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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 Issue 6 THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE 2012 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM USA DAILY Inside: | PHELPS MAKES HISTORY | FAB FIVE DELIVER | HANCOCK DEFENDS | MIXED TENNIS DOUBLES | UNLIKELY DIVING DUO ©Getty Images

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Page 1: THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE 2012 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM USA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1Issue 6

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE 2012 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM

USA DAILY

Inside:| PHELPS MAKES HISTORY

| FAB FIVE DELIVER

| HANCOCK DEFENDS

| MIXED TENNIS DOUBLES

| UNLIKELY DIVING DUO

©G

etty Images

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USA DAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1

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MICHAEL PHELPS: MOST DECORATED OLYMPIAN

BY VICKI MICHAELIS

It wasn’t the script Michael Phelps would have chosen, but there still were tears of joy at the end.

With a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly and a gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle on Tuesday (July 31), Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time.

“I’d put my mind on doing something that nobody had ever done before,” Phelps said. “And there was nothing that was going to stand in my way of being the first Michael Phelps. That’s what I said all along, and this has been an amazing ride.”

The ride to 19 Olympic medals has taken many twists and turns, perhaps none more than at this Olympic Games.

In his four races, Phelps has finished out of the medals once, won two silvers and one gold.

While those mixed results seem to detract from his overall achievement, they also point to just how incredible Phelps’ medal total is.

“It makes me appreciate it more,” said Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman. “I thought it used to be easy. Now it’s like, ‘Let’s just get a medal.’

“It underscores how difficult it is to win a medal of any color at this event. And it’s getting harder and harder.”

The challenges to U.S. supremacy in swimming are coming from all corners at these Games – China, South Africa and France especially.

In the 200 butterfly Tuesday, Phelps lost to 20-year-old Chad le Clos of South Africa, who considers Phelps, 27, his hero and role model.

He has Phelps’ 2008 Olympic win in the 100 butterfly on his laptop so he can watch it re-peatedly. On Tuesday, when le Clos out-touched Phelps with a more well-timed stroke at the finish, it was reminiscent of Phelps’ by-a-fingernail victory in that 2008 race.

“I guess now I can actually watch my own race,” said le Clos, who beat Phelps by five-hun-dredths of a second.

He added, “I’m his biggest fan. He’s definitely the greatest Olympian of all time. Just to be here and race him in the final was an honor in itself.”

FOLLOWING TEAM USA

WEB | TeamUSA.orgMEDIA | TeamUSA.org/MediaFACEBOOK | Facebook.com/USOlympicTeamTWITTER | @USOlympic, @USOlympicNewsYOUTUBE | YouTube.com/TeamUSAFLICKR | Flickr.com/USOlympicTeam

INSTAGRAM | @TeamUSA

WEATHER

LONDON | 75°, cloudyDORNEY | 73°, cloudyHADLEIGH | 72°, cloudyNEWCASTLE | 64°, light rain PORTLAND | 64°, cloudyWALTHAM CROSS | 75°, cloudy

QUICK HITS

COMPETING SPORTS | 22MEDAL EVENTS | 20

MEDAL TABLE (TOP 5) G S B Total1. China 13 6 4 232. United States 9 8 6 23 3. France 4 3 4 114. Korea 3 2 3 85. Korea DPR 3 0 1 4

QUOTABLE

“It’s always special to be an Olympian and to be a U.S. Olympian is the highest honor that any athlete can have. As a track cyclist, the Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport. It was amazing to get to go to one Olympics in Bei-jing. It’s a real honor to have this opportunity a second time.”

--Bobby Lea, Track Cycling

DID YOU KNOW?

The bronze medal won by judoka Marti Mal-loy on Monday was the 11th Olympic medal for the U.S. in the sport, but just the second on the women’s side. The only other female judo athlete to win an Olympic medal was Ronda Rousey in 2008 (bronze). Team USA is still looking for its first ever gold medal in the sport.

ON THIS DAY

1996: Sprinter Michael Johnson dropped to his knees after setting a world record in 200 meter with a time of 19.32 seconds at Atlanta. Johnson became the first man to win gold in both the 200 and 400.

©Getty Images

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BREAKING NEWS

The USOC distributes real-time news and re-sults relating to the U.S. delegation. All media accredited through the USOC are automati-cally placed on the email distribution list. To be added, send a request to [email protected]. In addition, breaking-news updates will be tweeted using @USOlympicNews.

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

To be added to the distribution list for USA Daily, the official newsletter of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, click HERE. The newsletter will be distributed each night at approximately 11 p.m. local time in London.

MEDIA GUIDE

The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team media guide is available in two formats – online and interac-tive PDF – at TeamUSA.org/Media. The guide features athlete biographies, sport previews, history and records, USOC information, and facts and figures about the Olympic Games.

TRAINING CENTERS

The USOC is operating three non-LOCOG training venues in London, including the U.S. High Performance Training Center at the University of East London Docklands Campus and facilities at Sports Club Orient (SCORE) and Mile End Stadium. A variety of U.S. teams are training at each of the locations and schedules vary by sport. Additional informa-tion can be found in the Team USA media guide and media access requests can be sent to [email protected].

Photos: Getty Images

As le Clos and Phelps walked around the pool deck after receiving their medals, Phelps was advising the younger swimmer on where to walk and how to hold his medal for photogra-phers. He also was telling him to enjoy the moment.

It’s a ritual Phelps knows better than anyone. He won six gold and two bronze medals at the 2004 Olympic Games, a record eight golds at the 2008 Games and now has three medals in London. He has three races left – the 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly and 4x100 medley.

“There are a lot of emotions that are going through my head right now, and there are still other races,” he said after winning medal No. 19, the 4x200 freestyle gold.

To prepare for the relay, he had to rebound quickly from the 200 butterfly loss, a heartbreaker since the event is special not just for him but his family.

His older sister, Whitney Phelps, finished sixth in the 200 butterfly at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Four years later, Phelps made his Olympic debut, at age 15, in the 200 event, finishing fifth.

He set his first world record and won his first world title in the event in 2001 and had not lost in it at an Olympic Games or world championships since.

He blamed his loss Tuesday on himself, saying he had not been sharp enough in practices on the finish.

“I tried to shut that out of my head and put it behind me and get ready for this (4x200) relay,” he said.

Swimming anchor, he asked his relay teammates – Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens – to give him as big a lead as possible, since the last swimmer for France would be newly minted 200 freestyle Olympic champion Yannick Agnel of France.

His teammates did indeed provide him a comfortable lead, then Phelps swam the second-fastest leg of the field (1:44.05), behind only Agnel, to capture the victory and another lofty spot in the Olympic record books.

Phelps passed Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina, who won 18 medals from 1956-64. Latynina medaled in 18 of the 19 Olympic events in which she competed. Phelps has medaled in 19 of 21.

As he swam the last 25 meters of his relay leg, Phelps was smiling, the first time he’s done that in an Olympic race, he said. After the race, in an on-deck huddle with his relay team-mates, he thanked them “for helping me get to this moment.” He cried on the medals podium.

FAB FIVE INDEED

BY PEGGY SHINN

Jordyn Wieber stood at the end of the vault runway and waited for the green light. Then she took off and twisted high above the pink of North Greenwich Arena – a Yurchenko two-and-a-half, one of the hardest vaults out there.

She landed perfectly, two feet together with nary a wobble and threw her hands in the air.

©Getty Images

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USA HOUSE

USA House is a business and hospitality hub for members of the U.S. Olympic family to gather for meetings, host guests, celebrate victories and conduct other Games-related business. While the venue is not open to the public, there are a limited number of media opportunities at USA House. All requests must be directed to [email protected].

BROADCAST

NBCUniversal is providing 5,535 hours of coverage for the London Games across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels and the first-ever 3D platform. The unprecedented level of coverage will surpass the coverage of the 2008 Games by nearly 2,000 hours. SCHEDULE

HIGH-DEMAND TICKETS

For select events where demand for press seating and photo positions exceeds availabil-ity, the IOC requires that media representatives have tickets – in addition to a credential – for venue access. The Opening and Closing Cer-emonies and all swimming finals are consid-ered high-demand events and will be ticketed. Other sessions may be added throughout the duration of the Games at the discretion of the IOC and LOCOG. To request tickets, contact [email protected].

TEAM IN TRAINING

The Team in Training video series continues with a behind-the-scenes look at women’s super heavyweight weightlifter Holley Mangold as she prepares to make her Olympic debut.

HOLLEY MANGOLD (WEIGHTLIFTING)

And she smiled too. A huge smile of victory and determination, and no doubt relief.

With that close-to-perfect vault, Wieber set the tone for Team USA for the rest of women’s gymnastics team competition. The Fab Five, as they were dubbed, proceeded to destroy their competition, winning their first Olympic team title since 1996.

“When Jordyn went out there and nailed that vault, it was contagious,” said Gabby Douglas. “We all were like, ‘OK, I’m going to nail this vault too.’ And we all nailed it!”

They carried their momentum over to the bars, then the beam. By the floor routine, they had the gold medal all but locked up. All they had to do was “stand on two legs, that’s it, not to fall,” said Mihai Brestyan, Aly Raisman’s coach.

With Olympic gold medals hanging on purple ribbons around their necks, the Fab Five – Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Raisman, Kyla Ross and Wieber – all proclaimed that it felt awesome.

The gold medal was a testament to teamwork and to teenage resiliency. And though Ma-roney earned the highest score of the night – a 16.233 for her vault – and Douglas did not score lower than a 15.066 – Wieber’s ability to pull it back together from the devastation of not making the all-around competition was a main ingredient in the gold-medal mix.

After Douglas and Raisman qualified for the all-around competition on Sunday night (July 29), leaving reigning world champion Wieber astonishingly out of the mix, the team returned to the Olympic Village. But Wieber did not sulk alone in her room. She sought solace from her teammates.

“I really had to pull myself together and just keep moving on and be strong in this competition for the team,” said Wieber.

To psyche themselves up – and to remember what it’s like to work as a team and win – the five gymnasts gathered on Tuesday morning and watched a YouTube video of the U.S. win-ning team gold at the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo last October. The video ends with the group on the podium, arms raised overhead, gold medals around their necks. Four of the five women competing in the team competition at the Olympic Games were on that world championship squad.

Their strategy was to use the U.S. team’s strength in the vault to take a 4/10th or 5/10th lead. Wieber’s 15.933 vault got the team started, followed by even higher-marked Yurchenko two-and-a-halfs by Douglas and Maroney.

“That was our secret weapon,” said Bela Karolyi, former Olympic coach and husband of Mar-tha Karolyi, U.S. national team coordinator.

Bela Karolyi enthusiastically added that had the old scoring system been in place, Maroney’s vault would have scored a perfect 10.

The Americans then headed to bars – their weakest rotation – with a 1.766 lead. Though the Russians gained back all but 4/10ths on bars, the Fab Five were not deterred. While the Rus-sians wobbled on the beam, neither Douglas, Raisman or Ross flinched. By the end of the third (of four) rotations, the U.S. was over two points ahead.

Before heading to the floor rotation, the U.S. gymnasts huddled near the beam and talked. The Russians had Kseniia Afanaseva, the reigning world champion coming up on floor. She could be Russia’s secret weapon.

“We told ourselves to go out there and really hit the routines, be confident, and have fun, just perform them,” said Wieber. “That’s all we needed to do was our normal routines, and we would be fine.”

When Afanaseva stumbled in her routine, everyone knew who would win.

As each American took to the floor, the cheers became as loud as for the British team (per-forming on bars nearby).

After Raisman nailed her final tumbling pass, Douglas ran over to her coach, Liang Chow, gave him a hug, and thanked him.

Douglas moved to Chow’s gym to train only two years ago, and at first, he did not see her as Olympic material. She heads to Thursday’s all-around competition as a favorite.

But tonight, the word was “team,” and Martha Karolyi called this the best American team ever.

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HANCOCK DEFENDS SHOOTING GOLD

BY JEFFREY LOWE

Spectators saw the serious look on Vincent Hancock’s face and wondered if he was having any fun. After becoming the first American man to defend a gold medal in skeet shooting, Hancock could finally step out of the zone and smile.

Hancock, the 11th Olympic shooter to finish first in consecutive shooting events, shot a 148 for a two-clay advantage over silver medalist Anders Golding of Denmark at the Royal Artillery Barracks. He set an Olympic record in qualifying with a score of 123, while U.S. Frank Thompson was just one clay shy of making the final (119) and finished eighth overall in his Olympic debut.

Hancock said that being in the zone is relaxing and allows him to have a confident attitude. That was especially the case yesterday afternoon (July 31).

“What I’ve been taught is to know that I’m the best,” said Hancock. “That’s what I was telling myself out there. I knew that I was going to win this before I stepped out on that field; it’s that expectation that I set for myself.”

Hancock’s coach, four-time Olympian and bronze medalist Todd Graves, was not surprised at the outcome.

“He’s won just about everything in the last three or four years,” Graves said. “When he steps out on the field it’s hard to beat the man. He’s confident, and that’s what it takes.”

The ease Hancock showed on Tuesday in winning the gold medal was not always on display between the victory in Beijing and the trip to London.

Hancock did not know where to go after winning the gold medal in Beijing. After winning both the Olympic gold and the gold medal at

the 2009 World Championships, his career began to spiral down-ward.

Hancock says it was in 2011 that he “hit the bottom of his career,” as he had never performed so poorly in matches before.

“I had gotten to a point where I didn’t even enjoy myself anymore,” said Hancock. “I didn’t really want to go out there. I didn’t have the same passion for the sport.”

His wife told him that it was his decision whether he wanted to continue. After a several months, he decided that shooting was his passion and that he wanted to continue passing on the knowledge of the sport to the youth of the world, and representing his country at the Olympic Games.

The decision to stick with the sport appears to have paid off. “I ap-preciate the opportunities that have been given to me from the U.S. Army, God and my family, and this medal is just freakin’ awesome,” said Hancock.

Graves said he believes Hancock will be back for 2016 Olympic Games and he is confident that the Olympic champion will compete for many years to come.

Hancock said there will be no questions about his future over the next four years. This time, he knows where he stands. “Knowing that I want to go back and build my legacy is what I am going for now,” he said. “It’s not just the number of medals; it’s what else can I do, how big can I grow this sport and how many people can I introduce to it?”

Even though a gold-medal victory was not clinched until Hancock’s second to last target, his sense of confidence was clear. The sight of a gold medal around his neck brought an uncharacteristic smile to his face, a sight his competitors may well see again.

©Getty Images

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MORE MEDALS IN THE POOL

COURTESY OF USA SWIMMING

In addition to Michael Phelps’ historic medal-winning performance, Team USA’s Allison Schmitt also had an outstanding swim on the fourth night of competition at the Aquatics Centre, winning gold and setting an American and Olympic record in the women’s 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:53.61.

Other American swimmers winning medals included Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens, who teamed with Phelps for gold in the 4x200 freestyle, and Caitlin Leverenz with a bronze in the women’s 200 individual medley.

Their efforts brought Team USA’s total medal count through in the pool to 16, including six golds, six silvers and four bronzes.

Schmitt’s time in the women’s 200 freestyle shattered the former American record of 1:54.40 – set by Schmitt at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – by nearly eight-tenths of a second. She jumped out to a body-length lead over the field by the 100-meter mark and never looked back. Silver medalist Camille Muffat of France finished nearly two seconds behind in 1:55.58. Australia’s Bronte Barratt was third in 1:55.81, edging out Schmitt’s teammate Missy Franklin for bronze by one-hundredth of a second.

Tuesday night’s gold was the third medal of the Games for Schmitt, who now has one of each color after taking silver in the women’s 400 freestyle and a bronze in the women’s 4x100 freestyle.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Schmitt said. “I couldn’t be happier bringing home hardware to the U.S., let alone a gold medal.”

Team USA’s Leverenz seized a podium spot with a bronze medal-winning finish in the women’s 200 individual medley. The gold went to China’s Ye Shiwen, who also won the 400 individual medley earlier in the week. The race was a dead heat at the halfway point, and despite pulling ahead by the end of the backstroke leg, Leverenz couldn’t keep up with Ye’s closing speed.

Ye won gold in and Olympic record time of 2:07.57. while Leverenz touched the wall in 2:08.95. The performance marked the first medal for Leverenz, who finished seventh in the 400 individual medley. American Ariana Kukors, the world record-holder in this event, was fourth in 2:09.83.

Americans swimming in semifinals Tuesday included Nathan Adrian in

the men’s 100 freestyle (2nd, 47.97), Cullen Jones in the men’s 100 freestyle (48.60), Kathleen Hersey in the women’s 200 butterfly (1st, 2:05.90), Cammile Adams in the women’s 200 butterfly (7th, 2:07.33), Scott Weltz in the men’s 200 breaststroke (4th, 2:08.99) and Clark Burckle in the men’s 200 breaststroke (2nd, 2:09.11).

The top-eight swimmers in each event will compete in tomorrow night’s finals.

DIVING’S ODD COUPLE

BY EMILY KAPLAN

The first time Kristian Ipsen met Troy Dumais, Dumais smacked him in the face.

It wasn’t intentional, of course. Dumais was competing in the same diving meet where Ipsen, then 12 or 13 years old, was competing in the junior division. As Dumais warms up for his dives, he has a routine where he extends his arms out wide.

That’s when Ipsen walked past.

“And boom, he just hit me right in the face,” Ipsen recalled with a laugh. “I remember looking up and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s Troy Dumais!’ I was kind of star struck. He was such an amazing diver and I was a really big fan. And it’s so weird to think now that he’s my partner.”

Strange? Maybe. But together, the combination – somewhat of an odd couple considering the 13-year age difference – makes a lot of sense. When Ipsen and Dumais compete today (Aug. 1) in the synchronized 3-meter at the Aquatics Centre, they will attempt to win Team USA’s third diving medal of these Games.

“We just have natural timing,” said Ipsen, 19, a Clayton, Calif., native who attends Stanford University. “And I think we complement each other well.”

The two were first paired together in 2009. At that meet, the coach mixed and matched different combinations to see which pairs worked.

“We were trying all things out,” said the 32-year old Dumais. “Then Kristian and I were paired together and it just worked. We’ve been together ever since.”

That year, the pair finished second in the world championships in 3-meter synchro. Dumais also won a silver in the individual competi-tion.

The two had not been able to train together consistently. Ipsen is in school in California and Dumais, who is from Ventura, Calif., works full-time at the University of Texas, his alma mater.

That changed this spring, after Ipsen, then a freshman, became the first Stanford diver in 82 years to win a national title. The duo trained regularly in the weeks leading up to the Olympic Games and com-peted at several meets. During meets, they often shared hotel rooms.

“A lot of people ask me if that’s weird, rooming with someone so much older than me,” Ipsen said. “But we’ve become really good friends. He’s a mentor to me.”

A medal in London would cap off an incredible career for Dumais: He is competing in his fourth Olympic Games, tying Greg Louganis as the only American diver to accomplish that feat. Dumais has medals from world championships, Pan American Games, world cups and national meets. But at the Olympic Games, he has not finished higher

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than sixth in individual competition or fourth in synchro. Ipsen is an Olympic rookie.

“The age difference isn’t really an issue because we have the same goal,” Dumais said. “I just tell him to go out there and have fun. That’s the best advice I could give.”

MIXED DOUBLES TEAMS READY TO GO

BY EMILY KAPLAN

Liezel Huber was having lunch with Bob and Mike Bryan on Monday afternoon (July 30) when the U.S. tennis coaches approached the group with an announcement.

The trio, along with Lisa Raymond, would comprise the two teams representing the U.S. in the mixed doubles competition.

“They asked us if we were ready,” Huber recalled. “Lisa was working out downstairs at the time so I went to tell her.”

Their response? Of course they were ready. This was something 88 years in the making.

Mixed doubles is an Olympic event for the first time since 1924. And Team USA is embracing the change as it’s another chance for the U.S. to extend its dominance in Olympic tennis. Since tennis was reintroduced into the Olympic Games in 1988, the U.S. has won 10 of the 24 gold medals awarded. No other country has won more than two.

“It’s amazing,” Raymond said about adding mixed doubles to the mix. “Obviously for doubles-only players it’s fabulous. We get another chance to play for a medal, another chance to represent our country, so I think we’re all really excited about it.”

Mixed doubles was an Olympic event until the 1924 Games in Paris.

Americans Richard Williams, a survivor of the Titanic, and Hazel Wightman won the gold. Tennis was dropped from the Games alto-gether until 1988, when it was introduced without mixed doubles. In 2009, Olympic officials decided to add mixed doubles to the pro-gram. The U.S. couldn’t be happier about it.

“We’re just elated,” Huber said. “Everyone is really excited.”

The mixed doubles competition will begin today. Raymond will team up with Mike Bryan as the field’s No. 1 seed. The pair won at Wimbledon just under a month ago. Huber and Bob Bryan are ranked second. Together, they have won two Grand Slam victories.

The field has 16 teams, so the pairs must win two matches to com-pete for a medal.

Each competitor has two chances to win medals. All four players are also competing in same-sex doubles. The Bryan twins are seeded No. 1 in men’s doubles, while Huber and Raymond are No. 1 in women’s.

“Now we get one more chance to win a medal,” Raymond said. “Hopefully we’ll make it count.”

RESULTS

ARCHERY

Both Jacob Wukie and Jennifer Nichols advanced to the round of 16 in the individual competition on Tuesday (July 31) at ExCel Arena. Wukie earned a 6-0 victory against India’s Jayanta Talukdar in the round of 32 before falling to Norway’s Baard Nesting, 6-2. Meanwhile, Jennifer Nichols won her opening match against India’s Chekrovolu Swuro, then dropped a 6-4 decision to Mongolia’s Bishindee Uran-tungalag. MORE

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BASKETBALL (MEN)

Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony each scored 16 points and Kevin Durant contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the U.S. routed Tunisia, 110-63, in group play at the Basketball Arena Tuesday night (July 31). The only unbeaten team in Group A, the U.S. advances in the bracket and will face Nigeria on Thursday. MORE

BOXING

Jamel Herring suffered a 19-9 loss to Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakh-stan in the round of 32 of the light welterweight competition Tuesday (July 31) at the ExCeL Arena. In round one, Herring registered five points to Yeleussinov’s eight. Yeleussinov continued with 11 total points in rounds two and three compared to Herring’s four. MORE

EQUESTRIAN - EVENTING

The eventing team’s hopes for a medal fell short before they began Tuesday morning (July 31) when Boyd Martin’s horse, Otis Barbotiere, didn’t pass inspection due to an injury. Without him, the team finished seventh with a score of 208.60 after the final round concluded. Indi-vidually, Karen O’Connor rode two flawless jumping rounds to finish ninth overall with a score of 53.80. After a tough final round, Phillip Dutton dropped to 23rd place with 82.10 points. Will Coleman and Tiana Coudray finished 37th and 40th. MORE

FENCING

Three men’s foil fencers competed in individual competition on Tues-day (July 31) at ExCel Arena. Race Imboden and Alexander Massialas won their opening matches, before falling in the round of 16. Imboden beat Brazil’s Guilherme Toldo, 15-5, before losing to Italy’s Andrea Baldini, 15-9, to place ninth overall, while Massialas topped Etienne Lalonde Turbide,15-6, then fell to Alexey Cheremisinov of Russia by the same score to place 13th. Meanwhile, Miles Chamley-Watson lost his first bout in the round of 32 to Alaaeldin Abouelkassem of Egypt, 15-10. With the individual foil competition over, the U.S. will compete in the team events on Aug. 5. MORE

FIELD HOCKEY

In a rematch of the 2011 Pan American Games gold-medal game, the No. 10 U.S. once again bested No. 2 Argentina, 1-0, to capture its first win in Olympic pool play at Riverbank Arena on Tuesday (July 31). A goal from Shannon Taylor in the 28th minute sealed the victory, while goalkeeper Amy Tran-Swensen and the defense held Argentina scoreless on eight shots. The U.S. continues with its third game of pool play against Australia on Thursday. MORE

GYMNASTICS - ARTISTIC (pg. 3)

JUDO

Travis Stevens finished fifth in the men’s 81 kg. division on Tuesday (July 31) at the ExCel Arena. He lost in the bronze-medal match to Canada’s Antoine Valois-Fortier on a yuko, after having fallen to Ger-many’s Ole Bischof by judge’s decision in the semifinals. Stevens’ day was highlighted by a win by a waza-ari over the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Brazil’s Leandro Guilheiro in the quarterfinals, after overcoming Georgia’s Avtandil Tchrikishvili and Slovenia’s Aljaz Sedej in the rounds of 16 and 32. MORE

ROWING

Three U.S. boats placed in the top half of their heats Tuesday (July 31) at Eton Dorney, while all five boats advanced in the competition. In women’s single sculls, Gevvie Stone finished second in her quar-terfinal race in 1:52.57 to move on to the semifinal round. The men’s lightweight four finished fifth in the semifinals, clocking in at 1:29.38, and the women’s double sculls placed second in the repechage with a time of 1:43.87. Both boats will race in their respective finals, scheduled for Aug. 2 and 3. In the second lightweight women’s dou-ble sculls repechage, the U.S. finished first with a time of 1:43.90 and moved on to the semifinals. In the men’s single sculls, Ken Jurkowski advanced to the semifianls with a fifth-place finish in 1:41.71. MORE

SAILING

Another windy and eventful day of sailing for the U.S. yielded strong results on Tuesday (July 31) at Weymouth and Portland. Overall after six races, Zach Railey sits 12th (Finn) and Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih are sixth (Star). Meanwhile, after four races, Erik Storck and Trevor Moore are seventh (49er), Paige Railey is fifth (Laser Radial) and Rob Crane is 39th (Laser). The windsurfing events began with two races, and Bob Willis sits seventh, while Farrah Hall is 21st. Finally, Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi extended their match racing record to 4-2. Racing continues in all events except Star and Finn today. MORE

SHOOTING (pg. 5)

SOCCER

The U.S. remained undefeated and finished first in group play with a 1-0 victory over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Monday (July 31) at Old Trafford. Forward Abby Wombach scored early to put the U.S. up in the 25th minute. Led by captain Christine Rampone, the defense only allowed one shot on goal and no corner kicks to preserve the shutout. The squad advances to the quarterfinal round on Friday. MORE

SWIMMING (pg. 6)

TENNIS

All U.S. doubles teams in action Tuesday (July 31) and one singles player advanced in the tournament at Wimbledon. In the women’s doubles second round, Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond took down Agnieszka Radwanska and Urszula Radwanska of Poland, 6-4, 7-6(3). The two pairs of siblings also advanced; Serena and Venus Williams moved to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Ger-many’s Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki, and Bob and Mike Bryan

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edged out Kikolay Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, 7-6(6), 7-6(1). In second-round play, Venus Williams converted 6-of-8 break points en route to defeating Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, 6-1, 6-3. Andy Roddick couldn’t overcome a strong outing by Novak Djokovic of Serbia and fell, 6-2, 6-1, while Varvara Lepchenko also dropped her women’s singles match to Germany’s Julia Goerges, 6-3, 7-5. MORE

VOLLEYBALL - BEACH

Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser posted a 2-1 win over Spain’s Pablo Herrera Allepuz and Adrian Gavira Collado to remain perfect in pool play (2-0) on Tuesday (July 31) at Horse Guards Parade. They will continue pool play on Thursday against Petr Benes and Premysl Kubala of the Czech Republic. In women’s action, April Ross and Jennifer Kessy scored a three-set victory over Marleen van Ierse and Sanne Keizer of Holland. The 21-15, 12-21, 15-8 win improved the American tandem to 2-0 in pool play. They will close out the prelimi-naries on Thursday when they take on Spain’s undefeated duo of Elsa Baquerizo McMillan and Liliana Fernandez Steiner to determine the winner of Group D. MORE

VOLLEYBALL - INDOOR (MEN)

The U.S. defeated Germany in straight sets, 25-23, 25-16, 25-20, at Earl’s Court Tuesday (July 31). Team USA out-hit Germany with 41 kills to 30, including 13 from Clay Stanley. The U.S. improved to 2-0 in pool play and returns to action on Thursday against Brazil. MORE

WATER POLO (MEN)

Paced by hat tricks from Peter Varellas and Ryan Bailey, the U.S. posted a 10-8 win over Romania at the Water Polo Arena Tuesday

evening (July 31). Trailing 5-4 at halftime, the U.S. reeled off three unanswered goals in the third quarter, part of a 6-1 run that extended from late in the second quarter until two minutes left in the match. Adam Wright added a pair of goals for the U.S., while Tony Azevedo and John Mann added one apiece. The Americans are now 2-0 and share the top of the Group B table with Serbia. Next up for the U.S. is host Great Britain, scheduled for Thursday. MORE

TWITTER TALK

@JUSTINBIEBER

Heard @FranklinMissy is a fan of mine. now im a fan of hers too. CONGRATS on winning GOLD! #muchlove

@KARATHROWSJAV (KARA PATTERSON)

Watching the sport that got me thinking about being an Olympian in the first place; gymnastics is on the big screen :)

@MISTYMAYTREANOR

Thanks to our Team Leader Al for getting Chris Paul & Russell West-brook to our warm up court to serve us. It really helped us!!! #Tea-mUSA

@ABBYWAMBACH

Game day people!! There is nothing I’d rather be doing. Old Trafford. Olympics. Family. Dreams. Trust. #goldorbust leaving it on the field!

@TYLERCLARY

Happy with my race and so proud of @MichaelPhelps for bringing home some more hardware for #TeamUSA, thanks for your support! 200back tmrw!!

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COMPETITION SCHEDULEFENCING M Individual Epee (Round of 32) ExCeL S1 9:30a Seth Kelsey vs. Li Guojie (CHN)ROWING M Single Sculls (Quarterfinals) Eton Dorney 9:40a Ken JurkowskiFENCING M Individual Epee (Round of 32) ExCeL S1 10a Soren Thompson vs. Joerg Fielder (GER)SWIMMING W 100m Freestyle (Heats) Aquatics Centre 10a Missy Franklin, Jessica HardySHOOTING W 25m Pistol (Qualification Precision) Royal Artillery Barracks 10:20a Sandra UptagrafftSWIMMING M 200m Backstroke (Heats) Aquatics Centre 10:21a Tyler Clary, Ryan Lochte W 200m Breaststroke (Heats) Aquatics Centre 10:43a Rebecca Soni, Micah LawrenceROWING M Pairs (Semifinals) Eton Dorney 11a Thomas Peszek, Silas StaffordSWIMMING M 200m Individual Medley (Heats) Aquatics Centre 11:06a Michael Phelps, Ryan LochteFENCING M Individual Epee (Round of 16) ExCeL S1 11:15aSWIMMING W 4x200m Freestyle (Heats) Aquatics Centre 11:26aTENNIS W Singles (3rd Round) Wimbledon 11:30a Venus Williams vs. Angelique Kerber (GER) Court 2 (2nd match) M Singles (3rd Round) Wimbledon John Isner vs. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) Court 2 (3rd match) W Doubles (Quarterfinals) Wimbledon Serena Williams/Venus Williams vs. ITA Court 2 (4th match)ROWING W Pairs (Final) Eton Dorney 11:50a Sara Hendershot, Sarah ZelenkaSAILING M RS:X (Race 3) Weymouth – Nothe 12p Bob Willis 49er (Race 5) Weymouth – Harbour 12p Trevor Moore, Erik Storck W Laser Radial (Race 5) Weymouth – Bay West 12p Paige RaileyTENNIS W Singles (3rd Round) Wimbledon 12p Serena Williams vs. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) Centre CourtSAILING M Laser (Race 5) Weymouth – Bay West 12:05p Rob CraneROWING W Quadruple Sculls (Final) Eton Dorney 12:10p Natalie Dell, Kara Kohler, Megan Kalmoe, Adrienne MartelliARCHERY W Individual (1/32 Eliminations) Lord’s Cricket Ground 12:15p Khatuna Lorig vs. Sherab Zam (BHU)CYCLING - ROAD W Individual Time Trial Hampton Court Palace 12:30p Kristin Armstrong, Amber Neben FENCING M Individual Epee (Quarterfinals) ExCeL S1 12:30pROWING M Eights (Final) Eton Dorney 12:30p David Banks, Grant James, Ross James, Will Miller, Guiseppe Lanzone, Stephen Kasprzyk, Jacob Cornelius, Brett Newlin, Zach VlahosTENNIS W Doubles (Quarterfinals) Wimbledon 12:30p Leizel Huber/Lisa Raymond vs. RUS Court 12 (2nd match)ARCHERY W Individual (1/16 Eliminations) Lord’s Cricket Ground 12:41pSHOOTING W 25m Pistol (Qualification Rapid) Royal Artillery Barracks 1p Sandra UptagrafftFENCING W Individual Sabre (Round of 32) ExCeL S1 1:10p Mariel Zagunis vs. Diah Permatasari (INA)

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BOXING M Bantamweight (Round of 16) ExCeL South Arena 2 1:30p Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Lazaro Alvarez Estrada (CUB) Heavyweight (Round of 16) ExCeL South Arena 2 1:30p Michael Hunter vs. Artur Beterbiev (RUS) Super Heavyweight (Round of 16) ExCeL South Arena 2 1:30p Dominic Breazeale vs. Magomed Omarov (RUS)FENCING W Individual Sabre (Round of 32) ExCeL S1 1:30p Dagmara Wozniak vs. Salma Mahron (EGY)SAILING W Elliott 6m – USA vs. NZL Weymouth – Nothe 2p Debbie Capozzi, Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer W RS:X (Race 3) Weymouth – Harbour 2p Farrah HallTENNIS Mixed Doubles (1st Round) Wimbledon 2p Bob Bryan/Liezel Huber vs. GER Court 16 (3rd match)CYCLING - ROAD M Individual Time Trial Hampton Court Palace 2:15p Taylor PhinneyFENCING W Individual Sabre (Round of 16) ExCeL S1 2:45pDIVING M 3m Synchronized (Final) Aquatics Centre 3p Kristian Ipsen, Troy DumaisARCHERY M Individual (1/32 Eliminations) Lord’s Cricket Ground 3:13p Brady Ellison vs. Mark Javier (PHI)SHOOTING W 25m Pistol (Final) Royal Artillery Barracks 3:30pFENCING W Individual Sabre (Quarterfinals) ExCeL S1 3:40pSAILING W Elliott 6m – USA vs. RUS Weymouth – Nothe 4p Debbie Capozzi, Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly VandemoerARCHERY M Individual (1/32 Eliminations) Lord’s Cricket Ground 4:31p Jake Kaminski vs. Dan Olaru (MDA)VOLLEYBALL - BEACH M USA vs. LAT (Preliminary Play, Pool D) Horse Guards Parade 4:30p Jake Gibb, Sean Rosenthal GYMNASTICS - ARTISTIC M Individual All-Around (Final) North Greenwich Arena 4:30p Danell Leyva, John OrozcoTENNIS Mixed Doubles (1st Round) Wimbledon 5p Mike Bryan/Lisa Raymond vs. ITA Court 16 FENCING M Individual Epee (Semifinals) ExCeL S1 5:30pWATER POLO W USA vs. ESP (Preliminary Round, Group A) Water Polo Arena 6:20pFENCING W Individual Sabre (Semifinals) ExCeL S1 6:30p M Individual Epee (Bronze-Medal Bout) ExCeL S1 7:10pSWIMMING M 200m Breaststroke Final Aquatics Centre 7:30p Clark Burckle, Scott Weltz W 100m Freestyle (Semifinals) Aquatics Centre 7:40p FENCING W Individual Sabre (Bronze-Medal Bout) ExCeL S1 7:40pSWIMMING M 200m Backstroke (Semifinals) Aquatics Centre 7:51pFENCING M Individual Epee (Gold-Medal Bout) ExCeL S1 8pVOLLEYBALL M USA vs. CHN (Preliminary Play, Pool B) Earls Court 8pSWIMMING W 200m Butterfly (Finals) Aquatics Centre 8:12p Cammile Adams, Kathleen Hersey M 100m Freestyle (Finals) Aquatics Centre 8:20p Nathan Adrian W 200m Breaststroke (Semifinals) Aquatics Centre 8:29pFENCING W Individual Sabre (Gold-Medal Bout) ExCeL S1 8:30pSWIMMING M 200m Individual Medley (Semifinals) Aquatics Centre 8:43p W 4x200m Freestyle (Finals) Aquatics Centre 9:04pBASKETBALL M USA vs. NGR (Preliminary Play, Group A) Basketball Arena 10:15pVOLLEYBALL - BEACH W USA vs. AUT (Preliminary Play, Pool C) Horse Guards Parade 11p Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh