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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GABBY DOUGLAS AND ROYALTY
Gabby Douglas is rubbing shoulders with royalty.
The 16-year-old gymnastics gold medalist said Thursday, "I met Kate, the duchess, that was a cool experience for me. She loved our leos (leotards)."
At a press conference, she reflected upon her sudden stardom ? and, while showing some youthful innocence, she wasn't lacking in confidence.
"I've always wanted to inspire people, and the thing about the Olympics, this quote 'inspire a generation' - so, you know, I can check that off my bucket list.
"I'm just so happy that more people are starting to come into the gymnastics world."
? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb
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WOMEN'S BOXING GOLD
History is going to be made on Thursday, and Claressa Shields wants to be the one to make it.
The first Olympic gold for women's boxing will be awarded, with the American Shields slugging it out with Russia's Nadezda Torlopov.
The 17-year-old Shields has won over the London crowd with a combination of style, skill and charisma. And all this success is just starting to sink in for the final American in the boxing competition.
"I'm still kind of shocked," Shields says. "I'm thinking in my head, 'Is it really true? Am I fighting for a gold medal (Thursday)?'"
? Greg Beacham ? Twitter http://twitter.com/gregbeacham
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BOLT'S BID
Usain Bolt says he doesn't want to talk about being the greatest sprinter until he wins the 200-meter gold again.
The race comes on Thursday night. And if the talkative Jamaican wins as expected, you can bet he'll be more than happy to entertain the discussion.
Bolt won his semifinal heat in 20.18 seconds on Wednesday night, leaving plenty of gas in the tank for the final, where he will look to gain more redemption on teammate Yohan Blake. Blake beat Bolt in the 100 and 200 at the Jamaica trials, but Bolt already has a win in the 100 in London.
Says Bolt: "There's a lot of people there who have come to spoil the party, so we'll see."
? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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WORLD CUP REMATCH
The U.S. women's soccer team still feels the sting from that shootout loss to Japan in the World Cup last July.
On Thursday night, they get another chance against the Japanese for Olympic gold.
"It's definitely redemption, but it's also an opportunity," midfielder Carli Lloyd says. "And an opportunity to show the world that we're the No. 1 team and this game is going to be different."
Abby Wambach ran into Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa in the athletes village, and they spoke briefly.
"We told each other that we were glad the other had won, because we believe that we're the top two teams in the world and we believe our fans deserve to see a great final," Wambach says.
? Janie McCauley ? Twitter http://twitter.com/janiemccAP
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FUTURE PAIRING?
Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross were opponents in the gold medal game in London. There's a good chance they could be teammates in Rio.
Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor capped a brilliant career with their third straight Olympic gold, beating Ross and Jennifer Kessy in straight sets. Both May-Treanor and Kessy plan to be out of the international game by the time the Rio Games come around in 2016.
May-Treanor is done competitively, looking to turn her attention to starting a family with Dodgers catcher Matt Treanor. Kessy says she's going to play for one more year until Ross finds another partner.
"She's a winner," Walsh Jennings says. "She's a champion. She's a fighter. She's someone I'd be honored to play with."
? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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TIGHT DEADLINE
For the past two weeks, Peter Spens has had two of the best seats in the house at picturesque Horse Guards Parade.
Spens has been splitting his time between a spot just off the beach volleyball court and the Horse Guards balcony that overlooks the stadium.
The two vantage points have helped him work on a painting of a place that, with Buckingham Palace and Big Ben clearly in view, is perhaps the London Games' most visually stunning venue.
Spens was still working on his masterpiece late in the women's gold medal match on Wednesday night.
He has one more day to complete it. The men's gold medal match is Thursday night, after which the beach volleyball tournament will conclude.
? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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HUNGARY CANOE GOLD
It's a third gold medal for Hungary in the canoe sprint regatta after Danuta Kozak won the Olympic title in the women's 500-meter K-1 at Dorney Lake.
The two-time European champion won in 1 minutes 51.456 seconds Thursday morning. Defending champion Inna Osypenko-Radomska of Ukraine won the silver medal and Bridgitte Hartley of South Africa took the bronze.
Kozak was the quickest qualifier by nearly a second. She bettered her second-place finishes at the last world championship and the 2012 European championship. It's her second gold of the games, following her victory Wednesday in the 500-meter K-4 team event.
Josefa Idem, the 47-year-old Italian competing in a women's record eighth Summer Games, finished fifth in her Olympic finale.
? Steve Douglas ? Twitter http://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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ROYAL ENTRANCE
Prince Harry was in the house ? the beach volleyball house.
Silver medalists Jennifer Kessy and April Ross had the pleasure of watching the royal make his way into Horse Guards Parade on Wednesday night.
The U.S. pair were going through security ahead of their gold-medal match, which they lost to three-time champion countrywomen Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Ross: "We actually thought the cameras were for us because they were filming us walking and then someone's like, 'Oh, Prince Harry's behind right behind you.' I was like, 'Aah.'"
Kessy on not talking to the prince: "We chickened out a little bit."
Ross: "We figured he might want a picture if we got a gold."
? Janie McCauley ? Twitter http://twitter.com/janiemccAP
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WORLD RECORD?
Both jogged across the finish line.
Both know they've got more in the tank ? maybe even a gold medal.
Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake both moved onto the finals of the 200 meters with easy runs Wednesday night. They'll go for the gold medal in Thursday's night final, and think the winner has a shot at breaking Bolt's world record of 19.19 seconds.
"Anything is possible," Blake said. "It's the 200 meters and we are both full speed. Anything can happen."
Bolt said the time off between heats ? he ran once Tuesday, once Wednesday and now has until Thursday night to prepare for the final ? gives him the rest he needs for a potential electric run.
"There's a possibility, definitely," he said of a new world record. "I can't say, but the track is fast. I know I'm feeling great."
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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GOLD FOR GULFPORT
Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated her hometown, Brittney Reese hoped to give Gulfport, Miss., a medal in the Beijing Games.
She came up short, and was crushed.
"When I placed fifth, I was devastated and cried the whole way back to the (athletes) village," she said. "I had the whole Gulf Coast behind me ... I wanted to come out there and do that for them."
She delivered four years later with a long-awaited gold medal in the long jump. She repeatedly recalled the struggles her family had been through after Katrina, which produced rains that collapsed the roof on her home and displaced the family for several months.
"We had mold and we were living out of mobile homes and trailers," she said. "It was a tough time and unless you realize how blessed you are to have necessities ? we didn't have hot water, and it was hot and we didn't have air conditioning. It was a real true eye-opener and my city is now rebuilt and we have most of the stuff back.
"But we don't have a lot of the homes back. This was a great way for me to bring something home to them to show that we can all do this together."
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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PROUD HUBBY
Misty May-Treanor's husband, a Los Angeles Dodgers catcher, watched his famous wife win her third straight beach volleyball gold medal on a bad internet connection in the team's clubhouse, missing the final few points.
"I'm just real proud of her. I am sure she is much more comfortable on the court than I am watching her," Matt Treanor told reporters in the dugout at Dodger Stadium. "It was tears of joy. I mean, honestly, the tears didn't flow right away because there were a bunch of people in the room. I had to step out of the room."
? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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MOST CLICKABLE
Michael Phelps may have the most Olympic medals, but when it comes to clicks, Gabby Douglas gets the gold.
The gymnastics gold medalist is the most clicked-upon athlete on NBC's Olympics website, the network said. Through Sunday, her profile on the site had more than 18 million page views. Phelps' profile came in second with just over 7 million page views.
Four of the five most clicked-upon athletes were female gymnasts, NBC said. The Olympics event with the most live streams was the gold-medal-winning performance of the female gymnasts, with 1.46 million streams, followed by Usain Bolt's sprint for gold.
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'VERY HAPPY' BULGARIA
Bulgaria's improbable Olympic run has led to the men's volleyball semifinals, a feat achieved in front of an A-list guest ? President Rosen Plevneliev.
After Bulgaria thrashed Germany in straight sets on Wednesday, players followed up their chest-thumping celebrations with an unorthodox pileup on the court.
"We dreamed and worked hard," Plevneliev said. "Bulgaria is very happy about this result."
The team arrived at the London Games in disarray. The day after Bulgaria qualified for the games, coach Radostin Stoychev and standout player Metey Kaziyski resigned because of internal bickering with the national federation.
Now eyeing its first volleyball medal since 1980, Bulgaria plays Russia in the semifinals on Friday.
? Paul Logothetis ? Twitter http://twitter.com/PaulLogoAP
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FLOWER POWER
Sweet move by American runner Alysia Montano, wearing a flower in her hair during a heat of the 800 meters to honor her grandmother, who turned 100 on Wednesday.
? David Bauder ? Twitter http://twitter.com/dbauder
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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.
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