couldn’t think anything at the very beginning. I was thinking, ‘It’s fourth, it’s fourth.’”

About five minutes later, though, it’s silver.

Uchimura’s score was revised, with judges giving him seven-tenths more credit for his dismount. Instead of 13.466, he scored 14.166 — enough to move Japan from fourth to second with a total of 271.952.

Britain was bumped down to bronze, while Ukraine dropped to fourth.

“To win a medal in your home games, I’ll take that any day,” Kristian Thomas said. “We never actually had the silver in our hands, so there’s no real disappointment.”

Tell that to the Japanese, who were bested by the Chinese yet again.

Just like everybody else.

London 2012 fencing: Ukraine’s Yana Shemyakina wins gold

Yana Shemyakina of Ukraine beat defending champion Britta Heidemann of Germany 9-8 to win the Olympic gold medal — but not before an hour-long delay in the semifinals following an appeal by the South Korean team after Heidemann’s 6-5 victory over Shin A-lam.

At its heart, Shemyakina and Heidemann played three times for the winning point, each time with just one second left on the clock.

This itself left many spectators wondering — for just how long can you string out one second?

It was during this third “second” that Heidemann scored the winning point, prompting the South Korean appeal. In the hour it took for the appeal process, Shin refused to leave the piste as by doing so she would accept defeat. She sobbed uncontrollably before the 8,000-strong auditorium.

The referees eventually called in favor of the German athlete. The crowd, however, overwhelmingly showed their support for Shin and many gave her a standing ovation as she left the arena.

Shin returned minutes later to face top-seeded Sun Yujie of China for bronze.

After an early lead, Shin collapsed, leaving the auditorium without a medal. Each time she scored, she received much applause and some occasional foot-stamping. The crowd gave her yet another standing ovation as she bowed out.

Sun won bronze by beating Shin 15-11.

London 2012 fencing: A Lam Shin was defeated by German Britta Heidemann

South Korea's Shin A-lam reacts after a women's individual epee fencing semifinals match against Germany's Britta Heidemann July 30, in London.

Dmitry Lovetsky/AP 

The women's London 2012 fencing individual epee semi-finals took a dramatic – and emotional – turn this afternoon at the end of the match between South Korea and Germany.

The match between A Lam Shin of South Korea and Britta Heimann of Germany was deadlocked 5-5, when Heimann finally won 6-5 in overtime. 

South Korea contested Heimann's last point, saying that it was actually won after the end of the match, and submitted a written appeal to the judges. Meanwhile, Shin, refusing to leave ExCel stadium, sat weeping on the floor for more than 15 minutes while the judges ruled on the appeal.

South Korea lost the appeal.

But the appeal forced the gold metal match between Heimann and Ukrainian Yana Shemyakina to be delayed and then rescheduled to 3:40 p.m. (EDT).

The bronze metal match was also delayed, but not for long; Shin fenced against China's Yujie Sun but lost. Sun, who was ranked No. 1 in the world, took the bronze with a score of 15-11.

Lochte blows win in 4×100 relay

Ryan Lochte entered the water with a half-second lead but couldn't hold off Yannick Agnel in the final lap of the race. The French avenged their stunning loss in Beijing, when Alain Bernard was caught from behind by Jason Lezak.

The 4x100 freestyle relay played out in the opposite fashion of 2008, when the American team blew a massive lead and got caught from behind in the final 15 meters by France.     Nathan Adrian and Michael Phelps gave Team USA a 0.76 lead midway through the race. Cullen Jones gave bac a little of that time but still touched more than half a second ahead of the field to give Lochte a clear path to victory.

The 400 IM champion couldn't hold on to the lead.

Team USA had won every 4x100 relay ever swum at the Olympics until getting out touched by Ian Thorpe at the Australians in 2000. The thrilling comeback win in Beijing has been their only Olympic title since then.

Michael Phelps, who had been on a 13-race winning streak at the Olympics, is now o-2 in London.