4 August = Gwen, Maria, Kate, Serena

Saturday will be epic. Two HUGE Olympic events with some of the most beautiful women in the world (if only my girlfriend could be here, too!).

With an early morning wake up call set for 7 a.m., I'll walk from Paddington Station to Hyde Park for the women's triathlon competition.

Hyde Park is gorgeous. The closest thing to it in the U.S. is Forest Park in St. Louis, site of the 1904 Summer Olympics and the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival (one of the best summers ever working at the athlete village at Washington University). From my hotel to the park's northern gate, there are thousands of sycamore trees with Fiat- or refrigerator-sized trunks, and the park's expansive lawns and massive shade and lakes also take me back to western St. Louis.

The 2012 Olympic triathlon venue also reminds me of the lakefront parks in Chicago and Milwaukee, where Team USA's triathlete Gwen Jorgensen grew up and works at Ernst & Young. At the Team USA Media Summit in Dallas, Jorgensen spoke about her upbringing and how the company gave her time to train for the London Olympics. I really, really hope she does well tomorrow.

On an Underground train tonight, a member of Team GB's triathlon support team said their girls will give Jorgensen a tough run for the medals. Go, Gwen, GO!

For months I've been dreaming about tomorrow's Olympic tennis competition, too. Saturday afternoon I have a ticket to Centre Court at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London. The best possible women's final is set: Maria Sharapova versus Serena Williams. Amazing. I've been watching Wimbledon tennis since 1976 and meeting Boris Becker today in London was tremendous. Hope the family is able to tune in back home.

I am convinced that Prince William and Kate will be in either or both of the venues on Saturday, and my crappy camera and borderline Flip camera better be on game for any sightings. My blog question for Kate pertains to the Olympic torch relay -- also, I typically do not ask for photos with celebrities but will make and exception in this case. Well, actually, I'd make an exception for a photo with Sharapova or Williams, too (twist my arm). The tennis ticket also includes the mixed doubles medal round, so there will be plenty of time for strawberries and cream.

A contact from the Wimbledon Museum today confirmed details of their Olympic exhibition "Tennis at the Olympics," so I hope for media access to see their rare 1908 Olympic tennis memorabilia from the first time Olympic tennis took place in London.

If Jorgenson and or Williams are victorious, a return visit to USA House is on deck for Saturday night. If it's Sharapova, see you tomorrow night at Russia House (also in Hyde Park), where that nation's medalists appear nightly.

But if Kate invited me to tea, well, I suppose that would do just fine.

Photo credits: Sharapova via Reuters/Adrees Latif; Kate Middleton via LOCOG/Getty/Ian West; Gwen Jorgenson via this link; Serena Williams via Getty/Clive Brunskill

Boris Becker Wants You to Visit Britain

Boris Becker's resume includes many accolades: Olympic gold medalist (men's doubles tennis in Barcelona 1992), Olympian at Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona, Wimbledon champion (1985, 1986, 1989), and winner of the Australian Open (1991, 1996) and U.S. Open (1989).

Now a London-based businessman who set up house (one of many in several nations) a few blocks from Wimbledon, Becker now wants you to Visit Britain.

Today in London, Becker took part in a Visit Britain press conference announcing his role as an Ambassador for the organization charged with generating tourism. Becker joins Olympic boxing champion Lennox Lewis and golfer Colin Montgomerie as part of Visit Britain's "GREAT Britain, You're Invited" campaign.

With about 25 reporters in attendance, media viewed Becker's short campaign film then Becker took questions about his many connections to London and Great Britain. For instance, two of his children are in school here, he resides near Centre Court at Wimbledon, and his company and many business interests are in the city Becker describes as among the most cosmopolitan in the world. He also joked that he is one German who British love.

When I asked Becker to detail his many Olympic experiences, he answered describing Olympic tennis as a demonstration sport at the Los Angeles 1984 Games, and brief details about his part in the 1988 and 1992 German teams at Seoul and Barcelona, respectively. From a 1992 New York Times article I knew Becker resided in the Olympic Villages, and he shared details in the video response (the aforementioned article also talks about a very long men's tennis match played in Barcelona Olympic competition, much like today's lengthy men's singles semifinal match for London Olympic tennis players Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro (Federer won).


Becker also answered questions about his role in the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, stating he got the call and invitation to participate about three days ahead of its arrival in the London suburbs.

He said winning at Wimbledon on July 7, 1985, was like being born again or "a second birthday" and that winning the Olympic gold with his tennis nemesis-turned-doubles-partner Michael Stich was another life-changing experience.

"Carrying the torch was a near-life changing [experience]," said Becker.

The one glitch of the Visit Britain press event came from a German news outlet who posed questions about Becker's personal life and recent reports he was in default on property in Majorca (a question on the heels of a tourism trade reporter's inquiry about Becker's British holiday wish list for which Becker claimed not to be a beach person). Becker cringed but took the high road and politely moved on to answering other questions (though Becker apparently had a stern word or two for the German reporter immediately after the press conference). Schadenfreude!

Visit Britain has a lot of cool stuff going on so be sure to check out their site www.VisitBritain.org for some very cool stuff, including the Becker video.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver, except the torch relay photo via LOCOG

Swimming Into Olympic History

London Olympic swimming -- that's one ticket I've not invested in for this Olympiad. For me, seeing Michael Phelps' final race in Beijing may never be topped in terms of extraordinary tickets landing in my lap (though several event tickets popping up in London are close runner-ups).

With a ticket to women's gymnastics yesterday, there was no way to get to swimming in time for what became Phelps record-tie and new Olympic record-setting swims that make him the most decorated Olympian of all time.

But in the London Media Centre I was tuned in to the races and saw the BBC's "breaking news" of Phelps' remarkable achievement. What a great victory! And only a couple hours before, I spotted the previous all-time Olympic medals record holder at the women's gymnastics team final (the announcers did a nice introduction of her to the audience).

Olympic records are falling all over. Today's cycling road event includes recent Tour de France victor, Team GB cyclist Bradley Wiggins, chasing the British record for most Olympic medals (up to this point held by rower Steve Redgrave).  London is Wiggins' fourth Olympiad after Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

I've seen Phelps in person three times so far -- twice in Beijing in competition, once in May at the Team USA Media Summit in Dallas. When I presented him a pin for this Olympic blog, he stated he remembered it. Whether true, or he was just being polite, I appreciate his positive feedback.

Congratulations to Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic medalist in history.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

London Olympic Humour

My sister shared some great Olympic cartoons, which led me to some great London Olympic humour for a quick post.

The Onion has some great videos for the Games, including their report about the selection of U.K. children to balance apples on their heads for the archery competition. They also posted some outstanding Olympic info-graphics.

An array of Olympic cartoons are available here. I wish there was a site for "Learn To Speak Cat" cartoonist Anthony Smith, whose series of Olympic cat cartoons in the METRO newspaper is quite good.

And another Facebook friend posted an "Absolutely Fabulous" photo as shown, courtesy of the Daily Telegraph.

Images via The Onion and the provided links

A Golden Night For Women's Gymnastics

The North Greenwich Arena (a.k.a. O2 Center) is often the stage for the world's top female performers including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Katy Perry.

Tonight in London, Team USA launched the world tour for women's gymnastics with a gold medal performance on the world's stage: The London Olympics.

Congratulations to the new Olympic Champions of women's artistic gymnastics: Gabrielle Douglass, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber. The arena was teeming with Team USA supporters and local fans cheering on Team GB, which placed an honorable sixth in team competition.

During the event I was able to switch seats, moving close to one apparatus then another, starting with Team USA's vault performance (bravo, Maroney with a 16.233 score, the highest of any gymnast in the arena!) then a change to parallel bars, where Wieber, Ross and Douglas scored 14.666, 14.933 and 15.200, respectively.

Russia, China, Team GB and Romania traded spots for medal contention during the evening, and it was a surprising silver result for Russia considering Anastasia Grishina completed a brilliant routine only to tumble in her final landing on floor exercise (lots of team tears followed, though they may have been a mix of joy for maintaining a medal while not achieving gold). China also competed well but fell behind Romania.

Team USA had the final competitor of the evening on floor exercise, leading to a tearful victory huddle of cheering coaches and gymnasts encircled by TV cameras.

I spotted Bela Karolyi in a press box, sort of lording over all he surveyed -- it was interesting to me he seemed to have no interest in the Romanian team he once coached, and even across the arena you could sense him reliving his coaching glory days.

It was also very cool that the venue announcers introduced the Olympian with the most all-time Olympic medals, Larisa Latynina, the Soviet Union gymnast who earned 18 medals from 1956 to 1964. The audience cheered with Latynina on the big screen and she waved in appreciation, all unfolding only a couple of hours before Michael Phelps surpassed her record across town.

Team USA impressed me not only as competitors but also as Olympic Champions with high ranks for sportsmanship. After the bronze medalists from Romania and silver medalists from Russia received their medals, the U.S. Gymnastics women first shook hands with their fellow competitors before stepping up to receive their gold medals. I applaud this diplomacy.

I also have to wonder, however, why the Team USA wardrobe folks gave the girls SILVER team jackets to wear into the victory ceremony. Colour blind, anyone?

Shawn Johnson was not too far from my final seat, and she cheered and looked on with great enthusiam for the 2012 Olympic gymnasts. But you have to wonder what was on Johnson's mind in terms of what could have been.

While supporting all of the winners on this diverse gymnastics team, it pleases me most that Maroney succeeded in their company -- after meeting this home-schooled athlete at the Team USA Media Summit in Dallas in May, this young woman struck me as a rising star with all the right stuff to be a champion. I predict she will continue to succeed with all of her teammates.

Best of luck to all of the women's gymnastics athletes in individual competition!

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver