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The Torch
8:41 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Even A 'No' Is An Olympic Moment When It's Said By Michael Phelps

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 10:38 am

An only-at-the-Olympics tale:

As Michael Phelps left a news conference at the Olympic Aquatic Center on Saturday, a photographer rushed up and asked, "Can I get one more photo?"

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The Torch
8:19 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Britain's Wiggins Starts A Row By Arguing For Bike Helmets

Credit Bryn Lennon / Getty Images
Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain before a road race on Day 1 of the Olympics.

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 3:00 pm

On the same day cyclist Bradley Wiggins became Great Britain's most-decorated Olympian, Daniel Harris, a 28-year-old cycling enthusiast, was killed when he was struck by a bus at an intersection outside Olympic Park.

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The Torch
8:02 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Williams Sisters Take Title In Doubles Tennis

Credit Luis Acosta / AFP/Getty Images
Venus (left) and Serena Williams celebrate after winning the women's doubles gold medal match today.

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 8:24 am

As The Guardian just reported:

"Here is perhaps the least surprising outcome of the Games: the awesome Williams sisters have secured the women's doubles for the United States, disposing of the Czech pair Hlavackova and Hradecka 6-4, 6-4. And Serena crowns a dominant display with a delightful twirl of celebration after plundering the gold medal point."

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The Torch
7:39 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Gold For Ethiopia's Gelana In Women's Marathon

Credit Daniel Garcia / AFP/Getty Images
Women marathoners raced past Big Ben.

In what looks to be a new Olympics record, Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia just won the women's marathon in a time of 2:23.07.

Kenya's Priscah Jeptoo was second and Russia's Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova finished third.

As The Guardian notes, Gelana's "uncle Gezahegne Abera won men's marathon gold in Sydney 12 years ago."

Mary Keitany of Kenya, one of the pre-race favorites, came in fourth.

The previous women's Olympics record was 2:23.14.

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The Torch
7:18 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Let's Catch Up: 'Super Saturday' For Brits; 'World's Fastest Man' Coming Up

Credit Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
Jessica Ennis of Great Britain  celebrates after winning gold Saturday in the heptathlon on Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Good morning.

While Bill takes a much-deserved mid-Olympics day off, we'll aim to keep up with what's going on in London.

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Sports
6:34 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Nailbiters And Tiebreakers In London Olympics

It was a big day for sprinters in track and field Saturday. NPR's Mike Pesca joins guest host Linda Wertheimer with news from the 2012 London Olympics and the many ways to break a tie.

Sports
6:34 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Runner With Artificial Legs Sprints Past Barrier

Sunday night at the Olympics, South African Oscar Pistorius runs again in a preliminary heat in the 400-meter sprint. His first heat Saturday made history because Pistorius has artificial legs. He's the first amputee to run an Olympic race. NPR's Howard Berkes looks at an unprecedented Olympic quest some are not ready to accept.

Sports
6:34 am
Sun August 5, 2012

British Elbow Into An Exclusive Medals Podium

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

There is still a week to go at the Olympics, but it's a good bet that after all the drama ends, Britons will look back on last night as the moment the Games turned in their favor - maybe not in the overall medal count but the host country got a huge psychological lift as Team Great Britain snagged three track and field gold medals on the Games' biggest stage. NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

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Sports
3:52 pm
Sat August 4, 2012

Phelps Picks Up Gold In 'Final' Race Of His Career

Originally published on Sat August 4, 2012 5:30 pm

Michael Phelps swam what he says was his last Olympic race: the men's 4x100 medley relay. NPR's Howard Berkes, who was in London, tells host Guy Raz about the race.

Sports
3:52 pm
Sat August 4, 2012

That's No Swimsuit, That's A Racing System

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 5:24 am

In 2008, Speedo got too good at making swimsuits.

Ninety-eight percent of medal winners that year wore the company's LZR Racer, a zip-sealed full-body suit that carried many top athletes — including Michael Phelps — to gold.

But after those games, the sport's international governing body changed the rules to outlaw the LZR by banning zippers and restricting mens' suit coverage from the navel to the knees. So Speedo went back to the drawing board and spent years developing what's now known as the Fastskin3 system.

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