Michael Phelps says he's done with competitive swimming, but his peers aren't so sure (Getty Images)

With a dwindling number of medals left to be handed out and the Closing Ceremony just two days away, there's one obvious question many will be asking: What's next for the athletes who have thrilled us the past two weeks with their speed, strength and charisma?

Here's a look at which of the breakout stars of the London Games we can expect back in Rio in 2016 and what they'll be doing during the four years in between.

Gabrielle Douglas hopes to return in 2016 (Getty Images)Gabby Douglas, gymnastics

What she did in London: Won gold in the all-around competition and helped lead the U.S. to a team gold
What's next: Just like the rest of the Fab Five, Douglas won't rule out the possibility of attempting to make the Olympic team in 2016 nor will she commit to it either. Dominique Dawes is the last U.S. gymnast to compete in multiple Olympics in 1996 and 2000. "I'm not going to count that out just yet, because I'm still young and still fresh and my body's still good," the 16-year-old Douglas said. "So, if all goes well, you'll be seeing more of me." In the meantime, we'll definitely be seeing more of Douglas in the coming months. She'll appear on Kellogg's cereal boxes soon, likely the first of many endorsements for one of the London Games most marketable stars.

[ Photos: USA sweetheart Gabby Douglas ]

Michael Phelps, swimming

What he did in London: Added four gold medals to his record haul, leaving him with 22 medals in his Olympic career
What's next: Michael Phelps says he's done with swimming and he intends to spend more time with his family and new girlfriend and fill his competitive itch by honing his golf game. His competitors? Well, let's just say they aren't convinced his retirement will stick. Ryan Lochte and Dara Torres are two swimmers who have said they think there's a possibility Phelps swims in Rio. Torres went so far as to ask on Twitter whether anyone would care to wager that Phelps doesn't stay retired. One of the replies came from Phelps himself. He took the bet.

Manu Ginobili knows the odds are against Argentina. (Getty Images)

Join us at 3:45 p.m. ET for a Fourth-Place Medal live chat during Team USA's Friday afternoon matchup with Argentina in the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics. We'll be cracking jokes, sharing observations, taking questions and talking about the game with fans like you.

For all his gifts, talents and wisdom, Manu Ginobili remains a realist. The Argentina basketball legend and San Antonio Spurs star knows that his national team enters its Friday afternoon matchup with the United States in the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as a massive underdog — a 24-point dog, to be exact, according to Bovada — after the U.S. blew its doors off in the second half of a 29-point group-stage win on Monday.

[ Related: Team USA knows it faces steep challenge vs. Argentina ]

Ginobili's aware that Argentina's chances of defeating Team USA when the nations square off in the semifinals for the third straight Olympic Games are slim. How slim? He put a number on it for Reuters' Patrick Graham:

"The odds are against us. We have a 10 percent or even a five percent chance of winning but we are going to fight for this," San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said after driving his team past Brazil and into the semi-finals. [...]

"We are going to try and turn the ball over less. Make a few shots in the second half and don't let them run. Then if they get inspired and LeBron [James] or Kobe Bryant or someone get hot and hit 20 threes like they did in the last game, then there's nothing you can do."

Ginobili's evaluation was echoed by his coach, Argentina's Julio Lamas.

"If you play five minutes badly, they can kill you, they'll score 20 points," Lamas said. "We need to play the perfect game, for 40 minutes."

LONDON —The Olympic Park is where more than 200,000 fans per day watch events, buy London Games gear and do a lot of walking. But it's also where many fans attempt to swap their tickets for others, usually to watch their nation of choice battle for a medal (or because their nation of choice fell well short of one — hence the ticket dump).

[ Photos: Queen gets McKayla Maroney treatment ]

We're not sure why this man wants to swap his gold-medal women's basketball tickets. All we know is this is the greatest ticket-begging fan gimmick of the London Games:

FPM

In case you were wondering: Yes, that is a men's bathrobe Her Majesty is wearing.

Alas, we didn't get a chance to ask what exactly he's looking to swap for. It looks like "ATMs"; and while the London Games only have eight ATMs for 11 million fans, we don't believe any of them require a ticket.

Any guesses?

(Getty)Though we're in the midst of the Summer Olympics, Sochi's Winter Games are a scant 545 days away. One indicator of how close it is? Evan Lysacek, the figure skating champ from 2010, announced he will be back. Lysacek's first skating event since winning gold will be Skate America in Kent, Wash., in October.

[ Photos: Rhythmic gymnasts' crazy poses ]

He made the announcement on the "Today" show to announce what was expected as Lysacek switched from an entertainment-minded agent to one who understands sports. He had been in a dispute with U.S. Figure Skating, but told the Chicago Tribune everything is worked out. He even saw an upside to delaying a year:

"I think the most positive thing of delaying a year is I have had a whole year to train before jumping back into competition," he said.  "I feel much more prepared than I was a year ago."

Lysacek's return comes at a time when the U.S. could use an infusion of talent. The world championships ended with Jeremy Abbott in eighth and Adam Rippon in 13th. Ashley Wagner's fourth-place finish was a nice surprise on the women's side, but Alissa Czisny took 13th. Only ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White are a true medal threat.

Just four days after facing off in a pool-play game that was close for two quarters and very, very not close after that (thanks, in large part, to a ridiculous third quarter from sharpshooter Kevin Durant), Team USA and Argentina will meet again at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Will the United States once again ride a wave of forced turnovers and made 3-pointers to a comfortable victory? Or will the "Golden Generation," the finest and most accomplished collection of basketball talent in Argentina's history, notch yet another remarkable accomplishment by pulling a massive upset in the single-elimination semifinal round of the men's basketball tournament?

It ought to be real fun to find out. So let's do it together.

Join us back here at 3:45 p.m. Eastern time for a live chat of the semifinal tilt between Team USA and Argentina, with only 40 minutes separating these two international titans from a shot at gold. (Please note that while we'll try our best, we might not be be able to get to all questions and comments — we appreciate your understanding.)

Chat in the name of love:

In Thursday's men's BMX qualifying heats, New Zealand's Marc Willers won with much more ease than he expected.

[ Photos: BMX action and crashes from London ]

(Getty)Willers had the lead early with France's Joris Daudet tailing him. But then ...

APLONDON — Canadian Simon Whitfield dreams of London Olympic gold literally came crashing down this week.

The defending silver medalist in the men's triathlon, he said his bike hit a "speed bump" early in the cycling stage in Hyde Park. The damage both to the bike and the athlete necessitated his pulling out of the race.

During the crash, his bike made contact with that of Leonardo Chacon of Costa Rica, clipping his front wheel and taking him out of the race briefly. Chacon was No. 18 overall coming out of the water; at the end of the cycling leg, he was No. 33 before finishing 48th overall, out of 54 athletes who finished the race.

[ Photos: Monstrous thighs of Olympic cyclists ]

The day after the Olympic triathlon, Chacon felt compelled to reach out to Whitfield on Facebook — to express his feelings on the crash, and to let the four-time Olympian know what an inspiration he was to his competitors through the years.

Oh, and to invite him to Costa Rica.

Getty ImagesLONDON — The last time George Avery appeared at the Summer Olympics in London was in 1948, when the Australian captured the silver medal in the triple jump — which was then known as the hop, step and jump.

When he found out London was again getting the Games for 2012, he desperately wanted to return to the site of his Olympic glory. Alas, Avery died in 2006 at 81 years old; but his family was still determined to have him attend the London Olympics, if only in spirit.

[ Video: Bolt blasts into history ]

His daughter, Robyn Glynn, told ABC Radio that she took his cremated remains to the triple jump final at Olympic Stadium on Thursday night — and then honored his legacy by spreading his ashes on the triple jump track.

(Now how did they get that through security?)