The Games 2012: Week One

London Olympics 2012 (Photo credit: Andrea Vascellari)

It's been a quiet week at the London Olympic Games.  No mass shootings.  No drug doping scandal.  The only reported security breach was when some guy threw a bottle onto the track just before the start of the men's 100-meter finals.

The complaints about NBC's tape-delayed coverage have slowed down, which might mean American viewers have been worn down enough to stop bellyaching and start watching.

What they're seeing is that the United States and China have been racking up most of the medals so far.  True, it's not nearly as important as it was during the Cold War days, but it is indicative of how each nation prepares its athletes.  Among the highlights and lowlights:

• After a slow start, Michael Phelps ended his Olympic swimming career with more medals than anyone else in the span of eight years and three Games.  New stars like Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and Rebecca Sari won their own medals as the Americans again dominated the pool.
• Gabby Douglas may have won the gold for all-around gymnast, and for helping the United States win the team competition.  But all anyone wants to talk about is the way she wears her hair.  Are we missing something here?
• The U.S. women's soccer team, having come from behind to defeat Canada in the final seconds of extra time, is in the gold medal finals against Japan.  Christine Sinclair's hat trick for the Canadians was wasted because they got hosed by the officials twice with questionable calls, which the U.S. took advantage of as part of their comeback.  Soccer's ruling body FIFA is looking into it.
• Serena Williams and Andy Murray easily defeated their opponents to win gold at the tennis competition, which was held at Wimbledon.  It was strange to see the drab green of Centre Court decked out in colors, and the players weren't wearing various shades of white.  Since the players who competed were the same ones we usually see on the pro tour year-round, it's fair to ask if winning the gold medal at Wimbledon has the same meaning as winning a Grand Slam title there.
• Jamaica still claims the fastest humans in the world.  Usian Bolt repeated his triumph at the 2008 Beijing Games, bolting (if you will) to a new world record in the men's 100-meters in London.  Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won her gold in the women's 100-meters for the second time as well.
• Host country Great Britain currently ranks third in the medal count.  Its best known athlete, Jessica Ennis, won gold in the women's heptathlon.
• Oscar Pistorius of South Africa finished eighth in the men's 400-meter semifinals.  The only reason anyone cares about this result is that he ran the race with two blades substituting for feet, as if he's some cyber athlete from the future.  As it was, Pistorius is a feel-good novelty act who should never have been allowed to race in the first place, much less make a name for himself.
• Five Asian teams have been removed from the Olympic badminton tournament for allegedly tanking their matches.  That's right, folks.  We said badminton.
• Lolo Jones, an American hurdler who has yet to win a medal, is being accused by--of all people--the New York Times of getting by on her looks instead of her talent.  It doesn't help that Jones has been bragging about being a virgin and saving herself for marriage, which is fine as long as she kept it to herself.  Well, she still hasn't won a medal.  Jones placed fourth in the women's 100-meter hurdles behind winner Sally Pearson of Australia, with fellow Americans Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells getting silver and bronze, respectively.
• In this age of economic insecurity, it's best to be careful what you wish for when it comes to winning an Olympic medal--particularly if you are an American athlete.  According to reports, a gold medal can be worth at least $25,000, and the IRS wants its share of the profits.  It has also been noted that Gabby Douglass' mother filed for bankruptcy a few months ago.  Oh, the sacrifices we make so that your kid could have his/her moment of Olympic glory.

And that's how it is in Londontown as the second week of the Olympics commences.  We'll let you know what happens as soon as NBC does.