Oscar Pistorius can leave South Africa.

A judge has ruled that Pistorius, the Olympic athlete charged with murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, may leave South Africa for international competitions. However, there are significant conditions to Pistorius' travel rights; he must file travel plans with authorities at least a week before departing, and he must surrender his passport within 24 hours of returning to South Africa.

According to his attorneys, Pistorius has no immediate plans to compete in any international competition, but he may need to run in the future in order to raise money for his legal fees. Pistorius' attorneys have long maintained that he is not a flight risk, and that he needs the ability to compete in races in order to remain financially solvent.

Pistorius is facing severe financial difficulties because of his attorneys' fees. Local South African media reports have indicated that he has explored selling his racehorses and other assets in order to pay his legal bills.

Police have indicated that they have no interest in striking any sort of plea deal with Pistorius, meaning they will pursue charges of premeditated murder. He maintains that he shot her by accident, believing that she was an intruder.

Pistorius has been free on a bond of 1 million rand (about $113,000) for the last month. The case has been continued until June 4, and Pistorius is under court order to avoid his home and all witnesses involved in the case. He must also report to a police station twice a week and abstain from alcohol.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Facebook and Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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"I'm so desperate. Desperate," Jones tells HBO's Real Sports this week, as reported by USA Today. "It absolutely doesn't matter (whether it's a Winter or Summer Games medal). And you know the hard question will be is if I get a medal for bobsled, and I get a medal finally for track, which would I love more?"

Jones entered the last two Olympic Games, in Beijing and London, with strong chances to win a medal at both. In Beijing, she tripped; in London, she finished fourth. And despite the name of this particular blog, fourth place does not get you a medal. It was that fourth-place finish that stung, and motivated Jones to seek a different venue to medaldom:

"If I won a freakin' medal — if I won any medal — I would not be a bobsledder," she said. "Absolutely not. Are you kidding me? No. No!"

Jones is in competitions to make the Olympic bobsledding team; the final team will be announced in January. Let's just say this latest revelation may not give her high marks in the "team player" category. But hey, if it ends in a medal, all's good, right?

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

But it will be tough for her to do without her ice skates.

Wagner's skates were lost by the airline on the way to London, Ontario for the world championships on Tuesday morning. They were in her checked luggage, and with all of the traveling she's done as an elite skater for five years, her bags have never been lost. She now has to wait for the airlines to find her bag, and is trying to remain calm.

"OK, I don't have my skates. I have to relax a little bit. It makes me take a step back and realize it's just skating. It's an event, it's a huge event, but I'll do better that way," Wagner said to USA Today.

She tweeted that fellow skaters have given her workout clothes to wear.

I've rounded up tights and a top, thx to @weaverpoje and makeup from my lovely roommate..now searching 4 shoes and oh yeah, skates!#practice

— Ashley Wagner (@AshWagner2010) March 12, 2013

Figure skates are specially fitted to their wearer. Borrowing a pair or running to a sporting goods stores to pick up some new skates could lead to blistering or injuries, which is not what Wagner needs heading into worlds.

While the Transportation Security Administration does allow skates on carry-on luggage, Wagner's never had trouble checking her baggage before. It can make you forget that bags do get mishandled by airlines everyday.

Though she has a practice scheduled for Tuesday night, she doesn't compete until Thursday. Hopefully, Wagner will get her skates by then.

UPDATE: Huzzah! The skates have been found. Nancy Armour of the Associated Press reports:

A @usfigureskating official picked up @ashwagner2010 skates, took thru customs, drove thru Toronto rush hour. Arrived just as warmup began

— Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) March 12, 2013

Oscar Pistorius is "on the verge of suicide," a close friend says, even as his attorneys are seeking lighter bail terms that would allow Pistorius to travel. [UPDATE: The Pistorius family has taken issue with that characterization. See below.]

Pistorius, free on bail but charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is the subject of a new BBC3 documentary, "Oscar Pistorius: What Really Happened." Pistorius maintains that he shot Steenkamp by accident, but South African police believe he intentionally killed her in the course of a heated argument.

[Related: Oscar Pistorius' lawyers appeal bail conditions]

In the course of the BBC3 documentary, Pistorius family friend Mike Azzie has some dire words about the Olympic and Paralympic star: "I would say that, just speaking to him, that he is a broken man and that I would go as far to say that he would be on the verge of suicide. It really worries me."

Azzie also notes that Pistorius continues to speak of Steenkamp, asking friends to pray for her and her family. But there's no force behind his words: "He has no confidence in his tone of voice," Azzie says. "He is just a man that is almost like someone that is walking around in circles and doesn't know where he is going."

Meanwhile, Pistorius' lawyers have filed a request with the court to ease the bail restrictions on Pistorius, allowing him to travel outside the country with appropriate permission. They maintain that he is not a flight risk and should be allowed to travel.

Pistorius' legal bills are mounting; local reports indicate that he has had to sell racehorses to pay legal bills. Police are reportedly not interested in striking a plea bargain deal with Pistorius' lawyers for any lesser charges.

UPDATE: In response to Azzie's words, Pistorius' family has released a statement denying that he is suicidal. Pistorius "is in deep mourning but despite the tragic circumstances he is certainly not suicidal," said his uncle Arnold Pistorius.

"From the moment we were first informed about the dreadful event of the early morning of 14 February 2013, we have worked hard to come to terms with the sad news of Reeva Steenkamp's death and Oscar's role in it," the statement read. "Oscar, broken as he currently is, believes he has a purpose in life and is working towards that."

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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When American Evan Lysacek won gold in figure skating at the Vancouver Olympics, Yahoo! Sports' Elvis Stojko had a huge problem with the result. Though he had no problem with Lysacek's performance, he did have a problem with the way the skate was scored.

At the time, skaters were not given more consideration for trying difficult jumps, like the quadruple jump. When competing for Canada in the 90s, Stojko became the first man to cleanly land a quad jump at the World Championships. With Lysacek not trying to repeat his difficult feat, Stojko said the 2010 result had set back the sport 20 years. In the video above, he stands by his words.

But as they traditionally do after the Olympics, figure skating officials reviewed how to score different skating elements. Quads were encouraged in the new scoring system. Canadian Patrick Chan, the reigning world champ, is expected to throw a quad at the world championships in London, Canada, next week. Top Japanese skaters Daisuke Takahashi and Yuzuru Hanyu have also landed quads in competition. Max Aaron won the U.S. title with two enormous quads, and his U.S. teammate Ross Miner also landed a quad at the American championships.

As the world championships approach, a quad will likely be a part of the winning man's routine.

Pistorius has been released from prison on 1 million rand ($113,000) bail, and has said he wants a private memorial service to be held at the home of one of his family members.

"Oscar has asked for a private service with people who share his loss, including family members who knew and loved Reeva as one of their own," Vuma Reputation Management, which Pistorius has contracted, said in a statement, adding, "he remains in deep mourning for the loss of his partner Reeva."

Steenkamp's family has already held a memorial service for her in the South African city of Port Elizabeth. Her body was cremated after a private service. Pistorius is not permitted to leave his district of Pretoria without official permission, and was in his bail hearings at the time of her family's memorial.

In other Pistorius news, Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair, the judge in the case, announced that his family suffered a tragedy over the weekend. His first cousin is suspected of killing her two children and then committing suicide in Johannesburg. Investigators suspect that the woman killed the children, and later herself, by administering a poisonous substance.

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But an anchor at a New Orleans television station must not have remembered the moment. After Farah won the New Orleans Half Marathon with a time of 61 minutes, she asked him if he had ever run before.

It also appears that she doesn't know the difference between a half-marathon (13.1 miles) and a marathon (26.2 miles.)

Regardless of her gaffe, Farah completed an amazing run. After spending most of his career on distances of 5,000m - 10,000m, he transitioned to a half-marathon by running it in an hour and 59 seconds and setting a course records.

Thanks, Deadspin.

One of the more explosive "revelations" to come from the Oscar Pistorius bail hearings has been discounted by the prosecution.

Medupe Simasiku, the case's prosecutor and a member of South Africa's National Prosecution Agency, indicated that an investigating officer erred when he identified a substance found in Pistorius' home as testosterone.

Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, the investigating officer at the scene, had earlier indicated that he had discovered boxes of needles and testosterone. However, while the needles were indeed discovered, the exact makeup of the substance discovered remains under investigation.

[Related: Oscar Pistorius' lawyers counter claims of alleged murder ]

The alteration is significant from a public-relations standpoint, as attorneys for Pistorius claimed that it gave a negative connotation to Pistorius' actions and behaviors. The International Paralympic Committee said shortly after Botha's statement that Pistorius passed two dug tests last year. The International Olympic Committee did not test Pistorius during the London Games.

Pistorius' attorneys said that the substance was neither a steroid nor testosterone, but a legal herbal remedy.

Botha, who has 16 years' experience as a detective and 24 as a deputy, initially characterized the substance he discovered in Pistorius' bedroom as a "steroid," but the prosecution immediately corrected him. Simasiku, the prosecutor, later said that Botha simply read the first few letters of the substance and believed it was testosterone.

Defense attorneys pulled apart many of Botha's claims about the case on cross-examination, strengthening Pistorius' bid to make bail. A trial is not expected for many months. (See a full breakdown of the defense's cross-examination of Botha here.)

Pistorius has been accused of killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, by firing four shots through their bathroom door. Pistorius' attorneys contend he believed he was firing at an intruder.

Related coverage from Yahoo! Sports:

Early Thursday morning, South African police arrested Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend. Initial reports indicated that the death was an accident, but police have refrained from a definitive statement on the crime.

[Related: Olympic 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius charged with murder]

Regardless, this Nike ad takes on new and chilling meaning. And, as SB Nation notes, it's not the first time Nike has used athleticism-as-weaponry as a casual analogy:

Pistorius' website pulled the ad because of its obvious bad taste given the situation. Question: is it in bad taste regardless of the new revelations? Is weaponry and violence too serious of a metaphor to employ so casually in marketing?

Pistorius remains in police custody. He was a competitor at the London Olympics and a two-time gold medalist at the 2012 Paralympics.

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South African runner Oscar Pistorius was charged with murder on Thursday after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot at his home in Pretoria. Pistorius, who had collected considerable fame and wealth after becoming the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, reportedly kept several weapons at his home in South Africa and some early reports say Pistorius mistook his girlfriend for an intruder.

What exactly happened is still unclear — police say they had been called to Pistorious' home for "incidents" before — but a tweet he sent in November reveals that he was a bit jumpy when it came to personal safety:

As Yahoo! Sports reported, Pistorius kept several weapons in his home, and lived in an area of Pretoria with armed security.

"There was the pistol by the bed, the machine gun up against the wall, the baseball bat under the window, a cricket bat too. He was concerned by safety and security to a high level, there was no doubt about that."

Nike featured Pistorius in several ads. This image was running on Pistorius' website late last night.

Pistorius is expected to appear in court on Friday, where hopefully we'll learn more about what transpired at his home.

Feb. 20 — Mar. 3, Nordic World Championships: In Val di Fiemme, Italy, cross country skiers and ski jumpers will show off who the best in the world are. At the last Winter Games in Vancouver, the United States won medals in Nordic combined (cross country skiing and ski jumping). That was a first for the U.S. team, so check in to see if they can get a streak going. Also, women's ski jumpers will be in the Olympics for the first time, and you can see who the early favorites to win the first gold will be.

[Eh Game: Canadian athletes taking aim at the top of the medal table]

Mar. 12 — Mar. 20, Figure Skating World Championships: Figure skaters will flock to London, Ont., for the world championships in just over a month from now. It's a key event because it's where figure skaters will qualify for spots in the Olympics. The number of spots each country gets it based on the place of each skater. American women had just two spots in the last Olympics, and are hoping Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold can place high enough to earn three spots.

Mar. 13 — Mar. 17, World Cup Alpine Skiing: Though Lindsey Vonn is out after her crash earlier this week, the final World Cup event in skiing will be important for American skiers Julia Mancuso, Mikaela Shiffrin and Ted Ligety.

May 3 — May 19, Ice Hockey World Championships: Sweden and Finland will co-host this event that will pit 16 of the world's top hockey teams against each other. It begins after the NHL regular season ends, meaning teams could have some NHL representatives from teams that didn't make the Stanley Cup playoffs. Even without them, it will give hockey fans an idea of who will shine in Sochi.

Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn was airlifted off a mountain in Schladming, Austria on Tuesday after crashing during the world championships. Vonn's crash came during the Super G, when she slipped and then went head over heels, with her legs getting tangled up as she hit the ground. A skiing official reported that her injury was "a cruciate and lateral ligament” injury — not a tibia, as rumored before.

[Related: Lindsey Vonn's Olympic bid in doubt after crash, injury]

Here is video of the crash:

Tuesday's race had been delayed for two hours by fog. In an earlier article that Vonn wrote for the Denver Post, she notes that weather would be a big factor for this event.

I've been trying to be patient and stay calm, but it's pretty tough with the way the weather has been. It snowed a lot Sunday night, there was no training possible Monday on the race hill, then it rained most of Monday afternoon and evening. I know they're going to try really hard to get the race off Tuesday. I have to try to stay positive and prepare for a race that I hope will happen.

Three of the next four competitors to follow Vonn also did not finish their runs, including German Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who won two golds at the Vancouver Olympics. The race was eventually stopped because of weather.

[Photos of Lindsey Vonn's super-G crash]

Vonn has been in the news often in the past few months. She suffered from an intestinal illness in November that kept her off the slopes. She told People magazine that she has battled with depression. With rumors of a relationship with Tiger Woods emerging and more scrutiny on her personal life, Vonn has bodyguards with her in Austria.

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At 5 a.m. on Sunday, eight skaters reportedly got into a fight. One person's cheek was cut, but police said he didn't need medical attention. The skaters, who were not named by the Globe and Mail, didn't respond to hotel staff on a noise complaint. Police were then brought in, and sent the partying figure skaters back to their rooms. No criminal complaints were made, because party fouls are not against the law.

Skate Canada officials will investigate the incident. The Canadian Figure Skating Championships concluded this weekend. Defending two-time world champion Patrick Chan easily won the men's title, and defending Olympic champion ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dance title.

Thanks, Deadspin.

Wrong. She is still a teenager, and found herself quite nervous before a dual meet. Competing for Regis Jesuit High School, Franklin said she was surprised but happy that she was so nervous.

"All my teammates were like, 'What is wrong with you?'" Franklin said. "I was so nervous and I love that. It shows me that the excitement of the sport is still there, no matter where you go. It can be here or the Olympics, but I still get so excited to get in the pool every single time.

To the shock of no one, Franklin easily qualified for the Colorado state meet with her four swims. There was controversy behind Franklin's decision to swim, as some critics said it wasn't fair for such a decorated swimmer to compete against other high schoolers. But Erica Perhada, her competitor's coach, said Franklin actually helped her team by raising the level of competition.

"They were working as hard as they could," Peharda said. "Missy's such a great role model. She's very positive. The girls were excited. I don't think they felt like she's taking anything away from them. It's really cool that she's swimming for high school."

Franklin posed for pictures with her competitors after the meet was over. Anyone who was worried about her motives for swimming in high school meets should be calmed down by the fact that Franklin was so excited to swim with her high school teammates. Though she's an extraordinary athlete, she wanted the chance to be an ordinary high schooler. What's more ordinary than being nervous before a swim meet?

Maya Moore helped the U.S. women's basketball team win gold in London, but she never got the ring she earned for her accomplishment. Olympians receive rings for making the games, and a package that was supposed to contain Moore's ring went missing. Luckily, she will get it back after a criminal was dumb enough to sell it for cheap, and a jeweler was smart enough to call the police.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jamaal Dontray Taylor allegedly tried to sell the ring to a mall jeweler in suburban Atlanta. Taylor reportedly showed his identification to the jeweler and sold it for $144. Taylor claimed he was an Olympic gold medalist, likely assuming that there is no way to verify such a thing. (There is.)

The jeweler called the police, and Taylor was arrested. Moore is expected to get her ring back. Let this be a lesson to thieves everywhere: Crime doesn't a pay, particularly when you're too dumb to look up the name of an actual Olympic gold medalist.

Suzy Favor Hamilton, a three-time U.S. Olympian, has revealed that she has spent much of the past year working as a $600-an-hour escort. It's a stunning admission, and a decision that Hamilton now calls a "huge mistake," according to The Smoking Gun.

[Photo gallery: Suzy Favor Hamilton through the years]

Since last December, Hamilton has, according to TSG, worked with Haley Heston's Private Collection in Las Vegas, and has gone on engagements in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. The 44-year-old married mother of one worked under the name "Kelly Lundy," but apparently revealed her true identity to several male clients.

Hamilton responded to Thursday's story with a lengthy response and apology on Twitter:

I realize I have made highly irrational choices and I take full responsibility for them. I am not a victim here and knew what I was doing. I was drawn to escorting in large part because it provided many coping mechanisms for me when I was going through a very challenging time with my marriage and my life. It provided an escape from a life that I was struggling in. It was a double life.

I do not expect people to understand, but the reasons for doing this made sense to me at the time and were very much related to depression. As crazy as I know it seems, I never thought I would be exposed, therefore never hurting anybody. I have been seeking the help of a psychologist for the past few weeks and will continue to do so after I have put things together. I cannot emphasize enough how sorry I am to anyone I have hurt as a result of my actions and greatly appreciate the support from family and those closest to me. I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend.

The news is an astonishing revelation for a woman who, as TSG notes, runs a real estate brokerage in Madison, Wis.; delivers motivational speeches; and promotes various civic and community organizations. Hamilton said her husband knew of her escort work, but did not support it and asked her to stop. TSG reports that the family is apparently not in financial distress.

Hamilton, who ran at the University of Wisconsin, remains the most highly honored female athlete in NCAA track and field history, so much so that the Big Ten's highest track honor is named after her. She competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, but did not medal. Her most notable Olympic moment came in 2000, when she was leading the 1,500-meter final in Sydney. Her brother Dan had committed suicide the year before, and she sought to medal in his honor. But when she began slipping back in the pack, she fell to the ground.

She has since appeared in advertisements connected with everything from Nike to Oakley. Earlier this year, she spoke honestly about her battles with depression, anxiety, an eating disorder and other health issues.

The Smoking Gun report is a fascinating look not just at the culture in which Hamilton operated, but her own mindset of "invincibility," the idea that she simply didn't believe she would get caught. She referenced Tiger Woods, ensnared in the same trap of sex and secrecy. But she indicated to TSG that she had intended to quit the business even before being discovered.

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Oscar Pistorius is one of the fastest men on the planet, an Olympian whose achievement is all the more impressive because of the prosthetic blades on which he runs.

In Qatar this week, Pistorius ran a 100m race against a horse, and as you can see by the video above, the Blade Runner absolutely dominates the Arabian steed. It was part of a "Definitely Able" campaign designed to demonstrate that disabled athletes deserve the same respect and opportunities as able-bodied ones.

"It wasn't about who won today, it was just about coming out here and really just showing people that those with disabilities are not to be stereotyped against," Pistorius said afterward. "Having the Arab horse out here, which is a symbolization of strength and power in this region ... to be able to do a showcase event like this is a lot of fun."

But, as you can see in the video above, the horse doesn't exactly get the best start. And as a result, people are complaining that the race was either rigged, cruel or both. The South African SPCA claims that the horse was "unnecessarily and cruelly whipped from start to finish."

"I participated in the race in good faith as it was to promote abilities across sport and I was totally unaware of any alleged excessive force being used on the horse," Pistorius responded. "I don't condone any ill-treatment of animals. Those who know me are aware of my well-publicized love of animals."

Pistorius was one of the most inspirational figures in the London Olympics, but controversy seems to have a way of following him around.

This past summer in London, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time, finishing with 22 career medals and universal acclaim for his achievements. So when he said he'd retired from Olympic competition after London, he didn't waver. Like Alexander the Great, he had no more worlds left to conquer.

Or so we assumed. Ryan Lochte, Phelps' heir apparent, believes Phelps might not be done after all. "The sport will miss him," Lochte said in advance of the World Short Course championships in Istanbul. "He is one of my favorite rivals, and I will miss him. But I think he will come back. When you do something for so long every day ... he's still young. I think he will be back for Rio. We'll see. He'll miss the sport.''

[Related: Michael Phelps says U.S. swim team bonded over pop song]

Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Phelps has insisted he wants to live a "normal" life, or what passes for one after spending four Olympics as one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. But as Michael Jordan, Brett Favre and pretty much every boxer who ever fought can tell you, walking away from the cheers is no easy task.

Thing is, the pool waits for no one, not even Phelps. While he was impressive in London, he wasn't as dominant as he'd been in past years. And both motivation and ability for the relentless training necessary to beat the best wanes over time. Phelps has always insisted he was done, but as USA Today notes, he's six months younger than LeBron James. Granted, swimming and basketball require two different types of physical and mental dedication, but it's not out of the question for Phelps to take a shot at qualifying for Rio.

We shall wait and see. Anyone want to bet on his return?

[Tip of the swim cap to Larry Brown Sports]

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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The USA swim team's version of "Call Me, Maybe" was a hit during the Olympics and has been viewed more than 10 million times on You Tube. It was even aired during NBC's broadcast of the Olympics. But it turns out it was more than just a way for bored swimmers to pass time during practices, traveling, and autograph signings. Michael Phelps said on "Costas Tonight" that it was a way to bring the team together.

"It's funny to say it now, but that 'Call Me Maybe' video we did really brought us together. There are some of us who didn't really want to do it, felt kind of weird doing it, but I think it really just shows how we are as a team. And we're growing even more as team."

On the way to becoming the most decorated Olympian in history, Phelps was on three Olympic swim teams. He said this was the closest team yet.

Swimmers are often teammates with their biggest competitors, which can hamper team bonding. Now coaches know -- the best way to foster teamwork is add a little Carly Rae Jepsen.

Lochte has joined in the Hurricane Sandy Relief auction, organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue Magazine. The winning bidder and a guest will receive an hour-long swim lesson with Lochte, and then lunch with him afterwards. The starting bid is $4,000. Though no bids have been made, the auction still has 12 days left.

After winning five medals in London, Lochte attended Fashion Week and visited with several fashion designers. He told Fourth-Place Medal that fashion design is his passion, so it's not surprising to see him help out this group as they raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief.

We traveled together in a small bus for the first Right To Play field visit in the capitol city of Kigali. We left the main streets of Rwanda and began winding our way through a densely packed neighborhood, perched on the hillside of the valley we were descending in to. As we bumped along the unpaved road, windows open to let in a warm breeze, my eyes scanned our surroundings taking in as much as I could of the lifestyle of the community as I tried to figure out where we were headed.

Our destination was close and I HEARD it before I saw the play space. Laughter. Clapping. A melodic and rhythmic call of joy, where the only word I understood, sung over and over again, was "welcome".

As we turned the corner we were greeted by the "welcoming committee." A group of children, singing and dancing in unison, lining the road above a large, open grass field where over one hundred children were already breaking into groups to begin the day's play activities. Already my heart felt tight and tears welled in my eyes. It was such a beautifully simple gesture of friendship translating clearly the joy and hope they had at the prospect of today's opportunity to play with us.

A boy no older than 10 broke from the line and greeted me at the door of the bus. He grabbed my hand and said to me: "Will you come play with us?" OF COURSE! My ear to ear smile had not been answer enough!

The boy led me down to a play circle that consisted of children between the ages of 5-to-10 being led by one of the local coaches. Right To Play seeks to create a sustainable community impact with its programs, by partnering with other local organizations. This play space utilizes the CARELIFE Association which works with street children and orphans, giving them a safe place to play and engaging local staff and volunteers as coaches and leaders.

Our leader led us in a series of fun warm up routines that seemed to me to be an extension of this country's love for singing, dancing and feeling the natural beat of life. All of those fun activities were just preparing our bodies and acquainting us a bit better before the main learning game, which for my group of little ones, was based on the idea of teamwork.

For the main event we broke into three groups, forming straight lines, side by side. We were going to pass a soccer ball, first person through their legs, the next taking the ball up and over their head to pass to the next who would go down through their legs. The over/under pattern continued until the ball reached the end of the line, where the final person ran to the front of the line and the process started all over again. Only after every person had brought the ball back to the front of the line was a winning team declared.

Upon completing the first round the coach asked us all for feedback on what went well and what was possibly distracting, leading to the success or failure of the separate teams. This type of discussion afterwards is indicative and signature to Right To Play's methodology of "Reflect - Connect - Apply."  I loved seeing so many hands pop up to share their opinion. It was incredible to see the children so engaged and eager to participate. Then we got an opportunity to try again, to apply what we had learned from the feedback. This time, the groups moved much faster at the task and the competition between groups was much closer. Again, we got a chance to discuss the results and learn from what we had done.

From a simple ball passing game the children learned the concepts of being in the moment, focusing on the task at hand, communicating positive and encouraging instructions and listening. As well as the analytical skills of connecting the physical actions they were doing to their reflections of the game and applying them to their lives and future activities.

Same principles at play
It made me smile to think that just a year ago as our water polo team prepared for the Olympics in London, our sports psychologist would run us through VERY similar activities. We were reminding ourselves to be cognizant of the very same principles these children were learning through the Right To Play programs thousands of miles away from where my teammates learned the exact same lessons. Proving that these skills can be helpful at any level in sports and applied to any aspect of life to be successful.

In just an hour of play I was blown away by how powerful the Right To Play session was for me to see. I felt refreshed, invigorated, and happy to have experienced what I had only heard or read about. And as our little group broke up, and we walked across the field to join the group at large, my first thought was, "Was it having this sort of impact on the children?"

That was when a small hand gingerly grasped my right hand. I looked down and one of the boys from my play group was walking beside me. He smiled up at me. I squeezed his hand in return. We were almost to the big group when his other hand traced the tattoo on the inside of my right forearm, near my elbow. "Why do you have a roman numeral here?" he asked. (I was impressed that he even saw it, let alone his word choice!) I explained the number 13 represented my team, the girls I played water polo with. He responded with, "Yes, I understand. You can not do it without them." That is exactly right.

And I knew that the messages we learned together that day were sinking in. And soon, as the trip progressed I would have many more examples of how the power of play reaches these children in need.

To learn more about Right To Play, visit their web site at www.righttoplayusa.org

Fans of the Fierce Five might be a little dismayed to know how close Gabby Douglas was to being the best gymnast working behind the counter at a Virginia Beach Chick-fil-A.

This time last year, Douglas, one of the darlings of the London Olympics, confessed to friends and coaches that she was prepared to quit gymnastics, and possibly even start working at a Chick-fil-A.

Obviously, she didn't. "What was I thinking?" she wrote in one of the revelations in her forthcoming autobiography Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith. The book will be published Dec. 4.

Douglas, of course, would stick with gymnastics and go on to win two gold medals in London, becoming part of the most famous women's team in American sports in decades, if not ever. She's gone on to worldwide acclaim, from the White House to Hollywood.

This isn't the first time Gabby has admitted her affinity for fast food. Shortly after the Olympics, she noted on "The Tonight Show" that she'd celebrated her gold medals with a couple of Egg McMuffins, which earned her a mini-lecture from the first lady of the United States:

So there you go. Sure, she's got gold medals and international fame and such, but if she'd made a slightly different decision, she could have all the fast food she wanted without getting lectured by the first lady of the United States. Hmm. Tough choice.

Oh yeah, and kids, use this story as a lesson to follow your dreams. Unless your dream is to work at a Chick-fil-A. Then use this as a cautionary tale.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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You can own a piece of the London Olympics Opening Ceremony. No, the Queen's handbag is not for sale, but you can buy the boat David Beckham rode up the Thames with the Olympic flame used to light the torch.

According to the Huffington Post, the Bladerunner that Beckham used is highly customized. If you're in the market for a power boat with four dummy rockets with smoke canisters, a high-pressure waterjet bar and dozens of LED lights, you're in luck. The boat will be for sale in the next Bonhams Auction in England.

Olympic fans will remember the boat being a part of the ceremony where Beckham raced down the river with pyrotechnics blowing up as he passed by.

"After a fantastic summer of British sporting success, Bonhams is proud to offer for sale the ultimate souvenir from the Olympic opening ceremony — what has been dubbed 'the greatest show on earth'," said Tim Schofield, Director of Bonhams UK Motor Car department.

Note: it is not clear who dubbed the London Olympics Opening Ceremony "the greatest show on Earth," or if it's possible those people were momentarily blind during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Still, it was a cool scene and an even cooler boat. As Ferris Bueller would say, if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

Imagine LeBron James driving the lane against 17-year-olds. Ray Lewis busting through the line on a Friday night football game. Usain Bolt stepping into the blocks at an after-school track meet. Justin Verlander firing fastballs at kids who are preparing for proms. Terrifying, right? Now you've got an idea of what opponents of four-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Missy Franklin will be facing this winter.

Franklin will be rejoining her Regis Jesuit High School team this season for an abbreviated schedule. Yes, an Olympian going back to swim at high school. Going to be interesting, yes?

However, Regis Jesuit athletic director John Koslosky told the Denver Post that this won't be a situation where Olympics fans can just show up at a meet and see Franklin. "Last year, there were all sorts of cameras everywhere," he said. "Missy was concerned about it, and I think that's what made her struggle in making this decision. But she said she wanted to pass on turning pro and attend college, and she signed to do that, and she said she wants to swim with her teammates and her school."

The school is also going to be working with the Colorado High School Activities Association to be sure that Franklin's meets don't turn into absolute circuses.

Franklin, who won four golds and a bronze this summer, announced in October that she will be swimming for California next season under Teri McKeever, who was also the head coach of the U.S. Olympic women's team. That decision cost her millions in immediate endorsement money, as she had to preserve her amateur status in the wake of the London Games in order to swim for California. Franklin's current plans are to swim for Cal for two years before turning pro.

Now, it's important to note that what Franklin is doing is not only perfectly within the rules of her sport, it's rather morally impressive as well, turning down money and fame in return for education and bonding with her friends and teammates. And her opponents will surely relish the chance to swim against an Olympic legend. Beat her? Well, that'd be a whole different story.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

Some good news out of Colorado, as skiing champion Lindsey Vonn has said she is on the road back from a "painful intestinal illness" that hospitalized her a few weeks back.

Writing for The Denver Post, Vonn called her illness "very scary," and conceded that, initially, she wasn't as concerned about the illness as her doctors. "At first I thought it was just a really bad flu," she wrote. "I made three visits to the hospital before finally being admitted. They did a bunch of tests, and they were worried that it was Crohn's disease."

If the doctors' diagnosis of Crohn's disease, which affects the intestinal tract, had been correct, she would have been facing a disease that could have negatively impacted the rest of her career. And, as Vonn noted, other potential chronic problems were on the table as possibilities as well.

Fortunately, Vonn's symptoms subsided by a proper combination of antibiotics. But weariness persisted: "After I got out of the hospital, I was getting tired walking down the hall of my condo, let alone walking up a couple stairs," she wrote. "I had to stop every five steps. I felt like I was 100 years old, and I couldn't even think about skiing."

After a period of buildup, she's now working back up to competitive strength. She continues to hope for a race against men, and while her bid to race against men this past weekend at Lake Louise was rejected, there's still the possibility of an exhibition meet.

In her return to racing this past weekend in Aspen, Vonn finished 21st in the World Cup giant slalom race.  Vonn was 10th after her first run, but did not have the strength to climb any higher. Indeed, Saturday marked the first time she was even able to complete a giant slalom run without having to stop for a break. (Slovenia's Tina Maze won the race.)

"I honestly don't know how strong I will be," she said, speaking of upcoming competitions. "I think I will be competitive, but I need time to regain my strength, and I don't know when I'm going to be 100 percent."

Johnson and partner Derek Hough made it to the finals of the popular show's All-Star season. She previously won DWTS with Hough after the Beijing Olympics. In the pair's freestyle routine, the Fierce Five danced and tumbled with Johnson and Hough. McKayla Maroney sat out as Gabrielle Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman and Kyla Ross performed some of the more difficult tricks because she is still healing from a knee injury.

Since winning the team gold in London, the self-dubbed Fierce Five has been popping up in everything from television shows like "Hart of Dixie" to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade to the Oval Office. They recently concluded their Kellogg's Tour of Champions.

Johnson won gold in Beijing on the balance beam, and also won silver in the team, all-around and floor exercise events. She attempted a comeback for the 2012 Olympics, but a knee injury sustained while skiing prevented Johnson from returning to elite gymnastics. She retired before the Visa Championships in June.

Including the next generation of Olympic medal-winning gymnasts on DWTS clearly meant a great deal to Johnson. She tweeted a picture of the group and said, "You have no idea how much it means to me to be able to share this moment with them."

Now, Johnson has to wait to see if her moves were good enough to win another mirrored-ball trophy.

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The day after winning the Golden Goggles Award for Male Athlete of the Year, Michael Phelps experienced a much less exciting activity -- jury duty. He reported to Baltimore for his civic duty on Thursday.

The 22-time Olympic medalist reportedly did not go unnoticed. Fellow prospective jurors and courtroom staff were impressed by the long time Maryland native. They asked him to pose for pictures. Even police were pulling out their cell phones to catch a moment with him, though phones are supposed to be off in courtrooms. He was taken to a more private room, much as he did on the pool deck before races, Phelps listened to headphones while waiting around. He never did get called.

A court spokeswoman pointed out that celebrities are not exempt from jury duty. While it's a nice idea that everyone should serve the judicial system, it's also not the best idea to keep the wheels of justice turning. If Phelps had been put on a jury, could you imagine the fuss? It's not like he could hide his 6-foot-4 frame in the back of courtroom. If the attorneys and judge and defendants spend more time paying attention to Phelps than the case, somebody's rights will end up trampled. Or swam over.

Thanks, USA Today.

Now, they're using their fame to help BBC's Children in Need, a fund that aims to give every child in the United Kingdom a life that is safe, secure and allows children to reach their potential. How did the Olympians help? By dancing, of course.

There is so much to enjoy here. Gymnast Louis Smith's dancing. The rowing team basically dance-rowing. The Kid 'n' Play dance followed by "Shoulda Put a Ring On it." Diver Tom Daley showing off some Chippendale-inspired moves.

But nothing is better than Zara Phillips and other equestrian team members doing the Gangnam Style dance. That's the granddaughter of the Queen of England dancing in front of a person dressed as a horse to raise money for charity. What a wonderful world we live in.

If that inspired you to give -- and it should have -- check out the BBC Children's Fund here.

The answer is yes. Yes, she sure did.

Nicely done, Mr. President.

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Maroney first showed her not impressed face after winning the silver medal at the London Olympics. During the vault final, she fell and didn't win the gold she was expected to. While on the medal stand, her face showed her emotion -- not impressed. The face became a viral joke on the internet, and Maroney showed a good sense of humor about it. It culminated with her doing the not impressed face with the most powerful man in the world.

Nicely done, McKayla.

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Vonn has not trained since Oct. 27 in Soelden, Austria. Her ski technician, Heinz Haemmerle, told the Associated Press that Vonn has been experiencing aches and has visited the hospital on several instances, but this marks the first time she has stayed overnight. Multiple sources told the AP that Vonn had not suffered any broken bones or skiing injuries.

[Related: Lindsey Vonn photo gallery]

''There's been no news, so we're kind of worried,'' Rainer Salzgeber, racing director for Head, Vonn's sponsor, told the AP. ''It's not good.''

This marks the latest in a number of injuries that have checkered Vonn's career. She suffered a mild concussion at the 2011 world championships, a bruised shin at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, a cut thumb (sliced on a champagne bottle) at the 2009 world championship, an injured knee at the 2007 worlds and a vicious crash at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. Even so, she has two Olympic medals and four World Cup championships.

Vonn made news recently when she sought to compete in a men's downhill race at Lake Louise, Alberta, but the International Ski Federation denied that appeal.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

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Heather Petri, a member of the 2012 gold-medal winning U.S. women's water polo team and and a four-time Olympic medalist, has joined a group of Olympians visiting Rwanda and Uganda with Right to Play. While visiting Right to Play's programs in Africa, Petri hopes to inspire the troubled country's children and teach them the virtues of play. She will blog about her experiences for Fourth-Place Medal. Read on for her first entry on how she prepared for the trip and what she expects to experience.

I have been packing for my trip to Rwanda and Uganda for a few weeks now. Trying to navigate the complexities of traveling to a country I have never been to before. Realizing more and more each day, that I will be stepping into a world very different than what I am used to. Priority number one used to be having my swimsuit, cap and goggles in my bag; the rest if forgotten, I surely could borrow from my teammates.

Now, three months exactly since the gold medal game in London, I will board a plane and join a new team -- staff and fellow Athlete Ambassadors of the global organization Right To Play, in Africa to use PLAY to educate and empower children facing adversity. My swim suit will stay at home and instead I will make sure I have packed my tennis shoes so that I can join some of the nearly 835,000 children that participate in the weekly activities Right To Play programs offer, taught by local volunteer coaches. I have wanted to participate in one of these "field activities" after I heard Johann Olav Koss, president and CEO of Right To Play, talk about one of his early experiences in Africa.

I originally learned about RTP in the Beijing Olympic Village, where they had an informational booth on their global programs. Upon return to the US I signed up to go to an event where I met Johann. He told us of a trip to Africa where he observed the most popular boy in the village was the one who had a long sleeve T-shirt on. They soon learned this was because he could take this shirt off, use the long sleeves to tie the shirt into a ball which the children would then use to play soccer in the streets. All these children wanted was to PLAY.

After hearing this story I often thought about what my life was like growing up. Nearly every memory involved me splashing around in a pool. I started out as a swimmer and eventually was introduced to the sport I love, the sport that has changed my life -- water polo.

What if I never had the chance to play in the pool?
What if I never had the chance to play in the pool? I undoubtedly would not be the person I am today. I was very shy as a child. Being on the swim team and then joining the water polo team helped me come out of my shell. Taught me how to set goals, communicate with others to achieve those goals and then believe in myself by achieving the small successes that lead to my end goal. I had no idea that all of this was even happening because all I was doing was having fun.

I think that is why what I really want to experience over in Rwanda and Uganda is the simple joy shared between people when playing. I know that my life and the lives of these children are as different in scope as can be. But despite those vast differences the activities we will participate in together will equalize that for a moment.

Right to Play has developed a unique set of games that help teach life skills through sport and play. One program is focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Two weeks ago during a group of Athlete Ambassadors got together to learn one of the games in this program. They called it "Malaria Tag" where the one who is "it" is a mosquito and goes around tagging people thus making them sick. Once bitten we had to act out the symptoms of malaria. Through further versions of the game, doctors and the action of "using a net" transforms a simple game of tag into a lesson on how to prevent those that are "it" from making you sick!

If we play this with children in the field, I fear I may be at a slight disadvantage to my fellow Athlete Ambassadors, Heather O'Riley and Alison Felix, as their mastery of craft- soccer and track & field, are land based. Those two may run circles around me!! Luckily, I have fellow aquatic comfortable Ambassadors with me, in Summer Sanders and Natalie Coughlin, and I'm sure we can figure out a way to make up for it!

Just under 24 hours now and I am SO excited to spend time learning all about the ways Right To Play impacts the lives of the communities we will visit, PLAY with incredible Athlete Ambassadors and children and experience a new culture and country!

The last time you saw Gary Connery was most likely as he descended into the London night wearing a pink dress and a parachute in the most spectacular moment of the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. An estimated 1.4 billion people worldwide watched that moment, the culmination of a skit involving Queen Elizabeth and Daniel Craig, the current James Bond. The live stunt worked to perfection … which came as no surprise to its jumper.

"It was not that difficult from a technical perspective," Connery told Yahoo! Sports, "but with the whole world watching, if you get it wrong, you get it very wrong."

Connery, a 42-year-old stuntman with decades of high-profile stunt work, had worked with Opening Ceremony creator Danny Boyle before, giving everyone involved a sense of confidence in the entire process. The sequence involved a segment filmed at Buckingham Palace earlier in the year in which Craig, as Bond, escorts the Queen and two of her beloved Corgi dogs onto a waiting helicopter. The copter then takes off in the direction of Olympic Stadium. (Somehow it was broad daylight at Buckingham Palace and nighttime at the stadium, but we can let that slide.) The "queen" and "Bond" then parachute out of the helicopter and land just behind the stadium, only to enter live and in person to observe the remainder of the Ceremony. And it worked to absolute perfection.

Naturally, this isn't something you throw together at the last minute and hope for the best. The Queen's scenes were filmed months before. And in the weeks prior to the Ceremony, Connery and the rest of the team made about 10 off-site jumps, and then another six on-site late at night.

"The test jumps weren't in costume," he noted. "People knew something was going on, but they didn't know what."

Connery would consider the jump a reasonably routine one, but decide for yourself: "We were jumping from 750 feet. The stadium height was 210 feet with the lights, so that gives you 540 feet to play with. You get out, deploy the chute, make a couple of turns to give the people a show, and get outside the stadium. You have to get it right, but if you know what you're doing, it's not that difficult."

It's been quite the year for Connery (an appropriate name for a star in a Bond stunt, yes?). In May, he set a world record by becoming the first skydiver to complete a jump without a parachute. Using a wing suit that made him look somewhat like a flying squirrel, he leaped 2,400 feet from a helicopter into a pile of more than 18,000 boxes.

So it's been quite the 2012 for Connery. What's next? Plans to recreate the wing suit jump in Vegas, for one, as well as an idea to set even more world records. Plus, there's always film; he's worked in everything from "Batman Begins" to "Game of Thrones," from Indiana Jones to Harry Potter.

The Opening Ceremony will always hold a special spot on his resume, even if he didn't get to meet the Queen. Then again, anything's possible: "I'm expecting she'll have me over for tea and cakes soon."

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This year, he dressed as the famous lamp from the movie "A Christmas Story."

Yes, it was the leg lamp that Ralphie's dad received as "A Major Award," in the box marked fra-gee-lay. (If you're not familiar with the film, wait a few weeks. When it is ominpresent during the holidays, a lightbulb will go off.)

Check out a few of his other greatest hits.

Thanks, With Leather.

Franklin shared the news via her Twitter account.

Committed to swim at Cal Berkeley! I am officially a baby Golden Bear! I am so honored to be apart of such a special team! #GoBears

She chose Cal over Georgia and Texas. She will be joining a school that won the last two national championships.

After becoming one of Team USA's most successful and well-liked athletes, she could have earned endorsement money. Instead, Franklin turned down endorsements to keep her NCAA eligibility intact. Swimming World reports Franklin will swim collegiately for two years before turning pro in 2015 to prepare for the 2016 Olympics.

She will have plenty to talk about during her school's orientation. In addition to winning five medals total in London, Franklin visited "The Tonight Show," flipped a coin for the Denver Broncos and threw out a first pitch at a Colorado Rockies game.

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But in the case of British Gas' sponsorship of bronze medal-winning UK diver Tom Daley, the company could have benefited from checking out their company's placement on his swimsuit.

Yep, that's a pretty awkward placement. On the other hand, I doubt I'll forget about how British Gas supports Olympic divers anytime soon.

Since the London Games, Daley, who is just 18 years old, has become a superstar in Britain and is looking to cash in on his celebrity status.

When he isn't winning gold at the Junior World Diving Championships, he is teaching children in China how to dive. I am sure he'd rather be remembered for doing that than for the unfortunate product placement above.

Thanks, Buzzfeed.

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This isn't as simple as Vonn just wanting to race against different competition and break a few barriers. If she is allowed to ski with the men at Lake Louise in Alberta, she will have an advantage when she races against women on that same course.

"It's complicated because no racer is supposed to ski on a race course a week prior to his or her own competition. If Lindsey Vonn could train and compete with the men in November, she would have a huge advantage on her rivals the following week during the women's races on the same course," Atle Skaardal, the director of the women's World Cup said.

The decision will be made during the FIS meetings in November. If she is allowed, her race will bring attention to the sport in a non-Winter Olympics year, but it also could give her an advantage when competing for the World Cup that she has won four times.

Fourth-Place Medal: When you look back at London, do you consider it a success?
Ryan Lochte: I'd have to go 50/50 on that. Whenever I step up on the blocks, I go out to win. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. I'm so humbled that I was able to get five Olympic medals and bring it back to my country.

FPM: Did you see "Saturday Night Live's" bit by Seth MacFarlane about you?
RL: I did see it. I know that they kind of bashed on me, but at the same time it was kind of flattering. Anyone who gets made fun of on SNL, it goes to show, you made it. You're the talk. I guess that's a plus. But after watching that, anytime Seth wants to get in the pool and race me, I'll be more than happy to. We might have to set that up.

FPM: What have you been up to since getting back from London?
RL: I just started getting back into training for Rio, but in the past two months, I've been able to do some things I wasn't able to do, like cameos for "90210" and "30 Rock." I was doing a bunch of stuff for E!, being a correspondent for Fashion Week. Pretty much going all over the place.

FPM: What were the acting gigs like?
RL: It was a lot of fun! My first cameo with "90210" was really nerve-wracking. It was the first actin gig I've ever done. "30 Rock" was really fun. Alec Baldwin, a tremendous, great actor, a great human being. He really helped me a lot on set. He made being on-set a lot easier. It wasn't nerve-wracking. We were just having a good time.

FPM: What was Fashion Week like?
RL: After swimming is done, I want to design my own fashion line. That's my passion. I definitely went to different fashion shows and talked to designers to see if they could help me out. They gave me some insight on how to start my own fashion line.

FPM: What were the designers like? Were they helpful?
RL: They were all really helpful. They all said you have to listen to yourself. You can't listen to what everyone else wants you to do. You have to believe in yourself and keep going from there. They said it is very time-consuming.

FPM: What will your fashion line focus on?
RL: Definitely thinking of men's apparel and accessories. That's something I've kind dabbled in a little in the past four years. It's something I really want to get into when swimming is done.

FPM: Does that mean we will soon see Ryan Lochte-licensed grills?
RL: I don't know yet. It would be part of accessories. Maybe I'll have a little kids grill when they go their little swim meets across the country.

FPM: What was the most challenging part of the last two months?
RL: I don't know if anything was really the most challenging, because everything was helpful to me, to my life, to my business life. It was fun. It was taking me out of my normal atmosphere of being in the pool every day. It was cool. I guess the hardest thing was time management. I still wanted to train. I haven't been able to train as much as I had in the past, but being able to travel all day on a plane, getting off, doing an appearance, then getting back on a plane and traveling back home? That was hard. I don't think I've recovered from the jet lag of London still because of the non-stop. It's a whirlwind.

FPM: But now you're back in the pool.
RL: I started back into training last week. This is the longest break I've taken since I was 8 years old. Getting back into shape is not fun. I wasn't myself in the pool. We train every day. When we don't train for two days, you don't feel good in the water for about a week long. Imagine taking two months off. When you get back in the water, you're feeling really, really bad. It takes a while to get into shape.

FPM: Do you see Rio being your final Olympics?
RL: I always told everyone the reason I swim is because it's fun. Once that stops, I will quit swimming. Honestly, I don't see that stopping anytime soon. So, after Rio, I set my goal for Rio and if I still feel good, I'll go another four years.

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"Hot.Cool.Yours."

For real. What is it supposed to mean? Tell us, press release.

The slogan consists of two parts — dynamic (changeable) and constant. It is intended to reflect the national character of Russia and the values of the Sochi 2014 brand, as well as the progressive and innovative approach to the organization and staging of the Games.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Sochi Organizing Committee, is on board:

"The slogan of the Winter Games in Sochi, in my opinion, very successfully captures the diversity of Russia's national character, and the very personal nature of this Games. The Sochi 2014 slogan demonstrates that it is impossible not to participate, watch, experience and be proud because this is Your Games."

OK. However, the lack of spaces between periods is really, really annoying. Every English teacher in the country shook their head at such poor punctuation and syntax. Also, doesn't it remind you of something?

Hot stays hot! Cool stays cool! And yes, that's "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander singing about a McDonald's hamburger. McDonald's is a high-profile Olympic sponsor, so perhaps they wanted to recycle an old slogan.

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What's more impressive than winning a third-straight Olympic gold medal? Winning it while five weeks pregnant. That's what American beach volleyball champ Kerri Walsh Jennings did during the London Olympics.

She revealed on the "Today" show that she and her husband Casey Jennings are expecting their third child. With a due date of April 9, Walsh Jennings was five weeks pregnant when winning another gold medal with longtime partner Misty May-Treanor.

Walsh Jennings said she was "moody and touchy" during the Olympics, which is odd for the normally happy-go-lucky athlete, and her period was late. Those symptoms could be attributed to the stress every athlete encounters when at the Olympics. However, May-Treanor figured it out before Walsh Jennings did, telling her partner, "You're probably pregnant."

"I thought it could have been the stress of the games and travel kind of throws your schedule off, but I knew," Walsh Jennings told host Matt Lauer. "At some point, you're late and then you start feeling something. And I definitely started feeling something in London."

Beach volleyball requires  athletes to throw themselves all over the court, but Walsh Jennings said the pregnancy didn't make her hold anything back on the court. She told the "Today" show, "I gave everything I had."

This race to a gold medal was definitely the most difficult for the pair as they were up against tougher competition than in previous Olympics. They faced Americans Jen Kessy and April Ross in the finals to win their third straight Olympic gold medal.

Walsh Jennings said her husband joked that she gets a baby for every gold medal. Though May-Treanor retired after London, Walsh Jennings said she wants to play in Rio in four years. Perhaps she just wants to make sure every baby gets a medal to play with in case she and her husband go for four.

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Two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White was charged over the weekend with public intoxication and vandalism. According to TMZ, he trashed a Nashville hotel room, pulled a fire alarm, then ran and fell, splitting his head.

Associated Press obtained the police report from White's arrest and it claimed he broke a phone at the Vanderbilt Hotel. The report says White tried to attack a hotel guest. Police said he was given the chance to sign a misdemeanor citation but refused. White was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

White has gained fame as both a snowboarder and skateboarder. He has two Olympic gold medals in snowboarding and a host of medals from the Winter X Games. His popularity has led to advertising deals with Target, Red Bull, Burton and more.

Reasons behind this failure are starting to leak out with allegations of partying, bullying and discord within Australia's swimming program. The bullying was reportedly at its worst when two older men on the team tormented a younger swimmer, slapping him and calling him "fatty" and "chubby."

Three-time gold medalist Leisel Jones reportedly pulled the bullying swimmers aside to tell them to be leaders, not nuisances. The bullying even led to an altercation where one swimmer ended up with a torn shirt. It became a source of division within the team.

Tommaso D'Orsogna, a 4x100 freestyle relay member, spoke about the bad behavior from the team, and how it was different from previous Olympics. They made prank calls and knocked on doors.

"I suppose the thing is, people are kind of saying 'it's just boys being being boys' but unfortunately I come back and I look back on that kind of thing and maybe that would be acceptable in schoolboys rugby ... but this is the Australian Olympic team," 21-year-old D'Orsogna said.

"That kind of behaviour shouldn't be tolerated nor should it be allowed.

"I can definitely confirm that there's no way that any other Australian team that went away to the Olympics would have been mucking around and doing that stuff."

Kevin Neil, the CEO of Swimming Australia, said in a recent interview that his job may be in jeopardy because of London. An inquiry launched by Swimming Australia has been taken over by the Australian Sports Commission. Neil took full responsibility for the poor performance, but that's not going to help Australia's medal count now. Responsible behavior during the Olympics may have helped.

Thanks, USA Today.

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Maroney landed badly on a dismount and was carried off by medical personnel. Raisman then mounted the same set of bars, and fell when moving from the low bar to the high bar. She banged her legs on the cement.

Raisman is bruised and scraped, but won't have to undergo any other testing. Maroney, who battled a toe injury throughout the Olympics, will undergo further testing to diagnose her left knee.

Both gymnasts tweeted their thanks to fans who flooded their Twitter timelines with good wishes.

THANK YOU so much for all the kind words & support. I'm so thankful that I am OK, just some bruising on my knees and the rest of my legs!

— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) September 10, 2012

On Monday, Maroney shared a picture of her breakfast with the caption, "Not too bad for hospital food," followed by:

Thanks everyone for the love & support with all the get well wishes & prayers, it means so much to me & is making my rough day much better<3 — McKayla Maroney (@McKaylaMaroney) September 10, 2012

Maroney and Raisman both walked away from London with team and individual medals. Raisman won gold on the floor exercise and bronze on the balance beam. Maroney had the best vault of the entire Olympics during the team final, but fell during the vault final and won silver. Her unimpressed face during the vault medal ceremony became well-known throughout the Olympics.

Thanks, Gymnastike.

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Armstrong was planning to run to raise money for the Livestrong Foundation.

"It seems a little over the top to pursue him beyond the cycling arena to me," John Conley, whose company owns and operates the Livestrong Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, told Runner's World.

Though Armstrong's camp sees this as a personal plot against the cyclist, it's the opposite. U.S. Track and Field has to enforce rulings by USADA, and the organizers of the Chicago Marathon know it's in their best interest to stay on USADA's good side.

This marathon isn't some fun run. Some of the world's elite regularly run and win the event. Chicago, along with Boston, New York, London and Berlin, is one of the world's major marathons. Ignoring USADA's ruling for anyone, even a celebrity, would put Chicago's standing as a major in jeopardy.

Sorry, Lance, but the 45,000 people who run the streets of Chicago after training for months shouldn't have their marathon's standing put in question simply because you want to run. There's nothing keeping you from raising money for Livestrong in other ways.

From eBay seller rklassman:

Buy at own risk.This is only water that I hope to have been scooped out of Mo Farah's ice bath and placed into this water bottle after his 2012 olympic win. Impossible to authenticate buy at own risk. Their was ice in the bottle but it has melted. My apologizes :(

For some reason, no one has bit on the starting bid of $1,000.

I can't be the only one who finds this a little bit ... creepy? Yes, the man is a gold-medal winner, but taking water from his ice bath borders on some bizarre behavior.

The team rented out the MS Deutschland for their post-Olympic soiree. Pictures surfaced of the team smoking cigars and drinking champagne on the boat. After the party, Deutschland staff found burn marks, stains from spilled drinks and broken glass.

Though the team apologized and gave the Deutschland's operators a signed stick, that isn't enough to make up for the damage or the time lost to repairing the boat.

"The carpets and upholstery cannot be replaced while the ship is in use," Deilmann shipping company spokeswoman Kornelia Kneissl told Bild newspaper. Every day on land costs the shipping company €75,000, she said.

With the missed time on water and repairs, the bill will come out to about $625,000. With $625K, the German team could have bought a one-bedroom apartment in New York, a bungalow in a hot area of Atlanta, or five police officers for a town in suburban Maryland.

Instead, the boat's owners will look to each team member to pay for the damages. Instead of going after the group, they want whoever was responsible for the damage to pay. The company imagines this will end up in court. Yep, that's a good assumption to make.

Thanks, USA Today.

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A 74-year-old javelin official was killed in Germany when a javelin hit him. Dieter Strack was officiating a youth meet in Dusseldorf when he was struck in the throat. He was rushed to the hospital but died from the injury.

Strack was described as a popular and experienced official by the groups that sponsored the meet.

The 15-year-old who threw the javelin is receiving psychological counseling. Though police were called to investigate, it will most likely be ruled an accident.

"The popular and experienced sports judge was the victim of a tragic accident while carrying out his duties on Aug. 26," the association said on its website. "All of us who were there are horrified and in shock."

Though officials and participants follow safety rules, accidents do happen. French javelin thrower Salim Sadri was competing in the long jump at an IAAF Golden League in Rome in 2007 and was hit with a javelin that caused injures to his internal organs. A high schooler in California was injured after running into a javelin stuck in the ground in 2010.

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Usain Bolt has completed everything he could hope to as a sprinter. He has world records in the 100m and the 200m, six Olympic golds, and a set-in-stone legacy as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. Why not seek another challenge?

Though there were rumors of his retirement, Bolt dismissed the idea his track and field career was over. Instead, he mentioned a prospect that would mean the world's fastest man wouldn't even be in the sprints. Bolt is considering trying other events, namely the 400m and long jump.

"It's just about making different goals, there's a lot of things I can do in the sport," Bolt told Britain's Sky News television channel.

"My coach wants me to do 400 metres, I want to try long jump," said Bolt.

Seeing Bolt long jump would certainly be a sight to behold. One of the reasons why he is so dominant in the sprints is that he uses his height as an advantage. He uses every inch of his 6-foot-5 body to get to the finish line in a fast, efficient manner. Can you imagine what he will do to get that frame to jump farther?

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The gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast has been relaxing and enjoying time with friends in her hometown of DeWitt, Mich., since returning from London last week.

"Now that the pressure is off, we just hang out," Wieber said Wednesday during an event at the AT&T store in Novi, Mich., which is about an hour away from her home.

The sprite and smiling 17-year-old said she now sleeps in a bit longer, spends much needed time with family, but still has commitments for interviews and events.

(Jordyn Wieber slideshow)

On this particular day for example, she'll spend the morning signing autographs and meeting the hundreds of fans that lined up around the phone center store. Then she and her mother, sister and best friend will go shopping at a nearby mall for a dress for Wieber to wear at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards, where she and her U.S. teammates will present an award.

Then she and her group will head to the Detroit Tigers game, where Wieber will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

"Yeah, I'm really excited about that," she said.

Overall, Wieber described her Olympic experience as "awesome," but couldn't understand the fuss that buzzed about teammate Gabby Douglas' hair.

"We didn't pay much attention to it," she said. "We sort of channeled it out. I mean we were sitting here getting gold medals and folks were worried about Gabby's hair?"

Eleven-year-old Maddy Martin of Novi, Mich., waited nearly three hours to see her idol Wieber.

Maddy obviously knew that Wieber had won the team gold with the "Fierce Five," but it was the way her idol handled the adversity of not making the all-around finals that impressed her the most.

"At the Olympics when she didn't get to go to the all-around, you could tell in her face she wasn't going to give up," Maddy said. "So it kind of tells me to never give up on your dreams."

Maddy's dream — she's been doing gymnastics for eight years — is to follow Wieber and to become a champion. A gold medal would be nice, too, she said.

Wieber said she's flattered by all the attention, especially from young gymnasts.

"I love it and love being a role model for them," she said.

Next up for Wieber and the other gymnasts is a three-month, 40-city nationwide tour. Rehearsals begin Tuesday she said.

Yes, it's the Canadian Tuxedo, khaki pants with a denim jacket, complete with patches that feature the Maple Leaf flag and a beaver.

There's really no judging it on a traditional pass/fail scale — it's just Canada, people.

While your first guess may have been Bryan Adams, the jackets were actually designed by Hudson's Bay Company, the official store of the Canadian Olympic Team. Here's a press release from The Bay, beginning with the six greatest words ever written:

Inspired by Canada's love for denim, the Closing Ceremony Jean Jacket has a classic appeal that is familiar to many Canadians.

Embellished with a variety of Canada-inspired patches, worn to symbolize exploration, adventure, accomplishment and pride in Canada, the jacket is an iconic collector piece for the athletes and all Canadians.  Also included in the Closing Ceremony look are Heather Grey Maple Leaf T-shirts and sweatshirts, tailored khaki pants and sporty white sneakers. Some of the Canadian Olympic Team may also choose to wear Maple Leaf Red summer toques and/or Maple Leaf Red wayfarer -inspired sunglasses as they celebrate this Olympic moment.

"The Closing Ceremonies have typically been a time for celebration and we wanted our athletes to wear something fun and unexpected and that symbolized who they are as Canadians," says Suzanne Timmins, SVP and Fashion Director, Hudson's Bay Company. "The Closing Ceremony Jean Jacket encompasses everything we were trying to embody when designing the collection.  It brings together elements of unity, pride and longevity - making it the perfect choice for our athletes to wear at the Closing Ceremony tonight."

Ah yes, but what did the people say? Glad you asked.

A few of the Twitter reactions to the best denim jackets in the closing ceremony:

Aw, c'mon. Some of those reactions were mean. It's not like they walked out with the matching mullets and bottles of Molson …

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Farah also sent BBC announcers into hysterics, as the partisan analysts were cheering him on in Saturday night's 5,000-meter championship, which he won in a thrilling last lap:

Loved the slow clap-and-turn to the camera by American track legend Michael Johnson, with that "are you seeing this [expletive]?" look on his face.

The pundit leaping around was Denise Lewis, and the man bouncing in his chair while screaming was Colin Jackson. Were they over the top? Completely. But give them credit: Compared to their reactions to Farah's first gold at the London Games, Saturday night was like they were in a library.

From the BBC during Farah's previous win:

From Matthew Bell of The Independent:

It's likely that they were at least in part what the BBC director-general, Mark Thompson, had in mind when Helen Boaden, the BBC's director of news, told staff in a memo that the DG was worried about impartiality, despite pretty much universal acclaim for what has been superlative coverage.

So how did the very same commentators react to Mo's race last night? In exactly the same way, leaping around and yelling their heads off just as much as before, if not more. In truth, they could be forgiven: euphoric scenes in the BBC studio last night were replicated in living rooms and pubs throughout Britain.

As the saying goes in the media: No cheering in the press box … unless you're covering the Olympics.

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[ Photos: Awkward wrestling moments ]

All week, wrestling started at 1 p.m. in London. However, because of the Closing Ceremony, the last three weight classes to be wrestled at freestyle were started earlier. The Egyptians showed up to the arena late, saying, "every day one-o'clock." But it was too late. They were out. One of the wrestlers reportedly fell to his knees crying when he learned the news.

The schedule for wrestling has been posted for months. Every other wrestler, official, media member, coach, volunteer and fan at the ExCeL arena knew to show up early.

[ Video: Check out U.S. track star Allyson Felix's intense workout ]

The worst part of this is that the biggest victim of Egypt's negligence is the wrestlers themselves. When an athlete comes to the Olympics, the only thing he or she should be worried about is competing. Details like schedules, tickets, meals and media requests should be handled by coaches and national organizing committees. Though neither wrestler was favored for gold, it's heartbreaking that they didn't even get the chance.

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Wait until the holograms show up in 2024.

[ Video: Bolt bored with sprints, talks of taking on long jump in Rio ]

Atos, an international technology company and an Olympics sponsor, released a report this week that predicted some of the advancements we'll witness over the next three Olympiads. Some of them are nearly reality: Using 4G mobile networks to deliver alternate camera feeds and advanced stats to fans at the track stadium, for example.

But one prediction really blew our minds. From CIO Australia:

Atos Singapore spokesman, Gregoire Gillingham, told CIO Australia that from a technical perspective, holographic projection technology is developing rapidly.

"We predict that it will be possible to show holograms in a stadium within 10 to 15 years and the concept of a 'live' event being projected via holograms into other stadiums filled with spectators to be a realistic prediction," he said.

Holographic technology was back in the news in 2012 during US music festival, Coachella, when hip-hop musician, Tupac Shakur, who was murdered in 1996, appeared as a hologram to perform with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

In other words, a revolution in pay-per-view simulcasting of the Olympic Games.

Imagine a stadium in Jamaica being equipped with hologram technology so fans back home could watch the next Usain Bolt race. Imagine an arena somewhere in the U.S. that has hologram gymnasts doing their thing.

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How feasible is this? Well, consider a hologram Elvis Presley concert could be in the works now. Of course, 4 1/2 minutes of Tupac cost $400,000, so there is a bit of a cost issue.

Not to mention how the TV rights-holders would feel about thousands of fans watching hologram events at stadiums instead of their coverage at home …

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1. Gold-medal favorite Brazil was left bewildered 29 seconds into the men's football soccer final after Mexico's Oribe Peralta sent the ball sailing into the net with the fastest goal ever in an Olympic final. It was all uphill from there for Brazil, as Mexico goalkeeper Jose Corona made clutch saves against an increasingly intense Brazilian offense. The eventual 2-1 victory by Mexico was a triumph for which the foundation was laid over a decade ago, according to Yahoo! Sports expert Martin Rogers.  For now, the soccer-loving country of Mexico has plenty to celebrate with its first Olympic medal in football soccer, a gold one to boot. ¡Viva México!

[ Photos: Photos: Mexico stuns Brazil to win soccer gold ]

2. In perhaps an even greater upset, American diver David Boudia will be bringing home the gold medal after a near-perfect performance in the 10m platform diving final. With the win, Boudia became the first American since Greg Louganis to win the men's 10m platform diving gold and the first American diver to win gold since Laura Wilkinson in 2000. China's Qiu Bo and Lin Yue, favorites for the silver and gold going into the final, were visibly shaken after the loss. Considering Boudia jumped from last place in the semifinal to first in the final, the thrill of victory was especially agonizing for the usually dominant Chinese.

3. America's most dominant team in one of America's most popular sports won its fifth straight gold medal and extended its Olympic winning streak to 41 victories in a row. The U.S. women's basketball team may be under-appreciated here in the states, but that didn't stop it from rolling over a French squad that looked good coming into the final. And though Saturday's gold medalists left it all out on the court, perhaps a bit too much attention was paid to Sunday's probable gold medalists Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul as they cheered on their female counterparts from the stands.

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4.  Somersaulting Brazilians could not be found at Wembley Stadium Saturday, but they were all over the place at Earl's Court after Brazil's women's indoor volleyball team defeated the top-ranked U.S. team 3-1 in the final. The second straight indoor volleyball gold medal for the Brazilian women helped make up for the soccer defeat earlier in the day. The loss by the U.S. continued an Olympic losing streak which began in 1964 when women's indoor volleyball was officially introduced as an Olympic sport.

5. Olympic Stadium, or perhaps Bolt Coliseum, saw a world record-setting 4x100 relay by the stellar team from Jamaica anchored by the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt. Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and the self-declared "greatest athlete to live" finished in 36.84 seconds, an entire .2 seconds before Team USA crossed the finish line.

Thanks to Aly Raisman and her Instagram, we have this blurry shot of gold medalists Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross doing their best impression of McKayla Maroney's unimpressed face. Long live the Internet!

"For me as a person I like to push the barriers, to do things that no one has ever done before because it sets you off from different people, it sets you off from everybody else," said Usain Bolt. "That's why I change the game, I like to mess around, do fun stuff."

[ Dan Wetzel: Usain Bolt is a legend -- even if the IOC disagrees ]

Saturday's Gold Medal Moments for Team USA: the women's basketball team and diver David Boudia.

U.S. Olympians with the best chance at gold on Sunday: men's basketball.

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Boudia's diving was near perfect for both Saturday's rounds. He was in third place in the semifinal round, behind Qiu Bo and Lin Yue, diving powerhouses from China. In the finals, divers start from scratch, so scores from previous rounds don't matter. Boudia's diving was steady and consistent during the finals. Outside of the 86.20 in the second round, he scored higher than 90 on every dive.

In the final round, Boudia was tied with Bo for second, just .15 behind British hometown favorite Tom Daley. Earlier in the finals, Daley had a redive because of a flash going off in the crowd. With the crowd behind him, Daley hit but had a less difficult dive than Boudia and earned a 90.75, and ultimately the bronze. The American also nailed his dive but scored 102.6 because of his higher degree of difficulty to win the gold.

Bo's final dive was good enough for him to win a silver. Yue took fourth, and was visibly upset by missing the podium. China is a diving powerhouse. Of the 24 diving medals handed out in London Olympics, it's won 10, including six golds. Bo won gold in both the synchronized and single 10m platform at the world championships in 2011. Getting one medal from the 10m platform was a shock.

[ Photos: Inspiring moments from the London Games ]

Boudia's gold is the first for an American diver since Laura Wilkinson won in 2000, and the first for an American man on the platform since Greg Louganis in 1988, the year before Boudia was born. He is leading an American wave of divers who are taking home four medals from London.

It nearly did not happen, as he was in 18th place after Friday's qualifying rounds. The top 18 divers make semifinals. But because of consistent and difficult diving during the semifinals and finals, he is a gold medalist.

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Impeding the Americans on their walk of shame: Somersaulting Brazilians.

Oh, how it celebrated, the Brazil women's volleyball team. After the 3-1 victory at Earl's Court on Saturday, the Brazilians tumbled and danced and sang before returning to the locker room. In the waiting area for the three medal-winning teams, their celebratory songs and hand-claps were deafening. Back on the court, they never stopped dancing, including on the podium. As each player received her gold, she'd leap around, yell out or simply start dancing to the teammate next to her.

[Photos: U.S. Women's Volleyball team]

The U.S. players stood stone-faced for the ceremony.

Was it difficult to watch that kind of exuberance after losing to Brazil?

"I did tell them, 'Get your asses down from the podium' or whatever before you celebrate. It's just a respect kind of thing," said Logan Tom, a four-time Olympian for the U.S.

"A lot of them are my friends. They celebrated a little differently than I would say Americans do. So I let it slide," said Tom. "It's their culture. They can celebrate how they want to celebrate."

Danielle Scott-Arruda, the only five-time U.S. Olympic volleyball player, said the loss was hard to take. "It's somewhat of a small knife in the stomach, the heart. Because you want to win. But I respect them. I think they're great players and friends," she said.

[Photos: Brazil's Women's Volleyball team]

And the celebrations?

"If we had won, maybe we wouldn't have jumped around as much, but we would have celebrated. But you know, it's culture. So congratulations to them," said Scott-Arruda, who plays professionally in Brazil.

The way Brazil's players reacted to the win, of course, was understandable: They captured gold for the second straight Olympics; and for the second straight time against the U.S., which was the top-ranked team heading into the tournament.

Their fans were just as into it: Cheering loudly when Brazil would score and booing lustily when the U.S. was serving.

Did Logan Tom feel the jeering was as disrespectful as she felt the players' celebration was?

"It's Brazil. We know their fans can be … I'm gonna put my foot in my mouth in a second. Ya'll are killing me," she said with the laugh.

"I'm used to it. It's their way of culture. They have a different way of thinking when it comes to their crowds. I don't take it as an insult, even if it might seem like it. But it's not," said Tom.

"They're very hot-blooded. You know, South Americans, they like to dance, shake their booty. They are who they are. I am who I am."

[Photos: Women's volleyball players stripped down for 'Body Issue']

While some U.S. players weren't down with Brazil's celebration, coach Hugh McCutcheon said there wasn't "any malice" and they weren't trying to "rub it in anyone's faces."

He said it's a sidebar to the main story: That the U.S. still hasn't captured Olympic gold in women's indoor volleyball since the sport's Olympic inception in 1964.

"Hey listen, it's their journey. If that's the way they choose to [celebrate], I've got no issue with that. Let'em run around, do whatever they want to do. It's not an issue for us," said McCutcheon, who coached the U.S. men's volleyball team to gold in 2008.

"What's an issue is that we came to this tournament, we tried to win it, we got to the final and we came up a little short."

As the players said: This is what Brazil does in celebrations, and this is what Brazilian fans do during matches around the world. It may not fit with the expected decorum of the Olympic Games, but Logan Tom said it best — "they are who they are."

Rio 2016 is going to be … interesting.

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Heavily favored Brazil once again suffered an unexpected defeat in the Olympic men's soccer final as Mexico took its first gold medal in the sport. Mexico proved to be the sharper side from the very beginning of the match, stunning Brazil with a goal just 29 seconds into the match -- the fastest in an Olympic soccer final since FIFA started tracking Olympic records in 1976 -- on the way to a 2-1 win.

A careless short pass from Brazil defender Rafael led to the quick goal for Oribe Peralta to give Mexico an instant lead. The only other player to score in the first minute of an Olympic football final was Milan Galic for Yugoslavia's gold-medal winners in 1960.

Though Brazil controlled possession for much of the game following that opening goal, Mexico looked sharp and dangerous in the counterattack while 31-year-old captain and goalkeeper Jose Corona made a number of big saves. Brazil's desperation set in early as it subbed in Hulk just 30 minutes into the game and eventually added Pato and Lucas later on. But even with all that talent, Brazil struggled to get meaningful shots off.

[ Photos: Mexico tops Brazil for gold medal ]

Peralta made up for the absence of injured leading goal scorer Gio Dos Santos by adding a second goal in the 75th minute to give Mexico a 2-0 and all but seal the game. Brazil would provide a bit of a fightback very late on when Hulk finally scored in added time and Oscar missed with a header right in front of goal before the final whistle.

Said Brazil manager Mano Manezes, who may not retain his job for much longer after this defeat (via Goal.com):

"I am very sad," the 50-year-old told Globoesporte. "We had done an excellent job till we reached the final.

"We were confident in achieving gold, but we could not replicate our other performances. Despite creating good chances, we never scored the equalizing goal. We can only recognize the superiority of our opponent and congratulate them for the prize we would have liked to see as ours."

So Brazil's Olympic curse continues as it now has three silver medals and two bronze yet still no gold in soccer. For Mexico, this is not only the first gold in Olympic football, but first medal of any kind in Olympic football. Four years ago in Beijing, Mexico didn't even qualify and never made it past the quarterfinals since Olympic men's soccer started requiring U-23 teams in 1992. There's no doubt this is a golden generation for Mexico that's on the rise.

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The problem occurred in a critical match against the reigning world champion, Azerbaijani Sharif Sharifov. Herbert was down one period in a best-of-three format, and a flurry of activity in the second period was scored three points for Sharifov and two for Herbert. With more than a minute left in the second period, the U.S. coaches disagreed with the scoring, and challenged.

According to the mat-side judges, the scoring was wrong but not in Herbert's favor. They changed the score from 3-2 to 6-0 for Sharifov. When a wrestler is up more than five points, the period is ended. Since Sharifov was already up one period, winning the second period meant winning the match.

[ Related: Wrestler who'd 'double-leg the queen' wins gold ]

The loss means Herbert was out of contention for a gold or silver medal.

"It all happened so fast," Herbert's coach Sean Bormet said. "We were trying to get clarification on the score at first. It seemed like the officials went back and forth on what the points would be.

"There is nothing you can do about it. It's hard because they didn't have the score on the board. It's disappointing. It looked like Jake had the momentum and took his opponent over for three points, but the refs don't always see it the way we do. We thought it should have been 3-2 in favor of us."

[ Photos: Bloodied, battered and bruised Olympians ]

U.S. wrestling coach Zeke Jones was given a yellow warning card for disputing the call after the challenge was decided. He stood on the mat with a look of disbelief as Sharifov's hand was raised.

It wasn't a bad decision by the coaches to make the challenge at the time, because it appeared Herbert should get more points. A challenge in another wrestler's bronze-medal match helped him to the medal. However, if they would have let the match go on, it's feasible Herbert could have come back to win the second and the third periods. Herbert went on to lose in the repechage round.

[Yahoo! Sports Shop: Buy 2012 London Olympics gear]

While most of items are only needed if you're building a dorm -- Hogwarts? -- there are a few items you just may want to add to your home.

OK, so the traffic wand probably wasn't used by Michael Phelps, but you can use it to direct traffic at your next holiday party. The unusual lamp is so unusual that I've seen it for sale in every big box store in the U.S. The truly unusual lamps that you can't find at Wal-Mart are the bowler hats. Add in a world map coffee table and a banquette, and you have your own little Olympic lounge.

The only problem for Americans is that most items need to be picked up. But for those bowler lamps? It's worth a trip across the pond.

Related Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:

More Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Elite Athlete Workouts video: Gold medalist Kerri Walsh goes high-tech to gain the edge
• Video: Is Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps the greater Olympian?
• Why water polo player Brenda Villa should carry U.S. flag in Closing Ceremony

Mexico finished the group stage with two wins and a draw before beating Senegal in the quarterfinals and Japan in the semis. On the other side of the bracket, Brazil maintains a perfect record after coming back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Honduras in the quarters and making easy work of South Korea in the semis.

Though the final pits the tournament's two highest-scoring teams against each other, Mexico will be without injured leading scorer Gio Dos Santos. Brazil, meanwhile, brings the tournament's leading scorer Leandro Damiao (six goals) and 20-year-old budding superstar Neymar (three goals).

Live blog action is right this way (please keep in mind that not all comments will appear and I apologize in advance if we don't get to yours during the chat)...

How did NBC decide to help celebrate this incredible time for women in sports? With meaningless objectification, of course!

[Watch "Bodies In Motion" here]

"Bodies In Motion" was an online video produced by NBC in which women competing in various Olympic sports were featured in softcore, fetishist slow-motion highlights, while porn-tastic jazz music played on the soundtrack.

[ Related: Why U.S. track star Allyson Felix finally won individual gold ]

It looked like something a testosterone-filled teenager with a DVR would have spliced together for YouTube; instead, it was the official rights holder of the Olympics in the U.S. that produced it.

As of Friday night, the video has been removed from NBCOlympics.com, according to the Huffington Post. The original URL for the clip now leads to a page that reads, "The page was not found or there was an error. You will be redirected in a few seconds to the homepage. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Seems like NBC heard the backlash loud and clear.

Erin Gloria Ryan of Jezebel led the charge, calling the clip "creepy":

You'd think that something called "Bodies in Motion" wouldn't be code for "Rejected bumper reel from The Man Show," but I guess I'm not plugged in to the hip, with it language of the youths nowadays or on board with the notion that Olympic bodies are at their most noteworthy when they're female, (mostly) white, stereotypically feminine, and thin. At least NBC's contribution to Boner Jams 2012 doesn't include any underage gymnasts.

Alyssa Rosenberg was equally baffled:

The cluelessness of it even extends to the written description for the video: "Check out these bodies in motion during the Olympic Games," as if the women it's portraying, none of whom are identified by name, or country, which might have been a petty distraction from ogling, are inanimate objects rather than people. This utterly contentless video, which communicates nothing about the events these women are participating in or what it takes to perform them, might meet the editorial standards at Maxim, though the video quality isn't even particularly impressive. There is no way it should pass the editorial standards for a news organization.

There was more reaction on Twitter, which you can find here. A sample:

Here's where NBC went off the rails with "Bodies In Motion."

It's one thing to celebrate the human form, and the inherent sex appeal of Olympic athletes. These are bodies in peak physical condition, and it's OK to acknowledge that sexual attraction could be the determining factor in, say, choosing to watch swimming vs. weightlifting.

But "Bodies In Motion" didn't celebrate the human form. It just wanted to show us a collection of images that look like outtakes from "The Kama Sutra: London Olympics Edition."

[ Related: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh say they deserve 'best ever' label ]

It celebrated the fact that women contort their bodies into provocative positions in field hockey and the high jump. It celebrated the fact that tennis players' skirts blow up in the wind and hurdlers have to take their track pants off before a race. It celebrated the fact that beach volleyball players pick their wedgies and occasionally pat each other on the bikini bottom. (Come to think of it, the video celebrated a lot of women's beach volleyball.)

Now, thanks to the backlash, we can celebrate that apparently better judgment prevailed in NBC's pulling the video.

But if it really wanted to make amends with offended women's sports participants and fans … how about three minutes of the 25 women and women's teams that captured gold for the U.S., raising their medals in super-slow-motion?

We'll even let you keep the porno music.

h/t Larry Brown Sports

More London Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Why water polo player Brenda Villa should carry U.S. flag in Closing Ceremony
• Video: U.S. swimming star Natalie Coughlin debates retirement
• Hope Solo's controversial road to women's soccer gold