The U.S. women's soccer team won gold Thursday, in a victory that also kept the American women far ahead of the men in the number of medals won at the London Games: 100 to 59.
Originally published on Fri August 10, 2012 6:27 pm
Every nation that sent a delegation to the London Games sent at least one female athlete — a first for the Olympics. This year's Team USA has more female than male athletes — and the women have won nearly twice as many medals: 100 total medals, by my count, to 59 for the men.
So yes, it looks like this is the Year of the Woman at the Olympics, particularly for the United States.
Shiming Zou of China is declared the winner over Paddy Barnes of Ireland during their men's light flyweight boxing semifinal in London. The match was scored a 15-15 tie; Zou won on the number of punches landed.
Four years ago, Irish boxer Paddy Barnes lost to China's Zou Shiming by a score of 15-0 in Beijing. Today in London, Barnes fought his way back into their match to tie Zou at 15-15 — but he still lost. Barnes accepted the decision, but the result might confuse anyone who isn't familiar with boxing's scoring system.
Great Britain's Stuart Bithell leaps off the boat while teammate Luke Patience sails on as they win silver in the men's sailing 470 two-person dinghy medal race in Weymouth, England.
Good morning. The final weekend of the Summer Olympics is about to begin. In the medal count, the U.S. has jumped out to a 90-80 lead over China, with 39 golds to China's 37. And Russia has overtaken Great Britain, with 57 to the host nation's 54 medals.
Originally published on Mon August 13, 2012 10:25 am
Track and field will hold eight of today's 17 medal events, as the Summer Olympics moves into its final weekend. The U.S. men's basketball team plays to get into the gold medal game, and the day's highlights also include an intriguing men's soccer bronze-medal match between South Korea and Japan.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the men's 200-meter final at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Credit Nigel Roddis / Reuters/Landov
U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo tries to stop the ball kicked by Yuki Ogimi of Japan. Ogimi scored Japan's only goal of the game.
Credit Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
Gonzalo Barroilhet of Chile (left), Ashton Eaton of the U.S. and Rico Freimuth of Germany compete during a men's decathlon 110-meter hurdles heat. Eaton won the gold medal for the decathlon.
Credit Michael Steele / Getty Images
Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the men's 200-meter final at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Credit Matt Dunham / AP
Christian Taylor of the U.S. competes in the men's triple jump final. He placed first in the event.
Credit Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP/Getty Images
Jordan Larson of the U.S. attempts to set during the women's semifinal volleyball match against South Korea.
Credit Scott Heavey / Getty Images
Referee Kheira Sidi Yakoub announces American Claressa Shields the winner over Nadezda Torlopova of Russia after the women's middleweight boxing final.
Credit Al Bello / Getty Images
U.S. players and coaching staff celebrate winning gold in the women's water polo match against Spain.
Credit Ben Curtis / AP
U.S. forward Abby Wambach celebrates a goal by teammate Carli Lloyd during the women's soccer gold medal match against Japan. The U.S. won 2-1.
Before the Olympics began, the British were in a funk. The Times of London predicted the games would be a disaster, and many Britons agreed. Now, nearly two weeks later, they've forgotten all that and pretty much everything else that's gone wrong. As we hear from NPR's Philip Reeves, the Olympics have temporarily transformed a nation.
PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: What on Earth is happening to the British?
Now to the case of the missing Olympians. Seven competitors from Cameroon have gone missing in London - five boxers, a swimmer and a soccer goalie - six men and one woman. It's presumed they may seek asylum in England. And if so, they'll join a long list of athletes who've defected during the Olympic Games. For more on who has defected and why, I'm joined by Olympic historian, David Wallechinsky. He's at the games in London. David, welcome to the program.
American Carli Lloyd heads in a goal in the first half to put the U.S. up 1-0 against Japan in the Olympic gold medal match.
Credit Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
U.S. women's soccer fans wait for the start of the Olympic gold medal match between U.S. and Japan at London's Wembley Stadium.
Credit Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
Hope Solo (in green), Shannon Boxx (top), Christie Rampone, Amy LePeilbet (right), and Kelley O'Hara (left) celebrate the U.S. women's soccer team's gold medal, after defeating Japan, 2-1, in London.
In Olympic women's soccer, the U.S. team has beaten Japan, 2-1, in the gold medal match at London's Wembley Stadium, a game that set a new attendance record with more than 80,000 spectators. Carli Lloyd scored both of the American goals, while U.S. stars Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach weren't able to finish their chances. But they were very active, and both players kept the Japanese defenders occupied around the goal.
U.S. boxer Claressa Shields (left) lands a punch on Nadezda Torlopova of Russia during the women's boxing middleweight final at the ExCel Arena in London. Shields, 17, won the first-ever gold medal in the event.
She's still in high school, but boxer Claressa Shields, 17, is also an Olympic gold medalist, after she won her middleweight final Thursday. She defeated Russia's Nadezda Torlopova by a score of 19-12.
Why do the best weightlifters have short arms? What's the biggest physical challenge that marathon runners face? What kind of advantages do athletes from West Africa — and from Asia — enjoy? Those questions are answered in a great post over at our sister blog, Shots.
Our colleague Adam Cole analyzed information from a range of sources to come up with conclusions about the bodies of Olympic sprinters and rowers, as well as weightlifters and marathon runners.
Canada's Diana Matheson controls the ball, an instant before she struck the game-winning goal against France in the women's soccer bronze medal match Thursday.
Good morning. It's Day 13 of the London Games, and the overall medal tally stands at 82 for the United States, 77 for China, and 48 for Great Britain. Here's a roundup of the news that caught our eye this morning:
Canada has won the bronze medal match over France in women's soccer, as midfielder Diana Matheson scored a golden... er, bronze goal in the 92nd minute to break a 0-0 tie. Obviously, the match featured lots of good defense.
Originally published on Mon August 13, 2012 10:26 am
In the London Olympics, 23 medal events will take place in 19 sports today. The big event for many Americans is the women's soccer final, a rematch of last year's World Cup match with Japan. The country is also down to its final hope for a gold medal in boxing, in the form of 17-year-old Claressa Shields.
Here are some highlights of the action. All times refer to the Eastern time zone:
Soccer
2:45p Women's Soccer Gold Medal Match: USA vs. Japan
Anticipation: Oscar Pistorius of South Africa waits for the baton in the team 4x400m relay at London's Olympic Stadium. His teammate fell in the race, but officials deemed he had been interfered with. South Africa will run in the final.
Oscar Pistorius, who made history last weekend when he became the first amputee to run in an Olympic race, saw his London 2012 experience come to an abrupt end Thursday — before a successful appeal put his South African 4x400m relay team back in business.
Pistorius never got a chance to run in the relay's qualifying heat, as he awaited the baton handoff from teammate Ofentse Mogawane. But Mogawane, who was running the second leg of the race, slammed into the back of a Kenyan runner who had drifted into his lane.
The Olympic Games seem to celebrate the extremes of athletic physique — from tiny gymnasts to impossibly huge shot-putters. But why are they shaped that way?
We've put together an infographic that explores how athletes' bodies have changed over the last century, and the role physics plays in each event. Here on Shots, we're taking a look at some of the athletes featured in the graphic.
Sofya Ochigava (in blue) of Russia hugs Adriana Araujo of Brazil after their bout during the Women's Light Boxing semifinals on Day 12 of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Ochigava won the bout.
Credit Ivan Alvarado / Reuters/Landov
William Priddy (left) of the U.S. spikes the ball against Italy's Luigi Mastrangelo (right) and Dragan Travica during their men's quarterfinal volleyball match. Italy won the match 3-0.
Credit Dominic Ebenbichler / Reuters/Landov
China's Xue Chen (left) blocks a spike by Brazil's Juliana Silva in their women's beach volleyball bronze medal match. Brazil won 2-1.
Credit Scott Heavey / Getty Images
Sofya Ochigava (in blue) of Russia hugs Adriana Araujo of Brazil after their bout during the Women's Light Boxing semifinals on Day 12 of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Ochigava won the bout.
Credit Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
Kerri Walsh Jennings (left) and Misty May-Treanor of the United States celebrate winning the gold medal in the women's beach volleyball finals against April Ross and Jennifer Kessy of the United States.
Credit Scott Heavey / Getty Images
Sofya Ochigava (in blue) of Russia hugs Adriana Araujo of Brazil after their bout during the Women's Light Boxing semifinals on Day 12 of the London Olympic Games. Ochigava won the bout.
Credit Julian Finney / Getty Images
Wenjun Xie of China (left), Konstantin Shabanov of Russia, Aries Merritt of the U.S., Andrew Turner of Great Britain and Selim Nurudeen of Nigeria compete in the men's 110-meter hurdles semifinal.
Credit Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
Allyson Felix of the U.S. crosses the finish line ahead of Murielle Ahoure of Cote d'Ivoire and Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. to win the women's 200-meter final.
Credit Dominic Ebenbichler / Reuters/Landov
China's Xue Chen (left) blocks a spike by Brazil's Juliana Silva in their women's beach volleyball bronze medal match. Brazil won 2-1.
Credit Clive Rose / Getty Images
Felipe Perrone Rocha of Spain controls the ball in the men's water polo quarterfinal match between Montenegro and Spain. Montenegro won 11-9.
Credit Eranga Jayawardena / AP
Britain's Anne Panter (right) and Argentina's Macarena Rodriguez Perez vie for the ball during a women's hockey semifinal match.
Credit Ivan Alvarado / Reuters/Landov
William Priddy (left) of the U.S. spikes the ball against Italy's Luigi Mastrangelo (right) and Dragan Travica during their men's quarterfinal volleyball match. Italy won the match 3-0.
Credit Clive Rose / Getty Images
Felipe Perrone Rocha of Spain controls the ball in the men's water polo quarterfinal match between Montenegro and Spain. Montenegro won 11-9.
