Kerri Walsh: "Mission Accomplished!"

It's the middle of the night in London. I'm in my hotel near Paddington Station while across town in the Olympic Village, I suspect Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor are still celebrating.

Paraphrasing Lionel Richie, they are once, twice, three time a lady's gold medalist in Olympic beach volleyball. Kudos to this Team USA duo -- Olympic champions for the third consecutive Games -- and to their teammates April Ross and Jennifer Kessy, winners of the silver medal.

Congratulations are also in order for the Brazilian medal winners Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Da Silva who earned da bronze.

This was my third consecutive Olympics to witness Walsh and May-Treanor take home the gold. In Athens 2004, on a beach beside the Mediterranean Sea, the U.S. duo brought home their first Olympic victory. Four years later, in the pouring rain at a theme park venue in Beijing, they won again. In both cities, it took until the next day to interact with the Olympic champions (in Athens, a the TODAY Show set, repeated in Beijing).

Tonight I enjoyed the competition from section 109, stayed for the medal ceremony (captured on video from behind the U.S. flag raising during the national anthem for Team USA), then hung out until most of the purple-clad venue volunteers exited the building. With a combination USA House badge and London Media Centre badge in tow, and a couple of Olympic pin trades later, I found myself outside the Horse Guard's Parade venue media centre in which the medalists were interviewed by the world's media.

Outside a small group of teenage fans awaiting the medalists for a chance photo or autograph, and I captured video of all four U.S. medal winners as they exited the media tent. Check out Kerri Walsh sporting her three-peat Olympic medal, which she describes as a "mission accomplished" feat that made her say "... it's like I don't have a head on my shoulders!" and stating of the gold medal "she's beautiful."

I will post each of the videos to YouTube (but tonight just doing the best of them -- it's awfully late).

As in Athens, Walsh proved to be a class act taking time to inspire a generation (the theme of the London 2012 Olympic Games) by signing autographs and posing for photos with young fans (it was nice to see all of Team USA do this after their press conference).

Congratulations to the three-time Olympic Champions in women's beach volleyball.

Video and photos by Nicholas Wolaver

Where Will You Be?

A colleague today forwarded a wonderful attachment to an e-mail: The London 2012 Olympic ticketing/event schedule.

Scanning the contents and the one-page version, I can tell you the future. Well, at least where I aspire to be on the following dates (this list will certainly evolve over time):

• 27 July 2012 -- Opening Ceremony at Olympic Stadium (duh!)
• 4 August 2012 -- Women's Tennis Final at Wimbledon, Centre Court
• 8 August 2012 -- Women's Beach Volleyball Final at Horse Guards Parade (for an Olympic attendance three-peat with my good friend, Brian; we attended in Athens and Beijing)
• 9 August 2012 -- Women's Football Final at Wembley Stadium
• 12 August 2012 -- Closing Ceremony at Olympic Stadium

The only disappointment to the schedule: Men's marathon does not conclude at the Olympic Stadium as it did in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium, where I stowed away ALL DAY in the BBC press seats and then evaded Chinese security sweeps (once, twice, three times, including bomb-sniffing K-9 units) to view the Closing Ceremony at no charge. Therefore, no option to repeat stowing away trick.

Experience-wise, Beijing and Vancouver set very high standards for Olympic awesomeness. London should provide an array of adventures.

Where will I see you in London?

Ticketing logo via London 2012

At London's St. James Park, Life's A Beach

World travels took me through London twice, and only via the airport. One travel goal by next May is to check out the city in advance of London 2012.

So I've never seen, but often heard, of Downing Street and St. James Park. It pleased me to read that the London 2012 beach volleyball venue will be wedged between both destinations at a spectacular temporary venue, announced last week and reported by the Telegraph.

Both in Athens and Beijing, a good friend and I each trekked to Beach Volleyball for the women's gold medal finals. Kerri Walsh-Jennings and Misty May Treanor are 2-0 for gold, and a three-peat would be an awesome feat to witness.

In Athens, the venue was on the Mediterranean beach near Piraeus. In Beijing, an amusement park ground (in pouring rain). What will the London venue include? Views of Big Ben and the London Eye, apparently (can't wait).

Photo via Populous and the Telegraph