Olympics Now - London 2012 Olympics, Summer Games, Summer Olympics - latimes.com

U.S. women beat France to win basketball gold, 86-50

By K.C. Johnson, Tribune Olympic Bureau

LONDON — With smiles on their faces and gold medals hanging from their necks, Diana Taurasi gathered Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird together late Saturday night at North Greenwich Arena.

The three shook hands.

Who knows what time and upcoming talent will do to the pact the players made to return for a fourth Olympics at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games? But this much is as clear and convincing as the U.S. women's basketball team's 86-50 victory over France: What a run it's been and remains.

"I usually don't get very emotional when we win," Taurasi said. "But for some reason, when I was walking through the arena afterward, it hit me: You know this might be my last. It also might not be. But after three of them, they're really hard, even if you win by 30.

"The whole process is really difficult to try to get 12 really good players to buy into one thing. It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice. But in the end, we succeeded."

Indeed, the most dominant program at these Games posted its...

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Jake Herbert (blue of the United States competes against Ibrahim Bolukbasi of Turkey in the Men's Freestyle 84 kg Wrestling event.

No bronze-medal match for Herbert

By Philip Hersh, Tribune Olympic Bureau

LONDON -- Jake Herbert had to root for the man who beat him.

The only chance for Northwestern's Herbert to wrestle for an Olympic medal in the 185-pound freestyle class Saturday was to have Azerbaijan's Sharif Sharifov make the final.

That is what happened, giving Herbert a shot at bronze from the loser's bracket.

But he lost to Turkey's Ibrahim Bolukbasi in a repechage.

The two other U.S. wrestlers in action Saturday, Coleman Scott (132 pounds) and Tervel Dlagnev (264.5), both advanced to bronze-medal matches.

Sharifov, the reigning world champion, beat Herbert 4-1, 6-0 Saturday at ExCeL Arena in a quarterfinal match that ended amid controversy, as Herbert's coaches protested the referee's decision that gave Sharifov six points in quick sequence.

"We did everything we could to get a clarification," said Sean Bormet, Herbert's coach.

Bormet said he thought Herbert should have been ahead 3-2 after the flurry, which took place 43 seconds into the round. As soon as one wrestler...

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Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates after winning the men's 200m final at the athletics event during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Fitting himself for a halo, Bolt diminishes its aura

By Globetrotting by Philip Hersh

LONDON – Maybe it was all part of the act. Maybe Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was putting us all on by calling himself a legend countless times after making history Thursday night, the way Ali did by calling himself the greatest. Maybe Bolt pre-planned it for maximum effect, the way he does the gestures and facial expressions that delight crowds around the world.

It didn't sound that way when Bolt put himself at the same table as Ali, Jordan, and Pele.

If it were the Last Supper, Bolt would take the seat in the middle.

He turned amusing self-aggrandizement into annoying self-apotheosis.

Was that a halo we saw before us?

“I am now a living legend,” Bolt said. “Bask in my glory.”

Don’t misunderstand. To Di World, as Jamaicans say, Bolt is the most compelling personality of the 2012 Olympics, just as he was four years ago in Beijing. He is one of just two foreign athletes – the other is Michael Phelps – to get celebrity treatment...

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Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek relaxes on the roof of the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, Feb. 22, 2011.

Once again, Lysacek says he is coming back

By Globetrotting by Philip Hersh

LONDON – For the second time in a year, reigning Olympic champion Evan Lysacek has announced his return to competitive skating with the intention of qualifying for a third straight Winter Games.

The difference is this time Lysacek resolved his differences with U.S. Figure Skating before the announcement, which the skating federation confirmed in a release.

“Everything is worked out,” he told the Tribune an hour after going on the Today Show in London Friday to reveal what essentially had been a foregone conclusion since he switched agents last spring. “They are big supporters of my comeback.”

Lysacek left Creative Artists Agency, which knew nothing and cared less about skating, to team up with Michelle Kwan’s agent, Shep Goldberg, a figure skating insider for more than two decades.

The Naperville native’s first competition since the 2010 Winter Olympics is to be Skate America Oct. 19-21 in Kent, Wash. He intended to compete at least at the U.S....

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