(Photo of the Spice Girls reunited during the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics by Chang W. Lee / The New York Times)
(Photo of the Spice Girls reunited during the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics by Chang W. Lee / The New York Times)
BACK IN THE U.S.S.R. So by now we know that U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has broken the all-time Olympics record for most medals ever, with 19 (as of yesterday — Phelps has three more events to go at the summer games in London). But many members of the media failed to point out exactly whose record Phelps had broken: it belonged to Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals between 1956 and 1964. She was in attendance during Phelps’s record-smashing performance on Tuesday. ”Latynina joked in recent weeks that it was time for a man to be able to do what a woman had done long ago,” wrote the New York Times. ”And that it was too bad Phelps was not Russian.” (Photo: AP via the Times)
Bump, Set, Surprise. Squirrels have been sabotaging the beach volleyball competition at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The furry Londoners have taken to burying their acorns in the sandy courts set up near the Horse Guards Parade. The players have been stepping on them during play - which is a problem because they compete barefoot. Organizers are now raking the courts each morning prior to the first match.
“There’s the Queen, cheering wildly for the host country, Great Britain.”
— MATT LAUER, obviously watching the wrong Queen.
As if raw athleticism weren’t enough, the ancient Olympics were the “total pagan entertainment package,” kicked off with an opening ceremony as memorable in its way as anything in 2012 London, says Tony Perrotet, author of The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games.
A…