Friday Olympic Photo Gallery: Judo, gymnastics, weightlifting, shot put, running and more
AP photographer Gregory Bull knew it would come — the moment when Gabby Douglas does that little bit extra.
Her leap, high above the beam, in the women’s all-round individual gymnastics competition on Thursday is one of the iconic shots of the London Games.
“I know there is that one moment where she jumps higher and stretches further back than everyone else,” said the San Diego-based photographer who has covered Douglas a number of times. “I knew that key moment was coming — and I knew I should wait and nail it.”
Denis Paquin, AP’s deputy director of photography, says the beauty of the shot lies in the combination of “the graceful motion and the horizontal lines between the balance beam and her perfectly-positioned body — all captured at the precise moment during her routine.”
See the photo below. It’s the last in the series.
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It was over in little more than a minute, but it will go down as one of the most memorable moments of the London Games.
A young Saudi judo fighter’s decisive defeat on the mat Friday is being hailed as a victory for women in the conservative Gulf kingdom, a step that would have seemed unimaginable if thousands of fans at the sprawling ExCel Center and millions at home hadn’t seen it with their own eyes.
Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani was one of just two women competing for Saudi Arabia at the games, the first time the Gulf state has sent female athletes at all. And she was only able to compete in judo after a compromise between Olympic organizers, the international judo federation and Saudi officials that cleared the way for her to wear a modified hijab.
The crowd roared as Shahrkhani stepped onto the mat for her fight against Puerto Rico’s Melissa Mojica wearing judo dress and what appeared to be a tight-fitting black cap.
On the mat, the Saudi looked tentative and cautious on her feet, unwilling to grab Mojica’s uniform and making little attempt to throw her off balance. The two heavyweights circled each other for about a minute before Mojica, the 24th-ranked judo fighter in the world in her weight class, grabbed Shahrkhani with a secure grip on her collar and flipped her onto her back, ending the match in 82 seconds.
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United States weightlifter Kendrick Farris gave his performance a seven on a scale of one to 10. Almost certainly not enough for a medal, but he isn’t going to let that ruin his Olympics.
Farris, the only male weightlifter from the U.S. competing in London, barely missed breaking his own American records in the clean and jerk and overall total Friday.
Farris, who competed in the 85 kilogram B group with lower-ranked lifters, cleared 155 kilograms in the snatch and 200 in the clean and jerk for a total of 355 that placed him third in his group.
With 12 lifters set to compete in the A group later Friday, it was highly unlikely Farris would get bronze.
“If it feels good, put it on a bar and give it an opportunity. We’re all winners just to be here,” Farris said.
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Uzbekistan weightlifter Sherzodjon Yusupov’s primal pre-lift scream made him an unexpected crowd favorite at the ExCel Centre.
Yusupov lets out a short but extremely loud yell — the loudest of any weightlifter so far — before his attempts. The crowd picked up on this and by the time Yusupov’s last scream and lift came around the crowd yelled right back at him to show support.
Bouyed by the atmosphere, Yusupov cleared 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) in the clean and jerk. He then blew kisses to the British fans, many of whom gave Yusupov a standing ovation.
“I like the atmosphere, it is very warm. Everyone is shouting ‘Yeah! Yeah!’ when you lift,” Yusupov said.
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Olympic athletes used to win medals. Now they just “medal.”
Commentators and competitors, it seems, can’t stop using it as a verb.
Cue fury on Twitter, with many decrying “medaled” and “medaling” as bad English.
Step forward John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Get used to it, he says.
The OED has long recognized “medal” as a verb. It even cites the earliest example of it from a letter written by Lord Byron in 1822.
What’s more, Simpson adds, podium – as in “she podiumed” – could soon join it. “It is not unlikely for it to switch to a verb,” he says.
Grammarians may grumble – but it has led to at least one joke.
“All I wanted was a gold medal,” says the Scooby-Doo villain. “And I would have gotten away with it – had it not been for those medaling kids.”
Germany’s Robert Forstemann celebrates after winning the bronze medal in the men’s team sprint track cycling event in the velodrome during the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Netherland’s Rogier Hofman reaches for the ball in the men’s hockey preliminary round match against New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
U.S. gymnast Alexandra Raisman performs on the uneven bars during the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Russia’s Evgenia Estes (4) spikes the ball past Japan’s Ai Otomo (11) and Mai Yamaguchi (4) as Russia’s Svetlana Kryuchkova (7) looks on during a women’s volleyball preliminary match at the 2012 Summer Olympics Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
United States’ Angelo Taylor starts a men’s 400-meter hurdles heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Roger Federer of Switzerland competes against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Ukraine’s Viktor Ruban shoots during the men’s individual archery competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas stretches her hands prior to a jump during the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Spain’s Sergio Llull dunks the ball during a men’s basketball game against Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
United States’ Hyleas Fountain, left, and Britain’s Jessica Ennis clear a hurdle at the 100-meter hurdles of the Women’s Heptathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Kayla Harrison of the United States (in white) competes against Gemma Gibbons of Great Britain for the gold medal during the women’s 78-kg judo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. Harrison won the gold and Gibbons won the silver. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Greece’s Niki Panetta makes an attempt in the women’s Triple Jump qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Britain’s Jessica Ennis reacts in the High Jump of the women’s Heptathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )
Safaa Al-Jumaili of Iraq lies on the mat injured after competing during the men’s 85-kg, group B, weightlifting competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
United States’ Ryan Lochte waves as he stands on the podium for his silver medal in the men’s 200-meter individual medley swimming final as teammate Michael Phelps looks on at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Latvia’s Maris Urtans makes an attempt in the men’s Shot Put qualification during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
United States’ Sanya Richards-Ross competes in a women’s 400-meter heat during the athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Belarus’ Sergei Martynov pauses between shots, during the men’s 50-meter rifle prone, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. Martynov took gold in the event.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
United States’ Evan Jager, right, and Turkey’s Tarik Langat Akdag compete in a men’s 3000-meter steeplechase heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )
United States’ Rebecca Soni celebrates winning gold and setting a new world record in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012. Soni set a new world record with a time of 2:19.59. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Olha Maslivets of Ukraine competes during the RS:X women class race at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, England. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Kayla Harrison, of the United States bites on her gold medal after winning the women’s 78-kg judo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
