Get used to seeing her
Gabby Douglas has her first official Olympic-champion-everyone-cares-about rite of passage: Kellogg's has her picture on a box of corn flakes to hit the shelves next month. The gymnastics all-around gold medalist's agent says she is working on other sponsorship deals. "We're just watching right now," Sheryl Shade says. "It is a short amount of time. You don't have the ability to sign Olympic sponsors (before the Games), but (Douglas) wants to do Rio (the 2016 Games), so we'll see." One list of possibilities was laid for Douglas on Twitter by David Schwab, managing director of Octagon First, which tells companies how to use celebrities in marketing campaigns: "Places you will see @gabrielledoug in the next 6 months. White House. Emmys. Macy's Parade. Super Bowl. Oscars. Grammys."
The science of usain bolt
Word from the track during Friday's first day of competition was the track surface is very fast and no one should be surprised if several records fall. That puts the men's 100 meters, which begins today with preliminary heats, and the anticipation surrounding the Usain Bolt-led field in a brighter spotlight. The 100 world record has dropped by 0.05 seconds every 10 years since 1968, when Jim Hines became the first man to break 10 seconds. It now stands at 9.58 seconds, set by Bolt in 2009, a year to the day he set it at 9.69 in winning the 2008 gold medal. Bolt has been performing at a level three decades beyond what should be achievable in the present era, astrophysicist Ethan Siegel says. Dr. Peter Weyand, an associate professor of applied physiology and biomechanics at SMU and an expert on the science of sprinting, says "Bolt is a freak. He defies the laws of biology." Bolt, who is 6 feet 5, takes 41 steps to complete the 100. His rivals take 44. "That's a big advantage," U.S. sprinter Darvis Patton says. Bolt has a high percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which produce explosive speed, and he can channel more than 1,000 pounds of force through each stride, double the human norm, Weyand says. Alan Nevill, a biostatistician at the University of Wolverhampton in England, suggests his height enables him to dissipate heat faster, so his muscles can work harder.
India's mystery woman solved
The mystery woman who crashed the opening ceremony by marching with India's delegation wearing jeans and a red jacket says she made an "error in judgment" and she's sorry. Madhura Nagendra told India's NDTV news channel she was a cast member in the ceremony and just got swept up in the excitement. Her appearance infuriated Indian officials, who demanded an explanation of how she was allowed into the parade of athletes. Nagendra, a graduate student living in London, said she was stung by the reaction and hopes she will eventually be forgiven.
Good citizens of phelpsavania …
Michael Phelps fun fact of the day: With his gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly Friday, Phelps had won as many golds, 17, as Argentina in its 112 years of Olympic participation.
Readers ask us
Why do some of the Olympic swimmers wear two swim caps?
For two reasons, mainly, says U.S. assistant women's coach and USC coach Dave Salo. The double cap ensures the swimmers' goggles stay on; swimmers put on one cap, then their goggles, then the second cap to secure them. Also, the pairing of specific materials helps reduce drag, the resistance the body encounters as it moves through the water. The first cap is generally latex, which stays on the head better; the second cap is usually silicone.
Compiled by staff writer Sharon Fink from the Associated Press, Yahoo Sports, @2010MisterChip, England's Telegraph, Sports Business Daily
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