Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesIs a day without a Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte race still a day to remember?
You bet your Speedo-suited bottom, it is!
The U.S. swim team had a stellar showing Wednesday in London, with 23-year-old Nathan Adrian winning the 100-meter freestyle by one-hundredth of a second (that's about as tight as it gets, folks) and a top-notch female relay team, led off by Missy Franklin and anchored by Allison Schmitt, won the 4x200-meter freestyle.
That makes two golds apiece at these games for Schmitt, Franklin and Dana Vollmer (who set a world record in winning the 100-meter butterfly) and it was the first for Shannon Vreeland, who rounded out the relay team.
"I could not be prouder of my team and my relay tonight! I am so proud to be an American! Your support means the world to us! Thank you!" Franklin, who has medaled in all of her events so far and has four to go, tweeted afterward.
"We Did It!!!!! Gold Medal+Olympic Record! So Proud!" added Vollmer.
Here's a roundup of what else popped around the Olympic park and beyond:
• Hot Hot Heat: Well, the dynamic duo did race, sort of, with Lochte and Phelps finishing 1-2 in the first men's 200-meter individual medley semifinal.
• All-Around Awesome: After their disappointing finish in team competition, the U.S. men's gymnastics squad won't be leaving London empty-handed. Danell Levya won bronze in the individual all-around, making him and Athens gold medalist Paul Hamm the only U.S. guys to win any all-around medal since 1984.
• Sister Act: Serena Williams continued her quest for her first Olympic gold in singles tennis, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 pummeling of Russia's Vera Zvonareva. Venus Williams, who is suffering from an autoimmune disease that leaves her exhausted no matter how efficiently she trains, lost a hard-fought match to Germany's Angelique Kerber, 7-6, 7-6. But Venus is still alive in doubles—she and her sister play a quarterfinal match tomorrow.
• Gold on the Road: While Missy, Allison, Shannon, Dana and Nathan were dominating in the pool, compatriot Kristin Armstrong won gold in the cycling individual time trial.
• Rule Britannia: The royals weren't on hand today, perhaps tired out by all the horseplay Tuesday, but Great Britain's Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won the women's pair rowing and (as expected and hoped for) Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins won the men's individual time trial. Kate Middleton and Prince William did meet with members of the home team at the Olympic Village yesterday, so the royal bump certainly didn't hurt.
• Spoil Sport: NBC Sports issued an apology for its gaffe on Monday night, when moments before airing the finals of the 100-meter backstroke the network aired a Today promo revealing that Missy Franklin won her first gold in the event, ruining the suspense for anyone who had avoided results during the day. "Clearly that promo should not have aired at that time," the network said. "We have a process in place and this will not happen again. We apologize to viewers who were watching and didn't know the result of the race."
• Magic Number: 30, the number of medals (including 17 golds) won by China, which is one medal ahead of the U.S. Japan is still third, with 17, and Germany and France are tied with 13.