Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, has a total of 15 gold, two silver and two bronze. He is competing in three other events in London and can take the record even further. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Michael Phelps got the gold yesterday, winning the 800-meter freestyle relay along with teammates Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens. The medal is Phelps’ 15th gold; his two silver and two bronze make him the most-medaled Olympian ever.
Team USA scored gold in women’s gymnastics as well, winning handily over Russia by over five points. And host country Great Britain got its first gold in women’s rowing. But the real fun is in the flaps, isn’t it?
Four pairs of female Badminton doubles players - two from South Korea, one from China, and one from Indonesia — were disqualified for attempting to lose matches to manipulate their place in the tournament. In the round robin format of these Badminton matches, losing a match can actually lead to getting an easier opponent later. Crowds booed the players as they deliberately played beneath their skill.
Meanwhile, South Korean fencer Shin A-Lam argued that time was against her in her loss of the gold medal to Germany’s Britta Heidemann. Heidemann won on a final touch with one second remaining. Except it wasn’t really just one second.
The timing mechanism for the bout got stuck, giving Heidemann extra time to beat A-Lam. Though she lost the competition for the bronze medal as well, the International Fencing Federation is awarding A-Lam a “special medal” for her sportsmanship.
Guest:
David Wharton, staff writer, Los Angeles Times, covering the Olympics in London