U-S-A!

Last night was good stuff, wasn't it?

I'm sure you can imagine that I was stoked that the U.S. won gold in women's gymnastics. The team was confident, solid and just amazing. And how about that vault from Maroney? If a perfect 10 still existed, that would have for sure been one. It's not like the team won by a small margin. It wasn't even close in the end. I loved every second of it.

There were also some great races in the pool, including some Olympic history. Michael Phelps has had some problems out of the water that have been publicized, and honestly he didn't really do anything different than a lot of people his age, so some people don't necessarily like him. But you can't deny what he has accomplished. We are all very lucky to have watched him compete because there is a very strong chance there will never be someone else like him.

I loved seeing a U.S. relay team finally win gold and in a dominant style. I hope that built up some confidence for Lochte (he needs it). The incredible thing is that Phelps lost the 200m butterfly basically in the same way he won the 100m butterfly in 2008. It wasn't as close but still very reminiscent. What I found the most interesting is that in a post-meet interview Phelps admitted that at times he is lazy in practice about finishing off a swim and touching the wall. He said that he thinks that is the reason he didn't win. I believe him and respect him for admitting that.

I'm sad Missy Franklin didn't medal in the 200m freestyle but was very happy for Allison Schmitt and her victory. Although the U.S. only got a bronze in the 200m IM, you would have thought by the emotion on Caitlin Leverenzs' face she had won the gold. Very touching.

I've been in an athletic department retreat all day and didn't have time to gather any videos from yesterday's stuff before events started today. I purposely get off all news and social media sites around noon every day so I don't find out any spoilers. You can be sure I'll find some women's gymnastics videos to post on here once it's safe for me to roam the internet again.

What to watch for - Day 6.

It was a great night last night for Team USA in the Olympics. Two gold medals in the pool, along with a silver and bronze, and gold in the women’s gymnastics team final. If you didn’t enjoy last night, you need to ask me to take you off this email list. Here’s the good news: we are only a fourth of the way through the games. So much more to come!

There will be four medal events in the pool today with the men’s 200m breaststroke and 100m freestyle and the women’s 200m butterfly and the 4x200m freestyle relay.

The U.S. has been doing a great job of getting both its swimmers into the event finals. Unfortunately, Cullen Jones did not qualify for the finals in the 100m free, so it’ll be up to Nathan Adrian to bring home a medal, hopefully gold, in that event. He had a great relay split in the 4x100 Sunday and turned in the second best qualifying time. Adrian will have tough competition in several great swimmers. Australia’s James Magnussen was the top qualifier and is the current world champion. World recorder holder Cesar Cielo of Brazil will be in lane two, while France’s Yannick Agnel, who chased down Locthe in the relay Sunday, will be in lane one.

The crowd should be very into the final for the 200m breaststroke with two Brits in the race. Americans Scott Weltz and Clark Burckle will be in lanes six and seven, while there will be no Chinese swimmers in this final.

In the women’s 200m fly, Americans Cammille Adams and Kathleen Hersey are hoping for a medal. Hersey was the top qualifier but look out for China’s Zige Liu who is the reigning Olympic champion and the world record holder in the event.

Missy Franklin will be back in the pool after failing to medal in the 200m free yesterday. Tonight is the 4x200m free relay for the women and we’ll find out who is in the final after qualifying today. It’s a pretty sure bet that Franklin will be on the final relay team, as well as the new Olympic champion in the 200m free – American Allison Schmitt.

Tonight is also the men’s all-around competition in gymnastics. Unlike the women, there was no controversy with who qualified for Team USA. Danell Leyva qualified in first, while John Orozco qualified fourth. Hopefully they can put Monday’s debacle behind them and show what they can do. The favorite, 2008 silver medalist Koheu Uchimura of Japan, qualified ninth because of the poor performance by the Japanese Saturday. If he can actually do what he’s capable of, he might be hard to beat. The crowd favorite is likely to be GBR’s Kristian Thomas who was a big factor in helping the team to a surprise silver bronze medal. The Chinese won the team title and will be looking for one of their athletes to take the all-around as well.

The U.S. will attempt its third straight medal in diving after suffering a 12-year drought, which was snapped on Sunday. Today is the men’s 3m synchronized springboard with Americans Kristian Ipsen and Troy Dumais. Of course the Chinese are favored to win this event.

I typically wouldn’t bring up fencing but Mariel Zagunis was the flag bearer for the Americans, so I’ll go ahead and mention what she’s attempting to accomplish today. Zagunis will go for the three-peat in individual sabre. She is actually the only person to ever win gold in this particular event since it debuted in Athens.

Women's team final preview.

Yes, I'm going to talk more about women's gymnastics.

If you don't trust my analysis of what I think will happen tonight in the women's gymnastics final, listen to Elfi Schlegel and Tim Daggett. They know what they're talking about. I did find out that one of my guesses for the lineups tonight was wrong. Jordyn Weiber will not be on beam and Kyla Ross will compete instead. I think this is a bad decision, but as long as USA wins gold, it doesn't matter.

Since the Americans qualified in first, they will start on vault, which is the first event in Olympic rotation order. This is the same order they had in qualifying. If they nail vault like they did on Sunday, they will establish a substantial lead and all the other teams will have to work to keep up with them.

Go USA!

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Missy the Missle.

If you didn't know about this girl before the Olympics, you know about her now. Not only is Missy Franklin the first woman to qualify for seven events in the Olympics but she's also 17-years-old. I've been hearing about her for the past few months and how she was going to be the one to watch in London. I think that she realized how young she is more than anyone else because there has been a lot of pressure put on her, but she said that her goal is just to do her best.

Luckily for the U.S. her best has been two medals in two races, including a gold medal. She is still obviously a teenager but she is so mature. I'm so impressed every time she does an interview. I also love that she continually turns down sponsorship opportunities to keep herself elgible to compete in high school and receive a college scholarship. I respect that so much. She is definitely a role model for young children to look up to.

If you haven't seen many stories about her, here is a sampling:

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What to watch for - Day 5.

Despite some disappointments yesterday, the U.S. and China are now even in the overall medal count with 17 each.

Yesterday, the American men’s gymnastics team had a disastrous night in team finals, falling from first in qualifying to finishing fifth overall. Today is the team final for the women. Team USA looks for its first gold since the “Mag Seven” in 1996. We all remember when Kerri Strug landed that vault to win gold, but some of these girls weren’t even born yet or were to young to remember it. Did I just make you feel old?

The success of the American women in qualifying has been a bit overshadowed by the fact that Jordyn Weiber didn’t qualify for the individual all-around (despite having the fourth-best all-around score). The women posted the top qualifying score of 181.863 that was 1.4 points better than the Russians who sit in second. It should be a two-horse race between the Americans and the Russians. The Chinese and Romanians will also be contending for a medal in tonight’s final.

Just like the men’s competition the scores are wiped clean and everyone starts over. Also, tonight will be the three up/three down format which means that every score counts. That helps the consistent teams and seriously hurts the teams that suffer falls (this was evident last night in the men’s final). If the “Fab Five” can do what they did in qualifying, especially again on vault, there is a very strong chance the color of their medal will be gold. I will be shocked if they don’t end the night on the podium.

The question has been whether or not Weiber can move past the devastation of not qualifying for the all-around and give the team the performances they need. I think the answer to this question will be yes. In fact, I think that she’ll give some of the best performances of her life. She’s a competitor and wants to prove that she belongs in that final

Here’s my best guess for the USA lineup tonight:

Vault – Douglas, Weiber, Maroney

Bars – Ross, Weiber, Douglas

Beam – Douglas, Weiber, Raisman

Floor – Douglas, Weiber, Raisman

In the pool, Michael Phelps has two races tonight. If he medals in both he will become on of the most decorated Olympians of all-time. Phelps will swim in the 200m butterfly and the 4x200m freestyle. He won his semifinal in the 200 fly to qualify fourth and will be in lane six. American Tyler Clary, who has criticized Phelps for not working hard and just relying on his talent, will also swim in the 200 fly and is in lane two. If Phelps wins, he'll be the first person to win three golds in the same event.

The men’s 4x200 freestyle relay is also today and the Americans are expected to be one of the top contenders. It’s not yet known who will swim for the Americans but expect both Phelps and Ryan Lochte to be on the list. Lochte has struggled since winning the 400 IM, falling off in the last leg of the 4x100 to give USA second and failing to medal in the 200 free last night. If he wants this to be his Olympics he has to come on strong tonight.

I love Missy Franklin. I think a lot of other people lover her now too after last night. She goes for individual medal number two tonight in the 200m freestyle. She had that tight schedule last night and conserved some energy in the semifinal yesterday, which paid off in the 100 backstroke, and qualified in eighth. She won’t have the best lane but if she is rested and swims strong she will have a great shot at the podium. Another American teenager, Allison Schmitt, will also be in the final. Schmitt, who trains with Phelps in Baltimore, won the silver in the 400 free and had a great semifinal and is in lane five for the final. Also in the race is defending Olympic and world champion Federica Pellegrini.

The women’s 200 individual medly will also be contested with two Americans in the final. Caitlin Leverenz will swim in lane three and Ariana Kukors in lane six. The biggest name in this race is Ye Shiwen of China. She won the 400 IM on Sunday and has raised eyebrows with some of her splits, which are pretty much unheard of times for the women. She is the favorite in the race, as long as she the officials don’t discover something in one of her drug tests.

USA men’s basketball will take on Tunisia at 5:15 p.m. (est) and looks to go 2-0 so far in the games. USA won 98-71 against France on Sunday, while Tunisia fell to Nigeria 60-56. The red, white and blue should win pretty easily and keep the dream of a team repeat alive.

Women’s soccer is also in action today with a match against North Korea. The U.S. is 2-0 while PRK is 1-1 after losing 5-0 to France. The Americans have a three-point lead in the goal differential going into the match and a win will give them a victory over all three teams in its group.

The women’s 10m synchronized diving competition is also tonight, but the Americans don’t have a team competing so feel free to tune out when this event comes on.

Poor Jordyn.

The biggest surprise of the games so far is not that Michael Phelps didn’t medal in the 400 IM, it’s that Jordyn Weiber didn’t qualify for the individual all-around finals. This may be the biggest shocker of the entire games when all is said and done.

I am heartbroken for this girl. I’ve watched her the past few years since she made the jump to the senior level and she has been outstanding every single time.

If you saw any headlines prior to the coverage last night, you might have thought that she fell on one or two events not to qualify. No, she competed well. Yeah, she’s capable of much better but when you look at it only three gymnasts outscored her. It just so happens that two of those gymnasts come from the same team as her.

It used to be that three gymnasts from each team could qualify for the individual all-around. This rule changed in 2003 as teams were required to become smaller and less gymnasts competed per even. For example, there were seven members of the 1996 team and six competed on each event and five scores counted. Now there are five members with four competitors in qualifying and three in the team finals. It’s actually a little more rare these days to find an all-around gymnast because teams put such an emphasis on each event and a lot of teams don’t have more than two all-arounders. The all-around rule now is that 24 gymnasts can compete and only the top two from each team. Yes, it’s a ridiculous rule because it keeps some of the best gymnasts in the world, clearly, out of the all-round final and you’re not going to have the best competition possible. I get the idea of wanting to give more countries a chance, but the reality is that the girls who qualify in the last spots are not going to even come close to stepping on the podium. Now the reigning world champion isn’t going to have a chance to even compete for the all-around, an event which she could easily win.

Could Weiber still compete in the all-around? Technically, yes. The coaches could pull Aly Raisman and let Weiber compete or Raisman could concede her spot to Weiber. Will this happen? More than likely, no.

Raisman has worked very hard to be known has an all-around gymnast. A lot of coaches told her to stop training on bars because it’s her worst event and she could concentrate on becoming better at her best events. But she kept training and it’s now paid off for her. If Raisman is anything it’s consistent. I like Aly and I’m happy for her. I think she’ll hit her routines but I don’t think she’ll win gold. I hope I’m wrong. But she’s just not strong enough on all four events to defeat Gabby Douglas or Russia’s Victoria Komova. The thing is that Weiber can and has. But she won’t get the chance this time. The U.S. still has a very strong chance in Douglas, but they don’t have that one-two punch they thought they’d have going into the meet.

The big worry now is if Weiber can pull herself together to still be a strong competitor for Team USA in the team finals. The finals are a three up, three down format, which means that all scores count from the three gymnasts that compete on the event. Jordyn and Gabby should compete in all the events, while I suspect Aly will just compete on beam and floor. I think that Jordyn will be great on tomorrow. This will be like her all-around final and she wants to prove that she deserves to be in that competition on Thursday.

I also have to say that I am so impressed with how she composed herself for post-meet interviews. She just had the most crushing blow of her gymnastics career and she is able to stand there and be interviewed about that – at 17-years-old. Pretty sure I would have run off and would still be crying now. I believe that she’s happy for her teammates, but she wants it to be her in that all-around. And I do too.

What to watch for - Day 4

Team USA had a great night in team qualifying on Saturday and has a really good chance to win its first gold in men's gymnastics since 1984 and its first ever gold in a non-boycotted Olympics. The biggest surprise in qualifying is not that China and Japan faltered but that Great Britain beat both of them. GBR qualified in third behind USA and Russia. So the U.S. is in really good position to win gold, right? Well, yes and no. The Americans looked better than any team out there in qualifying and if they do that again they have a good shot. However, all scores are erased and each team starts with a clean slate in finals. Japan made a lot of mistakes Saturday, but since the scores clear they are still the favorites. China would be up there too but their qualifying was disastrous and they have some injuries, which probably does help the U.S. The arena should be very pro GBR with the home country team in the finals. Hopefully that and some pressure from the Americans will make Japan falter in finals as well.

Yesterday in the women’s synchronized springboard Kelci Bryant and Abby Johnston became the first American divers to win a medal since Laura Wilkinson in 2000. Tonight is the men’s chance to be the first U.S. male medalists since 1996 and the first in the synchronized events. David Boudla and Nick McCrory will compete in the men’s synchronized platform event. The Chinese are near impossible to beat so a silver medal is almost like winning the gold these days in diving. Great Britain has a great diver in Tom Daley, so expect a good atmosphere at the pool.

It looks to be a big night in the pool for Team USA as Americans have a great chance to win all four medal events tonight.

Ryan Lochte has a chance at medal number three of these Olympics tonight at it comes in the 200m freestyle. I’m guessing he’s very disappointed in his finish as the anchor in the 4x100 last night. He didn’t necessarily have a terrible race but the U.S. still finished second when they had the lead as he entered the pool. I said yesterday that I thought Michael Phelps would swim well in the 4x100 and he did. I think tonight Lochte will swim will in this 200m. He is the favorite in this event because of Phelps. That’s because Phelps actually won this event at the U.S. trials but dropped it to take his program down to seven events. However, it’s not like Lochte isn’t good at this race. He is the world champion after all.

The women’s 100m breaststroke should be a great race. Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte has breezed through the qualifying and is possibly the favorite. However, she hasn’t been in the pool at the same time as Americans Rebecca Soni and Breeja Larson. Soni is the silver medalist from Beijing and the world champion, while this is Larson’s first trip to the Olympics but she beat Soni at trials. The only problem I have with Larson is that she’s an aggie. So I’m cheering on Soni for the gold and Larson for the silver.

The Americans are favorites to win both the men’s and women’s 100m backstroke. Matt Grevers has had two great swims leading up to the finals and is looking very strong. On the women’s side, Missy Franklin goes for her first individual medal and has certainly impressed in the prelims and semifinals. Look out for Australia’s Emily Seebohm who came close to breaking the world record in prelims and some consider her the favorite.