Olympics Friday: Here's what we're watching

The Canadian men’s 4x100-metre sprint relay team will begin their quest for the podium today as Round 1 of racing gets underway at 2:45 p.m., the final is on Saturday at 4 p.m. (all times Eastern)

Canada's Richard Weinberger is swimming in the men's 10k open water marathon with a good chance at a podium finish starting at 7 a.m.

Hugues Fournel and Ryan Cochrane embark on the first two legs Friday of the K-2 200-metre kayak sprint — a new event in the Games — at 5:33 a.m. and 6:44 a.m. Finals go Saturday at 5:41 a.m.

Canada goes for a medal in the synchronized swimming team final today at 10 a.m.

Semi-finals in men's basketball are played today, with Spain-Russia at noon, followed by Argentina-U.S. at 4 p.m.

In taekwondo, Karine Sergerie begins the preliminary round in women's 67-kilogram at 7:30 a.m. with the bronze medal match at 3 p.m. followed by the gold medal match at 4:15 p.m. In men's 80-kilogram, Sebastien Michaud was eliminated in the preliminary round this morning.

In wrestling, David Tremblay goes for the podium in the men's 55-kilogram freestyle starting at 8:30 a.m. with the bronze medal match at 12:45 p.m followed by the gold medal match at 2 p.m. In men's 74-kilogram freestyle, Matthew Gentry has his first match at 8:40 a.m. with the bronze medal match at 12:54 p.m. and the gold medal match at 2:50 p.m.

McKayla is not impressed

Fans are giving American gymnast McKayla Maroney a gold medal in pique.

She was forced to apologize on Twitter after apparently not congratulating the competitor who beat her. A video started circulating of her cold-shouldering a Russian competitor's hug after her disappointing silver medal finish in the women's vault final.

Her pout on the podium capped it all off and has become a new Olympic meme called "McKayla Is Not Impressed" on the photo site Tumblr, plunking a sullen 16-year-old Maroney down amid some of history's more awe-inspiring moments.

McKayla's response? "This tumblr is kinda funny, made me laugh,” she wrote on Twitter. No pictures, though, with that response.

The stars of Olympic sweat mopping

One of the plum volunteer jobs at these Games belongs to the sweat moppers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Competition to dash onto courts soaked in sweat was fierce: volleyball had 100 16-person teams apply for just three student group spots, the newspaper said.

Training was tough: The  volleyball moppers practiced for nine months at a gym with supermarket mops and a stopwatch, the newspaper said.

Then there's the limelight: During badminton matches, the newspaper says, "some eager Chinese spectators yell 'court mopper, jia you!' or, 'court moppers, go for it!'"

And the strategy: Badminton players "are known to attempt to take extra, and illegal, breaks by asking moppers to do spot cleans." So only the umpires can order a mop-up.

You have to be quick and nimble and keep your mouth shut. The last thing an athlete needs is to collide with or hear advice from a sweat mopper, even if many of them are junior players in their sport.

Badminton sweat mopper Ainsley Richards, 17, found that particularly hard when gold medallist Lin Dan thanked her. "How can you not smile at Lin Dan? I'm in love," she sighed to the WSJ.

Reuters/ Sweat moppers in action July 28 during the Japan-Algeria women's volleyball match.

AP/China's Lin Dan kisses his volleyball gold medal on the podium, Aug. 5, 2012.

 

Beach volleyball's non-stick sand? Canadian

It's not just ordinary Brighton Beach sand beneath the toned toes of Olympic beach volleyball players.

It is, in fact, Ontario-cured sand.

Since beach volleyball became an Olympic sports in 1966, Hutcheson Sand & Mixes of Huntsville, Ontario, has taken the fine-grained sand of choice and made it even finer and more perfect.

Canadian technology is why it doesn't stick to all those very exposed surfaces during a game.

For the London 2012 Games, the organizing company wanted British sand for the Horse Guards Parade showcase arena. They found the Redhill 28 sand they wanted in a quarry in Godstone, Surrey.

But then it was up to Hutcheson to refine the playing field, washing the sand and getting rid of any particles that might stick to or scratch those perfect bodies.

"Hutcheson provides sand that will not compact, thus performing under the best and most adverse weather conditions," the company promises.

The beach volleyball sand at the 2008 Beijing Games was a soft, fine product of Hainan province, a tropical island off China's southern coast. But it was still Hutcheson-treated.

The London Olympic organizing committee announced Wednesday that the 4,400 tonnes of sand trucked in for beach volleyball will be distributed among 36 new courts, mostly in the south of England, to capitalize on Britain's newfound fascination with the sport.

AP/ Canadian Olympic competitor Marie-Andree Lessard during a match at the London 2012 games on July 29.

 

Watch for Blake's watch

It seems an odd accessory to wear in a 200-metre dash. Almost-fastest man in the world Yohan Blake has started sporting a custom-made $500,000 Richard Mille watch in his sprint heats.

The large and distinctive yellow and green timepiece has shown up in photographs Tuesday and Wednesday of Blake, providing lucrative exposure for the celebrity watchmaker.

And that, says the Hollywood Reporter, has caught the eye of the International Olympic Committee brand police. Omega is the official sponsor of the Games, so Blake could be in trouble for flashing a different brand.

Richard Mille, which famously gave tennis star Rafael Nadal a watch stolen from him, introduced the new Topurbillon watch a few days ago with a coy reference to its new high-profile pitchman, the industry newsletter WatchPro reported. Then Blake started streaking down the track with his own timekeeper strapped to his wrist.

The IOC's vigilance in protecting its sponsors has forced U.S. runner Nick Symmonds to cover a sponsor's tattoo and Chinese archery bronze medallist Dai Xiaoxiang to tape over the "Chicago Bears" insignia on his hat.

Blake and rival Usain Bolt compete today at 3:55 p.m. Eastern time in the men's 200-metre final. Keep your eyes on Blake's wrist.

AP/Yohan  Blake in the men's 200-meter semifinals on Aug. 8, 2012.

 

U.S. women stand to win gold, and more gold

The U.S. Soccer Federation isn't just playing for a gold medal this afternoon in their Olympic grudge match against Japan. There's a $1.5 million bonus riding on the game.

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati told reporters in London that the team would share in the bonus, divided according to the players' association's decision.

The bonus would come on top of the U.S. Olympic Committee prize money for medals: $25,000 for a gold and $15,000 for a silver.

If they lose to Japan, the American women would still get a bonus for silver, although not as much, said Gulati. The game starts at 2:45 p.m. Eastern time.

Win or lose, the U.S. women's team will also go on a tour in the fall, playing up to 10 matches scheduled, if possible, in players' hometowns. The tour would start Sept. 1 in Rochester, where U.S. forward Abby Wambach hails from.

AP/U.S. celebrates its victory over Canada on Monday.

London 2012 football bronze medal match: Canada vs. France

Join The Star's Cathal Kelly and Doug Smith as they live-blog the game beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET. on August 9.

Overly enthusiastic in Sheffield

The Royal Mail has sent an engineer out with a roller and tray of gold paint to repair the overenthusiasm of a fan who embellished the Sheffield City's Council's tribute to gold medallist Jessica Ennis.

The council had painted over the traditional red of a British Royal Mail box with gold on Sunday to honour local hero Ennis's first-place finish in the Olympic heptathalon.

As darkness fell, though, the post box on what student Stuart Collier calls the city's "main pub run" had "Go Jess" added to the gold.

Said city council leader Julie Dore: "This is our moment to shine so what a shame it is that someone has chosen to tarnish this by vandalizing a postbox painted gold in honour of our local hero. I hope they feel thoroughly ashamed of themselves."

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said an engineer was sent out quickly to obliterate the unofficial message "as a point of pride."

The city plans further celebrations when Ennis comes home, the council said in an official proclamation.

Press Association photo

 

 

 

Ivan Ukhov, men's high jump gold medallist can't find shirt

Ivan Ukhov almost missed his chance at the Gold medal in men's high jump. After removing his singlet prior to one of his jumps, he misplaced it and with the clock running on his turn at the high jump bar, frantically rummaged through his bag and under the bench looking for it.

Finally, an official hands him a baggy blue t-shirt and Ukhov pins his number to it and dashes off to complete his jump.

Performing well under pressure, Ukhov managed to snag the gold medal, clearing 2.38 on his first attempt. Canada's Derek Drouin won bronze.

It's not the first time Ukhov has drawn attention with his misadventures, in 2008 he earned a “strong warning” from the IAAF for being drunk during a competition.

Why beach volleyball has cheerleaders dancing on the sidelines

You could call James O'Brien the Director of Fun at the London 2012 Games.

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games Head of Sport Presentation of Olympics is in charge of a carefully planned roster of music and entertainment at each sports venue and a staff of 1,200.

With tickets going for up to $700, organizers may have thought spectators needed more than just sweaty, grunting athletes. So the "fun factor" became a big sell.

"No Olympics has gone to such lengths to entertain its crowds," the Daily Telegraph reported this week.

Fencing, for example, was given a Star Wars makeover to create a "breathtaking" light show with each match, the British newspaper said.

The English National Ballet did a turn from Swam Lake before the gynmastics events.

Most head-turning have been the cheerleaders at the men's and women's beach volleyball, a plot of sand in the middle of the Horse Guards Parade in the heart of London.

O'Brien, who produced the MTV Europe Music Awards for 12 years, brought in Simon Cowell's X Factor choreographer and wardrobe and makeup professionals to fluff up the eye candy, mostly female but with one or two males, doing dance routines and tossing around beach balls on the sand sidelines.

Beach volleyball isn't the only sport with cheerleaders: Indoor Volleyball, Basketball, and Handball do, too. those sports, as well as Boxing, also have Street Dance teams performing before the event and during breaks.

O'Brien also programmed more than 2,000 songs played at various stadiums and indoor arenas during the Games, matching one of five themes he's working with: "world stage, heritage, prime time, energy and extreme."

Explained the U.K.'s UMusic: "more genteel sports such as tennis will be soundtracked by classical music and well-known songs by established acts. Gymnastics and swimming, which attract family audiences, will be accompanied by music from mainstream acts on big TV shows. Urban music will be the cheerleader for sports such as basketball and cycling.

Beach volleyball cheerleader/ AFP Getty Images