Rio 2016 Olympics: Lilly King owns Yulia Efimova

Yulia Efimova, self proclaimed "champ"

There's some old school Cold War drama brewing in Rio. Looks like NBC can bring back the term "Must See TV."

Yulia Efimova, a controversial swimmer from Russia who was suspended for doping in 2013 then tested positive for Meldonium in March 2016, held up her finger with a #1 sign after finishing first in her qualifying heat. She was initially banned from the Rio 2016 Olympics, but then the IOC (International Olympic Committee) lifted the ban to allow her to participate. A number of other Russian swimmers were also banned only to have the IOC lift it.

Cameras cut to US swimmer Lilly King wagging her finger at Efimova while watching on a screen. In an interview, King stated, "You’re raising your hand #1 and you’ve been caught for drug cheating. I’m just not a fan." Smackdown! King and Efimova go toe-to-toe in the Women's 100m Breaststroke final Monday night around 9:54pm ET on NBC.


Ireland swimmer Fiona Doyle was left out of the semi-finals, and upset that someone who previously doped was upset that Efimova may have taken the place of someone who was clean. She rightfully had plenty to say, “Cheaters are cheaters. She has tested positive five times and she’s gotten away with it again. It’s like FINA keep going back on their word, and the IOC keep going back on their word."  Doyle continued, “And FINA caved in to (Russian President) Putin, and that’s just not fair on the rest of the athletes who are clean. Who are you supposed to trust now? They have signs all over the village saying we are a clean sport, and it’s not. And I just don’t think that’s fair.”

In the Men's 4x100m freestyle, Team USA took gold, giving Michael Phelps his 19th gold medal. France took silver and Australia won bronze. Russia, who were booed by the crowd in Rio, finished 4th after the Aussie's thankfully edged them out. I'm sure they know the word Karma? It would be sweet justice for Efimova to finish 4th or lower tomorrow night as well.

Though we do need to be clear that Russians aren't the only ones who have doped or will continue to do so. However, the widespread state-sponsored cover up by Russia is what bothers people, and the fact that athletes who have been caught are still participating in the Olympics, taking places of athletes who are clean. 

London 2012 Olympics, Day 6 & 7

There were some notable upsets at the London 2012 Olympics. Tyler Clary won a gold medal beating out Ryan Lochte, who finished 3rd. Clary broke Lochte's Olympic record from Beijing 2008, and it was Lochte's signature race. The US men's volleyball team beat #1 ranked Brazil. They also beat Brazil for the upset gold medal in 2008, so they have their number. Michael Phelps beat Ryan Lochte in their second and final meeting, so they each won one against each other. Phelps also won his final solo race today.

Gabby Douglas, aka "The Flying Squirrel" won the women's gymnastics individual all-around gold to add to her team gold. She joins Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson, Paul Hamm and Nastia Liukin as Americans who have won the individual all-around gold. Bela Karolyi was animated as usual with his excitement after this. In Beach Volleyball, defending men's gold medalists Rogers & Dalhausser were eliminated.

Kayla Harrison won gold in Women's -78 kg Judo. This is significant because it is the first gold medal for the United States in Judo. This leaves just 8 sports left that the USA has not won Olympic gold in. In Tennis, Roger Federer beat Juan Del Potro in the longest match in Olympic history. Serena Williams will be in the gold medal match.

NBC has said the sport averaging the most viewers on its cable networks during the day is Archery, averaging 1.5 million viewers. You can thank The Hunger Games, Brave and Hawkeye from The Avengers for the rise in the popularity of Archery. The USA Women's Soccer team, Basketball teams, Volleyball teams, etc are getting more viewers, but when you factor in all the other soccer, basketball, volleyball games then that is why archery is averaging more.

North Korea has made some news. Apparently they give Refrigerators to their medal winning athletes. Losing athletes get sent to labor camps. I wonder why none of the North Koreans who lose don't just flee the Olympic area and go into hiding? Also, its weird that they give them refrigerators when they don't have enough food to go around. Kim Jong-un you tease.

London 2012 Olympics Day 3, 4 and 5

The London 2012 Olympics have been on fire for NBC. Michael Phelps broke the record for most Olympic medals all time, getting 19 on Tuesday. He could possibly add to that amount. Fan favorite Allison Schmitt also won her first Olympic gold medal. She picked up her second as the anchor of the 4x200 meter freestyle, where the team set an Olympic Record..

The "Fab Five" of Women's Team Gymnastics won the first Team Gold Medal for the USA since the Magnificent Seven did it in Atlanta 1996, when Kerri Strug completed the winning vault on an injured leg, getting carried off by Bela Karolyi. Bela is famous for his enthusiasm during the NBC interviews. They should get his reaction for every event.

The knockout stage of Women's Soccer has been set. The Quarterfinals are: Sweden vs. France, Japan vs. Brazil, USA vs. New Zealand and Great Britain vs. Canada. Great Britain had a memorable 1-0 win over Brazil in front of 70,584 fans at Wembley Stadium. That's a women's attendance record in England. All games will be on Friday, with USA vs. New Zealand at 9:30 AM ET on NBC Sports Network. If both USA and Great Britain win, the two will face each other in the semi-finals at Old Trafford in Manchester. You couldn't ask for a more exciting match than for USA taking on home-town GB in front of possibly 70,000 people. They both have to win first.

USA Women's Field Hockey got a big upset win over Argentina 1-0. Misty May and Kerri Walsh have remained undefeated in Beach Volleyball games at the Olympics, though they did lose their first set at one. That may actually be a good thing, they finally had to bounce back from dropping a set to win a match. Both Indoor Volleyball teams look to be on their way to the next round, with Destinee Hooker turning into the breakout star for the US women. Both Basketball teams will be moving on as expected.

Some controversy as well. South Korean fencer Shin A-Lam got screwed out of a medal. During her match, there was one second left on the clock, and her German opponent needed more than that to get her point to win. Well, the clock didn't start (possibly because the person in charge was a teenage volunteer), which gave the German enough time to pick up the win when the match should have been over. South Korea tried to protest, and Shin had to sit on the floor for 30 minutes in tears, but the FIE (International Fencing Federation) decided to not overturn it. They offered her a "special" FIE medal, but she of course declined. Instead of getting a Silver or Gold Olympic Medal, which can of course happen just once every four years, she goes home empty handed because of a mistake that they did not correct. BS.

Opening Weekend of the 2012 Olympics a Hit

The Opening Ceremony and the first two days of the London 2012 Olympics have come and gone, and have delivered on every level. Though, did anyone think they wouldn't?

The Opening Ceremony featured a short film with James Bond (Daniel Craig) and the Queen Herself, Queen Elizabeth II, showing off her dry sense of humor. A stand-in Queen jumped out of a helicopter, and the real Queen entered the stadium to take her seat. Paul McCartney also gave a solid performance, showing that even one of the biggest stars in the world can get choked up being at such a massive event, as he did at the start of "Hey Jude."  There was also a mysterious woman who snuck into the parade of athletes with the team from India (see below). You can't miss her, she is the one in a red jacket and teal pants, walking and waving like she is one of them. I love that she managed to bypass security in a bright colored outfit and get to the front of the line with nobody saying anything to her. She did it with a smile, which must be the key.

Ryan Lochte beat Michael Phelps for Gold on Saturday, and Phelps failed to medal in the event. The US Women's Soccer team beat Colombia 3-0 to clinch a spot in the Quarterfinals with one group Stage game to go against mysterious North Korea on Tuesday. Abby Wambach got punched during the game by the sneaky & dirty Lady Andrade, getting a black eye, behind the refs back. Wambach responded by burying a goal into the back of the net. Colombia has yet to score a goal in a major tournament (ha ha). And its ironic that her name is "Lady", because she is obviously far from being one. The power-house Spanish men's soccer team lost two games to Japan & Honduras, being eliminated in the group stage. Hope Solo also cause a furor, tweeting her displeasure for US icon Brandi Chastain's criticisms during commentary. I'll stick by Chastain on this, its her job to be critical, not 100% positive all the time. *Update* - Lady Andrade has been suspended by FIFA two games for striking Abby Wambach. 

Kim Rhode (shooting) became the first American to win a medal at five straight Olympics dating back to Atlanta 1996. Both Volleyball teams picked up wins, as did the Basketball teams. Misty-May & Kerri Walsh also kicked off their quest for a 3rd straight Beach Volleyball gold with a hard fought victory. It won't be as easy this time around. USA also won its first diving medal since Sydney 2000. In the men's 400 free swim relay, USA couldn't shock France like they did in Beijing 2008, getting silver behind France this time. Bill Gates is also a big Table Tennis fan, taking in some of the action. Great Britain picked up some medals, but are still searching for their first Gold of the games. China currently leads the pack in both golds and total medals, with USA right behind. 

The London 2012 Olympics have also been ratings gold for NBC so far even though some complained that certain event were held back for tape delays to show in prime-time. The Opening Ceremony was NBC's highest rated ever, getting around 40 million viewers to surpass Atlanta 1996, which had 39 million. The first night of competition also surpassed Atlanta as the most watched opening night ever. I guess NBC gets the gold?

London 2012 Olympics Storylines

The London 2012 Olympics begin on Wednesday (July 25) with Women's Soccer, followed by Men's Soccer on Thursday before the official Opening Ceremony on July 27th. NBC will be full of storylines throughout the games for American viewers.

Michael Phelps & Ryan Lochte - Possibly the top two swimmers in the world, both from the United States, will battle it out in a couple of events. You've probably seen Lochte all over TV and on the cover of various magazines. Phelps of course won 8 gold medals at Beijing 2008, and 6 gold medals at Athens 2004. I personally hope Lochte wins more. I mean, Phelps has enough medals by now. During an interview with Bob Costas he showed that some are kept in a plastic bag. Regardless, swimming is one of the big highlights of the tournament. Veteran Natalie Coughlin will be going for her 12th total medal in the Women's Team 4x100-Meter Freestyle Relay.

Women's Soccer Rematches - Last summer's FIFA Women's World Cup provided many great moments. Abby Wambach's LAST second header goal against Brazil. Japan defeating host Germany, powerful Sweden, then winning it all against the USA. At the Olympics, the United States will take on France on Wednesday, who have improved even more since their fourth place finish at the World Cup and will be the toughest test for USA in the group stage. Team GB (mostly England players) will make its Women's debut, though fans of Scotland & Wales don't really support a Great Britain team so the excitement in those countries for both soccer tournaments are not quite as high. Japan will look to become the first team to win a gold medal right after winning a world cup. For Brazil, Marta will be looking to finally lead the Brazilians to a Women's Soccer major tournament win, after finishing 2nd to the United States the past two Olympics. USA looks to continue their gold medal streak, winning gold in 1996, 2004 & 2008. (Norway beat them out in 2000.) And finally, Canada hopes to make an impression in a tough group, since they will be hosting the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, which will be expanded to 24 teams.

Basketball - The little barbs traded between this USA squad and the 1992 Dream Team have been entertaining. However, the gap has been closed on the United States more than it was back in 1992. USA will still dominate most teams and bring the most excitement, and are heavy gold medal favorites. But they might get a run from Argentina, Spain and France. LeBron James is looking to win a gold medal in the same year of his first NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. The US women's team will most likely dominate every team, with the exception of Australia & Russia who can put up a fight.

LoLo Jones - One of Twitter's most entertaining athletes, and proud 29-year-old virgin, she is looking to get past her mistake at Beijing 2008. The gold medal favorite hit one of the hurdles causing a stumble, which of course is the end of any track stars medal hopes in the hurdles. I have little doubt she will have a great race this time around, and should be a gold medal favorite once again.

Volleyball - The popularity of Volleyball has grown, with Beach Volleyball entering prime-time at the last Olympics. Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh became the first Beach Volleyball team to win back-to-back golds and will now look to win a third straight. The United States won gold in both Men's & Women's Beach Volleyball as well as Men's Indoor Volleyball as underdogs. The Women's indoor team won silver. It will be tough to repeat that feat of medaling in all four disciplines, but sure will be fun to watch them try.

Serena Williams - Serena Williams will be looking for the only thing she doesn't have on her outstanding Tennis resume - Olympic Singles Gold. She actually doesn't have any singles medals, and is one of the favorites to at least get a silver or bronze, especially after winning Wimbledon. She does have doubles gold with sister Venus. Also in Tennis, Mixed Doubles (male/female) will be returning to the games for the first time since 1924. Might this lead to other mixed sports with males and females on the same team, such as Beach Volleyball?