The Olympics still has a ways to go, but for your weekday crew at the Wire, the first week is coming to a close. And in case you missed any of our Olympics coverage amid all the hysteria or stayed away due to spoiler-phobia, here are some highlights from this week in sporting's biggest occasion, from GIF guides to probing fashion questions.
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- On Monday we expressed our love of the commentators, all those fencing analysts and synchro dive experts who NBC somehow manages to find every four years.
- Also on Monday, we took a look at the various facets of Olympics backlash. Some people hate the uniforms, others miss regular TV programming, and seemingly everybody hates NBC's coverage.
- Tuesday had us wondering whether this year's gold medal-winning darling of swimming, Missy Franklin, has turned into a mean girl. We determined that no, she hasn't.
- We also analyzed, through the transformative medium of animated GIFs, the weird end of the men's gymnastics final.
- And we offered the suggestion that maybe team delegates shouldn't be seen handing wads of cash to event judges.
- Wednesday was a day for celebration as we reveled, once again with GIFs, in the American ladies' trouncing of the Russian gymnastics team.
- There was also that strange incident of a bunch of people throwing their badminton matches. What was the deal with that?
- And we gushed about our favorite coach of the games so far, the wonderful, hug-happy Jenny Zhang.
- On Thursday we made the case that surprise gold medal-winning swimmer and known cutie Nathan Adrian is the Olympics crush that America needs. It's a compellingly shirtless argument, you'll find.
- Not everything was crushes and giggles though. There was some confusion and frustration. We had angry questions like where the heck have the rings been?
- We took a look at a head scarf-wearing athlete and explained that it doesn't mean what you might think it means.
- Today we traced the rise of Gabby Douglas, the newest reigning queen of gymnastics. Missed her victory last night? Have no fear, more GIFs are here.
- Finally: Winning is great, especially when America does it. But man, do the victors have to wear those decidedly not great jackets?
For a full list of our Olympics coverage, you can consult our 2012 London Olympics tag page, which we'll be updating throughout the weekend and the rest of the games. Cheer on!