2008 Beijing Games Day 8

LeBron James knocks the ball away from Spain’s Pau Gasol.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Dwight Howard puts up a shot over Spain’s Pau Gasol in the U.S.-Spain preliminary game.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Spain’s Marc Gasol struggles to get a shot off LeBron James in the first half of the Spain-U.S. showdown.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Guard Dwayne Wade slams home two points past Spain defender Berni Rodriguez.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

LeBron James has the ball stripped from him by Spain’s Alex Mumbru in the first half of a men’s Olympic basketball Pool B preliminary game.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Usain Bolt of Jamaica sets a world record and wins the gold in the men’s 100-meter final.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win the men’s 100-meter final in a world record 9.69 seconds at the Beijing Games on Saturday.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt cruises to a world record in the 100 meter, beating second-place finisher Richard Thompson of Trinidad, center, and USA’s Walter Dix, who finished third.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt cruises to a world record in the 100 meter at the Bird’s Nest stadium.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Bronze-medal winner Walter Dix waves the American flag after the men’s 100-meter final.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Tyson Gay of the U.S. looks at the scoreboard after he didn’t qualify for the men’s 100-meter final.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Ukraine’s gold medal winner Natalia Dobrynska, right, gets a hug from Russian Olga Kurban after completing the women’s heptathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Ukraine’s Lyudmila Blonska reacts after taking the silver medal in the women’s heptathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing behind her countrywoman Natalia Dobrynska.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Ukraine’s Natalia Dobrynska celebrates her gold medal in the women’s heptathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Jolanda Keizer of the Netherlands prepares to throw in the javelin competition of the women’s heptathlon.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Hyleas Fountain of the U.S. throws the javelin in the women’s heptathlon to win the bronze medal. Ukraine takes the gold and silver.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Cuba’s Jorge Fernandez prepares to compete in the men’s discus throw qualifying round.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Ian Waltz of the U.S. launches his discus in a men’s qualifying round.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

American middleweight Shawn Estrada enters the ring to fight James Degale of England. Estrada, of East Los Angeles, would go on to drop the 11-5 decision in four rounds in Beijing’s Workers’ Gymnasium.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

American boxer Shawn Estrada, left, fights James Degale of England in Beijing’s Workers’ Gymnasium. Degale defeated Estrada, eliminating him from the Olympics.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

American middleweight Shawn Estrada of East L.A., left, fights James Degale of Britain in Beijing. After his second-round loss in the Games, Estrada said he might decide to turn pro this year.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Svetlana Boyko celebrates winning a point during her match with American fencer Emily Cross in the team foil gold medal match at Beijing’s Fencing Hall. The Russian women won, 28-6.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Russian fencers, right, celebrate their gold medal in the team foil competition minutes after defeating the American women, left, at Beijing’s Fencing Hall.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Cesar Cielo Filho of Brazil cries tears of joy moments after he wins the men’s 50-meter freestyle at Beijing’s Water Cube.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

American Michael Phelps and Serbian Milorad Cavic approach the finish side by side in the men’s 100-meter butterfly at Beijing’s Water Cube. Phelps edged Cavic by .01 second to win his seventh gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Phelps reacts after winning the men’s 100-meter butterfly Saturday by a split second over Serbian Milorad Cavic at the Water Cube in Beijing.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

American swimmer Michael Phelps steps to the medal podium after winning the men’s 100-meter butterfly at the Water Cube in Beijing.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Micheal Phelps tosses a bouquet of roses to his mother, Debbie, after the medal ceremony for the 100-meter butterfly at the Water Cube on Saturday.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe shows great relief after winning the women’s 200-meter backstroke Saturday at the Water Cube. U.S. swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, right, finished fifth.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)