Kobe Bryant, after hitting one of his six three-pointers (Getty Images)

Team USA 119, Australia 86

For all its talent, Team USA is an unorthodox crew. Only one true center, in Tyson Chandler, with his technical "center" reserve (rookie Anthony Davis) so whippet-thin that the New Orleans Hornets dealt for a traditional center in Robin Lopez to aid in his development. It's a team full of All-Stars that somehow has to get out of the All-Star game mindset: Overpassing, deference to fellow friends and stars, and taking it easy at times considering the score. It's coached by an NCAA coach that has never helmed a pro team. The group also boasts a series of combatants, as well as friends, as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have never had the warmest of relationships, to say nothing of the three Oklahoma City Thunder stars attempting to get over their loss to James' Miami Heat in the NBA Finals earlier this summer.

[Photos: Team USA goes for gold]

They adapt, though, from game to game. True to their makeup and reputation, Australia used brawn, a packed middle, and expert outside shooting to take advantage of Team USA's cold touch from the outside. It kept the contest close throughout the first half and actually began the third quarter (usually Team USA's time to pull away) with an 11-0 run. Depth, and adaptation, prevailed. Team USA just bundles its options, and decides how to beat you on the fly.

That might come back to catch coach Mike Krzyzewski's crew at some point, as Team USA attempts to defend its gold medal in the semifinal and hoped-for final-round contests on Friday and Sunday. But for now, the group is winning in waves. LeBron James (who ended with the first triple double in Team USA's history) takes over for a few possessions, or the defensive pressure turns up, or someone finds someone behind the 3-point arc on the break. Then Chris Paul rips off one of his five steals, and before you know it that manageable nine-point lead has shot up to 25.

Allyson Felix (AP Photo)

Wednesday, the United States eclipsed China in Olympic medals, 81-77. The U.S. surged ahead thanks in large part to the efforts of Allyson Felix, who took gold in the women's 200 meters, and Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, who beat another pair of Americans as they won their third straight Olympic gold in women's beach volleyball.

[Related: Olympic medal count]

As it stands, the U.S. has earned 33 gold, 22 silver and 25 bronze medals. China is a close second, with 36 gold, 22 silver and 19 bronze medals. Russia and Great Britain are neck and neck in their battle for third. The Russians have 52 medals, while the Brits have 48. But the host country has twice as many gold medals -- 22 to 11.

To date, 76 countries have earned medals, leaving the rest of the world in a really big tie for 77th place.

LONDON — Kerri Walsh Jennings dropped to her knees in the sand of Horse Guards Parade. Misty May-Treanor ran around with her arms outstretched until she circled back to hug her teammate of 11 years.

This was the end. But the end was golden.

In two straights sets against American rivals Jennifer Kessey and April Ross, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings, the most successful women's Olympic volleyball team of all time, captured their third consecutive gold medal, in their last match together.

[ Elite Athlete Workout: Kerri Walsh's Olympic workout ]

May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings finish 21-0 in Olympic play, having lost only one set to an opponent. May-Treanor, 35, said before the London Games that this would be her last run in competitive volleyball, as she retires from the sport.

"I'm really proud of finishing the journey with Misty the way we finished it," said Walsh, tearing up while wearing her gold medal before turning to May-Treanor.

"I'm glad you went out the way you deserved to."

Lazaro Borges shattered his pole into three pieces during qualifying for Thursday's pole vault final, sending shards of fiberglass flying in all directions and ejecting him into the pit.

[Related: Full video coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London]

The Cuban was making his first attempt of the Olympics at 5.35 meters (approximately 17.5 feet). The spectacular crash fortunately caused no injury to either Borges or trackside officials. He calmly brushed off his hands and collected the pieces of his pole after the incident.

The U.S. team lines up for the national anthem prior to its semifinal against Canada. (Getty)

Avenging its penalty shootout loss in the 2011 Women's World Cup final to Japan will be all the motivation the U.S. team needs for Thursday's gold-medal match, but the U.S. Soccer Federation has confirmed it will get a nice financial bonus if it can win the country's fourth Olympic gold in women's soccer.

USA Today reports that USSF president Sunil Gulati has announced that the team will split a $1.5 million bonus if it beats Japan, while an unspecified but smaller bonus will be paid out in the event of a loss. The bonus shares will be prorated and "the expectation is that the money will be split by the 18 players on the current roster, a pool of about a dozen reserves and training staff."

[Photos: U.S. Women's Soccer team]

Former British gymnast Paul Bowler performs in a Cirque du Soleil show. (Cirque du Soleil Inc.)

Hours after his bid to qualify for a second straight Olympics ended with a disappointing showing at the 1996 British trials, gymnast Paul Bowler drove home to Manchester with tears streaming down his cheeks.

[ Photos: Ex-Olympians join Cirque du Soleil ]

At 28 years old, Bowler knew his last realistic chance to compete at another Olympics had slipped away. As a result, he faced the terrifying task of figuring out what to do with his post-gymnastics life.

Synchronized swimmers Christina Jones, Miho Kono, Kanako Kitao in “O” by Cirque du Soleil at Bellagio, Las Vegas (Cirque du Soleil Inc.)

"I thought life was over," Bowler said. "Generally as a gymnast, your career finishes, you almost have a nervous breakdown and then you go sit in the corner of a gym and teach children the rest of your life until you start breathing in magnesium. I didn't want to do that. I love coaching, but I really like to be out there out front where you can affect your own destiny."

What saved Bowler from decades of teaching toddlers how to tumble was an invitation to audition for Cirque du Soleil in late 1996. He outclassed his peers with his acrobatic skills and showed enough acting promise to land a job as an aerial performer, allowing him to join the growing ranks of ex-Olympians who go to work for Cirque Du Soleil once they're no longer able to compete at a world-class level.

About 40 percent of Cirque du Soleil's 1,300 performers are former athletes who typically have backgrounds in gymnastics, trampolining, synchronized swimming and diving. Some 50 current and former Cirque performers have competed at the Olympics, including stars of the 2008 Games such as Australian trampolinist Ben Wilden and bronze medal-winning American gymnast Raj Bhavsar.

[Photos: Crazy contortions of rhythmic gymnasts]

Working for Cirque du Soleil appeals to ex-Olympians because it's one of the few ways they can use the skills required for their sports to make a living once their competitive careers are over. And Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil is more than happy to oblige since the skills of the ex-athletes often fit seamlessly into the company's approach of blending traditional acrobatic acts with Vegas-style theater.

Getty ImagesLONDON — Days before the start of the London Olympics, organizers were already offering refunds to ticket holders. But a British trade organization doesn't believe they've gone far enough.

The Aquatics Centre, designed by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, had a roof that dipped low enough where 600 seats in the facility wouldn't have a complete view of the action during eight sessions of high-board diving. They could see the approach, but competitors would disappear during lift off before reappearing for their descent.

[Photos: The focused faces of Olympic divers]

LOCOG, the Games' organizer, offered a refund to fans who paid between 30-50 pounds ($46.97-$78.28 US) for tickets that they could collect before or after the event, even if they attended it. Which is a quite proactive response, considering that's 4,800 tickets sold.

Alas, not proactive enough for the Trading Standards Institute, which announced Wednesday that it believed fans who paid top-dollar for 10-meter diving — between 185 and 200 pounds ($289.65-$313.12 US) — should also receive refunds.

(Getty Images)

This is awesome: It's a remote-controlled mini Mini Cooper that shuttles track and field equipment like javelins, discuses and hammers back to the takeoff area after they're thrown by competitors.

[Related: Hottest female Olympian doesn't expect to medal in javelin]

For example: A discus thrower hurls the object 65 meters across the infield. Once the throw is measured, an official loads the discus into the top of the specially designed car and it's driven back to the starting area by a team of trained volunteers operating the vehicle remotely.

There are three Minis in the Olympic fleet. They run in four-hour shifts and travel up to four miles per day. The cars hold a single discus, hammer or shot. Two javelins can also fit.

There's been a light controversy over the cars. Critics -- yes, critics of cool javelin-delivering remote-controlled vehicles -- say that the mini Minis violate the IOC's ban on advertising. The high-minded IOC doesn't allow corporate branding on the field of