EYES ON LONDON: Closing ceremony, queen, LeBron

LONDON (AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

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READ ALL ABOUT IT

Newspapers are figuring strongly in the backdrop of the London Olympics closing ceremony, with a montage of newsprint lining the stage, on cars and pasted on landmark props.

The big screens offered newspaper headlines with classic sayings like "All the world's a stage," or "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "We are such stuff as dreams are made of." It's showing the connection between Britain's literary past and its tabloid present.

All we need now is for someone to turn up from the Leveson inquiry, the ongoing investigation into Britain's rough-and-tumble journalism world.

? Danica Kirka ? http://twitter.com/danicakirka

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WARMING UP

The predominantly British audience seems to have lost some of the reservation on show 16 days ago.

When the pre-show for the closing ceremony started, the cheers were loud and required very little prompting. They are happy to "clap, cheer and wave" as instructed. The Wave also worked its way around the arena spontaneously a few times.

? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb

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QUEEN WEIGHS IN

Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith, has a message for subjects who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games:

"Congratulations."

The queen, who was an unlikely star of the games' opening ceremony, says athletes from the U.K. and the Commonwealth ? the successor organization to Britain's colonial empire ? had performed admirably. In a statement, the 86-year-old monarch says the Olympians had "truly captured the public's imagination."

She also congratulated game organizers "as well as the thousands of volunteers who have epitomized the Olympic spirit through the warm welcome they have shown."

The queen delighted millions of Britons when she appeared in a brief movie during the Danny Boyle-directed opening ceremony.

In the film, she appeared to leap from a helicopter alongside James Bond, played by Daniel Craig.

No word on whether she plans to reprise the stunt tonight.

? Raphael Satter ? Twitter http://raphae.li/twitter

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RIO ON DECK

Sunday's closing ceremony in London kicks off a race against the clock for 2016 host Rio de Janeiro.

Many wonder if this notoriously laid-back beach city will be ready to handle the global sports showcase ? but officals are admanant that it can.

"We'll get a few cold sweats but this is normal. We are on time and going according to schedule," says Leonardo Gryner, CEO of the Rio 2016 organizing committee.

Brazilians regard the 2016 Olympics as their grand entrance onto the world stage. Hosting the 2014 World Cup should also give them some practice.

But with massive building projects like hotels, roads and stadiums, not everyone is convinced.

"While the Brazilians will undoubtedly pull together a great party, the hangover will last for a generation," said academic Christopher Gaffney.

?Jenny Barchfield

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SOLD OUT

The viewing area in Hyde Park is sold out for Sunday night's closing ceremonies.

An electronic sign warns park goers not to buy tickets from touts ? the term used here for scalpers ? and another shows that it's a 30-minute wait to go through security into the viewing area.

One man offering to buy extra tickets told a young lady that 150 pounds (about $225) would get her only one ticket.

The buzz outside the gates: that the closing ceremonies will be like concert, and young adults are trying hard to find a good place to watch.

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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US BOSS: FAVORITE MOMENTS

Just got off the phone with Scott Blackmun, CEO of the USOC, and asked him for his favorite moment during an Olympics in which his team won more medals (104) and golds (46) than anyone.

Surprisingly, his answer had nothing to do with any of those victories.

Instead, he pointed out a pair of fourth-place performances ? by Sarah Groff in triathlon and Margaux Isaksen in modern pentathlon. Each missed the podium by only a couple of seconds. These are athletes who train in almost total obscurity in sports in which the Americans have very little history of Olympic success.

"You watch them train for four years and come within an inch of the the medal and barely miss it, but deal with it so gracefully," Blackmun says. "It's an inspiring thing to watch. Real cool."

? Eddie Pells ? Twitter http://twitter.com/epells

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DOORS OPEN

Rehearsals for London's closing ceremony are over. The props that might give anything away to the crowd are being quickly taken out of sight. The artists are clearing the stage.

? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb

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SPAIN'S SILVER

With scratches on his nose and a nearly blackened right eye, Pau Gasol trudged off the court with a silver medal around his neck. Again.

For the second straight Olympics, Spain took the mighty Americans to the wire before falling just short, 107-100.

Gasol scored 24 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. But it wasn't quite enough.

He says he's proud of his silver, especially knowing what Spain was up against.

"We were close," he says. "But you almost have to play the perfect game to beat them."

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://twitter.com/APkrawczynski

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FIRE: OLYMPICS UNAFFECTED

"We've not seen a fire of this size in London for several years. It's certainly a dramatic end to the Olympics for the London Fire Brigade." ? London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson, on the recycling-center fire seven miles east of Olympic Park that sent a plume of smoke up over the city. There have been no injuries. Adds Dobson: "I would like to reassure people that we are still able to attend incidents across the capital and the fire cover we're providing at the Olympic venues has not been affected."

? Raphael Satter ? Twitter http://raphae.li/twitter

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QUICKQUOTE: 'EVERYTHING TO ME'

"It means the world. It means everything to me." ? LeBron James of the United States on winning the gold medal.

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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PROPS FOR KRZYZEWSKI

Tweets from John Calipari, Kentucky men's basketball coach, congratulating Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the U.S. men's basketball team that just won an Olympic gold medal in London:

"The job that Mike Krzyzewski has done for seven years is truly amazing."

"The ultimate challenge for coaches is to get the most talented players to come together for the team as we work to improve each individual."

"Coach K has mastered it, Congrats."

? Teresa Walker ? Twitter http://twitter.com/teresamwalker

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WENLOCK JOINS THE FUN

Has Wenlock actually been an American spy all this time?

One of the mascots for the London Games appeared in the middle of the US men's basketball team's gold medal celebration on Sunday.

After LeBron James and the crew sneaked by Spain with a 107-100 victory, James Harden grabbed a blowup Wenlock and brought him to center court to join in the superstar mosh pit.

The Americans danced, hugged and passed Wenlock around as if he were the trophy.

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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US OUTLASTS SPAIN

LeBron James had to take the gold medal from Spain. That's exactly what he did.

James scored five of his 19 points in less than a minute to help the United States hold off Spain, 107-100. Kevin Durant scored 30 for the US and Pau Gasol led Spain with 24.

This was no waltz to the gold for the heavily favored Americans. It was a bare-knuckle street fight that took everything they had.

And it was just enough.

The US led by one at the start of the fourth and just six with 3:20 to go. James soared for a dunk and then hit a 3-pointer for a nine point lead, and the Americans breathed a sigh of relief ? and did a few chest bumps ? when it was over.

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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'DOING THE BOLT'

The wax version of Usain Bolt was by far the most popular draw at Madame Tussauds on Sunday.

And here's how a family of six, after waiting patiently in line, struck the pose that's become one of the unforgettable images of London 2012: http://pic.twitter.com/teEszind

"He's the best Olympian ever," said Michael McGregor, after the family bypassed David Beckham and British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton.

"He's a character ? and we love his pose. We really rooted for him. And Jessica Ennis."

The British runner and gold medalist may have been one of the faces of the games ? but there was nobody there waiting to see her figure, draped in the Union Jack.

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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HIGHLIGHT: LONDON ROCKS

U.S. women's 4x400 relay gold medalist Dee Dee Trotter on the atmosphere in London:

"London is off the chain. And that's putting it mildly. I've never seen a morning session packed out that way. I have never been in a stadium where the people have every knowledge of what's going on, on and off the track. They know what is going on. The mall. The Westfield mall. What is that? That is awesome. Was it chaos? Yes. Was it good chaos? Absolutely. "

?Gerald Imray ? Twitter http://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP

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PISTORIUS TWEETS

Oscar Pistorius just tweeted: "Really feel honoured to be chosen to carry the SA flag in the closing ceremony tonight! What a great ending to the games it'll be! :)"

Participating nations will parade in the closing ceremony Sunday evening, and each team will field one competitor to carry its flag. The athletes will all walk out together and will not be separated by nation.

? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb

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SPAIN CLOSE AT THE HALF

The gold medal matchup between the United States and Spain has been everything everyone expected, and more.

The Americans lead by just one point, 59-58 at halftime. Kevin Durant has 17 points, but Spain hasn't flinched at the powerful U.S. team.

Juan Carlos Navarro has been fearless, going right at the Americans and racking up 19 points. Spain is winning the board battle 21-19 but will need to overcome foul trouble to stay in it. Marc Gasol has four fouls, while Sergio Rodriguez and Felipe Reyes each have three.

If the Americans continue to struggle, here's an idea. Why not call on the Terminator? Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the arena cheering them on ? and received a loud ovation when he was shown on the scoreboard.

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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MOTIVATING INSULT

U.S. marathoner Meb Keflezighi was motivated by a slight.

Before the Olympic race Sunday, a few of the runners were introduced, but not Keflezighi. He took that as an insult since he won a silver medal in Athens eight years ago. "To not be introduced like that, it hurts," he says.

Keflezighi, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., took his frustration out on the course as he finished fourth, more than 3 minutes behind Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda.

"Everybody works hard to accomplish such a thing and I am very proud of myself and our country to finish fourth," he said. "It's not where you want to be sometimes, but fourth place at my last Olympics? I'll take it anytime."

At least he was able to finish. Ryan Hall (right hamstring) and Abdi Abdirahman (right knee) dropped out of the marathon around the 11-mile mark.

? Pat Graham ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/pgraham34

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MARATHON GOLD FOR UGANDA

Uganda has its first medal at the London Olympics ? and it's a big one.

Stephen Kiprotich surged ahead late in the race to win the Olympic men's marathon. He finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 1 second Sunday, holding off the Kenyan duo of Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang. Kirui finished 26 seconds behind Kiprotich, while Kipsang, the leader most of the race, faded late but held on for bronze just ahead of American runner Meb Keflezighi.

On a warm afternoon, the marathoners wound their way through a scenic route packed with swarms of fans.

The Kenyans competed in memory of the late Sammy Wanjiru. Four years ago in Beijing, Wanjiru captured the country's first Olympic marathon gold. He died last year after a fall from a balcony during a domestic dispute.

? Graham Dunbar ? Twitter http://twitter.com/gdunbarap

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EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eyes-london-closing-ceremony-queen-lebron-195041053--oly.html

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