Olympics: The thrill and the agony

Antonina Krivoshapka of Russia reacts after the Women's 400m final on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 5, 2012 in London, England.

Jennifer Suhr of the United States celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Women's Pole Vault final on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2012 in London, England.

Jamaica's Brigitte Foster-Hylton grimaces in pain after falling in the women's 100m hurdles heats at the athletics event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 6, 2012 in London.

Argentina's Damian Emmanuel Migueles reacts during the men's preliminary Group A handball match Argentina vs Tunisia for the London 2012 Olympics Games on August 6, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt reacts after he won the men's 100m final at the athletics event of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 5, 2012 in London.

Becky Holliday of the United States reacts after clearing the bar in the Women's Pole Vault final on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2012 in London, England. Holliday ultimately finished ninth in the standings, while her teammate Jennifer Suhr won the gold.

Adrian Dennis/AFP/GettyImages,Streeter Lecka

In this montage Goldie Sayers of Great Britain reacts after failing to qualify for the Women's Javelin Throw on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 7, 2012 in London, England.

Clarisse Cruz of Portugal (right) falls as she compete in the Women's 3000m Steeplechase Round 1 Heatson Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 4, 2012 in London, England.

Silke Spiegelburg of Germany reacts after an attempt during the Women's Pole Vault final on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2012 in London, England. Her mark of 4.65 meters placed her fourth in the final.

Kirani James of Grenada reacts after he crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in the Men's 400m final on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2012 in London, England.

Zoltan Harcsa of Hungary reacts to his points decision loss to Esquiva Falcao Florentino of Brazil in the Middleweight (75kg) boxing quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the ExCel Arena August 6, 2012 in London.

Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba reacts in pain after finishing her women's 1500m heat at the athletics event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 6, 2012 in London.

Spain's rightwing Victor Tomas Gonzalez reacts after a goal during the men's preliminary Group B handball match Spain vs Croatia for the London 2012 Olympics Games on August 6, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Gold medalist Felix Sanchez of Dominican Republic reacts on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's 400m Hurdles final on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Hannah Johnston/Getty Images)

Italy's Valentina Arrighetti reacts after the Women's preliminary pool A volleyball match between Italy and Russia in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 5, 2012.

U.S. footballers celebrate their winning goal during extra time, at the London 2012 Olympic women's football semifinal match between the U.S. and Canada, at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on August 6, 2012. The U.S. won 4-3.

Balazs Baji of Hungary leads the pack as Xiang Liu of China falls over a hurdle in the Men's 110m Hurdles Round 1 Heats on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 7, 2012 in London, England.

Croatia's Tina Mihelic falls from her dinghy in the Laser Radial sailing class at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in Weymouth on August 3, 2012.

Robenilson Vieira de Jesus of Brazil departs the ring following his loss on points to Cuba's Lazaro Alvarez Estrada in their quarterfinals Bantamweight (56kg) boxing competition of the 2012 London Olympic Games at the ExCel Arena August 5, 2012 in London. Alvarez Estrada won on a 16-11 points decision.

Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States reacts as she wins gold in the Women's 400m Final on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 5, 2012 in London, England.

Andrew Cronje of South Africa sits on the pitch after losing 5-4 to Pakistan during the Men's Hockey match between Pakistan and South Africa on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Riverbank Arena Hockey Centre on August 5, 2012 in London, England.

McKayla Maroney of United States fails to land her dismount in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Vault final on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on August 5, 2012 in London, England.

Tunisian coach Adel Tlatli reacts during the Men's Basketball Preliminary round match Tunisia vs. Lithuania as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Basketball Arena on August 6, 2012 in London, England.

Alan Campbell of Great Britain cries after receiving his bronze medal during the medal ceremony for the Men's Single Sculls final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney on August 3, 2012 in Windsor, England.

Dorian van Rijsselberge of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's RS-X class race at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in Weymouth on August 7, 2012.

Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands celebrates with her parents Jeen (right) and Klaske after winning the silver medal in the Laser Radial Women's Sailing on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Weymouth & Portland Venue at Weymouth Harbour on August 6, 2012 in Weymouth, England.

Brazil's goalkeeper Chana Masson reacts after being defeated by Norway at the end of the women's quarter-final handball match Brazil vs Norway for the London 2012 Olympics Games on August 7, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London. Norway won 21-19.

American gold medalist Jennifer Suhr, Cuba's silver medalist Yarisley Silva and Russia's bronze medalist Yelena Isinbayeva celebrate after the women's pole vault final at the athletics event of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 6, 2012 in London.

Japan's table tennis players Kasumi Ishikawa (left) and Sayaka Hirano cry as they celebrate after beating Singapore in the women's team semi-match of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Excel centre in London on August 5, 2012. Japan advanced to face China in the final.

Jillian Camarena-Williams of the United States reacts as she competes in the Women's Shot Put qualification on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2012 in London, England.

Yasnier Toledo Lopez of Cuba (right) and Qiang Liu of China stumble during the Men's Light (60kg) Boxing on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on August 2, 2012 in London, England. Toledo Lopez defeated Liu, and advanced into the semifinals.

Russia's Tatiana Kashirina reacts after breaking a world record during the women's 75+kg group A weightlifting event of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Excel Centre in London on August 5, 2012. The 21-year-old European champion lifted 151kg to beat her own previous mark of 148kg set in November 2011.

Though Kashirina set a record in the snatch, she was topped in the clean and jerk by China's Shou Lulu, who took the gold medal on overall points.

Yoo-Mi Han #11 and Hae-Ran Kim #5 of Korea react to a lost point in the final set against Turkey during Women's Volleyball on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Earls Court on August 3, 2012 in London, England. Turkey defeated Korea 3-2.

Yong Dae Lee and Jae Sung Chung (R) of Korea react after winning their Men's Doubles Badminton Bronze Medal match against Boon Heong Tan and Kien Keat Koo of Malaysia during Badminton on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wembley Arena on August 5, 2012 in London, England.

Serbia's Maja Ognjenovic reacts after losing to Brazil in their London 2012 Olympic Games women's preliminary pool B volleyball match in London on August 5, 2012.

Lee Nam Yong of South Korea react after losing the men's field hockey preliminary round match between South Korea and Netherlands at the Riverbank Arena in London on August 7, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

James Ellington of Great Britain reacts after competing in the Men's 200m Round 1 Heats on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 7, 2012 in London, England.

Travis Stevens of the United States reacts after losing to Germany's Ole Bischof during their men's -81kg judo contest semi-final match of the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 31, 2012 at the ExCel Arena in London.

Sayaka Sato of Japan falls to the floor during her Women's Singles Badminton match against Susan Egelstaff of Great Britain on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wembley Arena on July 31, 2012 in London, England. Sato beat Egelstaff, 18-21, 21-16, 21-12.

Automne Pavia of France celebrates her bronze medal victory over Hedvig Karakas of Hungary during the Women's -57 kg Judo on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on July 30, 2012 in London, England.

William Priddy of the U.S. reacts during the men's preliminary pool B volleyball match between Brazil and the U.S. in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 2, 2012. The United States beat Brazil 3-1.

Britain's gymnast Jennifer Pinches falls from the beam during the women's team final of the artistic gymnastics event of the London Olympic Games on July 31, 2012 at the 02 North Greenwich Arena in London.

Missy Franklin of the United States wipes a tear from her face as she reacts during the medal ceremony for the Women's 100m Backstroke on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2012 in London, England.

South Korea's Shin A Lam cries at the end of her Women's Epee semifinal bout against Germany's Britta Heidemann as part of the fencing event of London 2012 Olympic games, on July 30, 2012 at the ExCel centre in London.

The South Korean team lodged an official protest against the timekeeping as Shin's match with Heidemann was tied 5-5 in sudden death when - with one second left on the clock - the match was restarted four times as both players scored simultaneously each time, automatically stopping the clock. Heidemann appeared to score in the final second.

Had the match ended tied, Shin, who had been awarded priority under the rules, would have advanced to the gold-medal match. Competition rules forced Shin to wait on the fencing strip, leaving the South Korean crying before a crowd of 8,000, as officials spent an hour discussing the appeal, before announcing Heidemann was the victor.

"I think it's unfair because the one second was over," Shin said. "I should have won, so it's unfair."

Hungary's Zsuzsanna Jakabos reacts after she competed in the women's 200m butterfly heats during the swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 31, 2012 in London. Jakabos finished seventh, behind gold medalist Jiao Liuyang of China, Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain, and Natsumi Hoshi of Japan.

Japan's Yoshiaki Oiwa falls off his horse in the Cross Country phase of the Eventing competition of the 2012 London Olympics at the Equestrian venue in Greenwich Park, London, July 30, 2012.

Venus Williams of the U.S. reacts after losing a set against Germany's Angelique Kerber during their women's single tennis third round match of the London 2012 Olympic Games in London on August 1, 2012. Kerber beat Williams, 6-7, 6-7.

Mirko Alilovic of Croatia reacts after a save during the Men's Handball Preliminary match between Serbia and Croatia on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Copper Box on July 31, 2012 in London, England. Croatia won 31-23.

Victoria Komova of Russia reacts after finishing in second and winning the silver medal in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Individual All-Around final on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on August 2, 2012 in London, England.

U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas (left) comforts a crying second-placed Russian gymnast Victoria Komova after she won the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around final at the 02 North Greenwich Arena in London on August 2, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Concepcion Bellorin of Spain (in white) reacts to losing to Hedvig Karakas of Hungary during the Women's -52 kg Judo on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on July 30, 2012 in London, England.

Germany's Laura Ludwing reacts after losing a women's beach volleyball preliminary phase Pool E match against Brazil's Maria Antonelli and Talita Rocha on The Centre Court Stadium at Horse Guards Parade in London on July 31, 2012, during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Brazil won 2-1

Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania reacts as she receives her gold medal during the medal ceremony for the Women's 100m Breaststroke on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2012 in London, England.

Ibrahim Ramadan Ibrahim of Egypt reacts after dropping the weights while competing in the Men's 77kg Weightlifting on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on August 1, 2012 in London, England. Ibrahim finished fifth in the competition.

Clemence Beikes and Emmeline Ndongue of France smile after winning the Women's Basketball Preliminary Round match between Australia and France on day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Basketball Arena on July 30, 2012 in London, England.

Bulgaria's Maria Grozdeva weeps after failing in the 25m Pistol Women precision qualification shoot-off at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London on August 1, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Tarryn Bright of South Africa pulls up injured after a challenge by Charlotte Harrison of New Zealand during the Women's Hockey Match between South Africa and New Zealand on day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Hockey Centre on July 31, 2012 in London, England.

Milena Knezevic of Montenegro lays injured during her Women's Handball Preliminaries Group A match against Montenegro on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Copper Box on August 1, 2012 in London, England.

Noor Hussain Al-Malki of Qatar pulls up injured in the Women's 100m Heats on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 3, 2012 in London, England.

Christine Girard of Canada reacts on the podium after winning the Bronze medal in the Women's 63kg Weightlifting final on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on July 31, 2012 in London, England.

Sherine Ahmed Elzeiny of Egypt is carried off after falling in the floor exercise in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's qualification on Day 2 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on July 29, 2012 in London, England.

German gymnast Philipp Boy reacts after falling from the horizontal bar during the men's qualification of the artistic gymnastics event of the London Olympic Games on July 28, 2012 at the 02 North Greenwich Arena in London.

Russian guard Becky Hammon reacts after falling down during the women's preliminary round group A basketball match of the London 2012 Olympic Games Russia vs. Australia on August 3, 2012 at the basketball arena in London. Australia won 70 to 66.

Jong Sim Rim of DPR Korea falls while competing in the Women's 69kg Weightlifting on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at ExCeL on August 1, 2012 in London, England. Rim went on to win the gold.

Albanian's Romela Begaj reacts after failing an attempt during the weightlifting women's 58kg group A event at The Excel Centre in London on July 30, 2012, during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Begai finished 11th in the competition.

Brazil's players react after the women's preliminary Pool B volleyball match between the U.S. and Brazil in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on July 30, 2012.

Ai Fukuhara of Japan reacts after losing a point against Ding Ning of China during a table tennis women's singles round match of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Excel centre in London July 31, 2012. Fukuhara lost to Ding 4-0.

Vincent Hancock of the United States reacts after competing in the Men's Skeet Shooting final round on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Royal Artillery Barracks on July 31, 2012 in London, England. Hancock won the gold medal.

Kelly Smith, #10, of Great Britain reacts after her penalty kick against Brazil was blocked during the Women's Football first round Group E Match between Great Britain and Brazil on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wembley Stadium on July 31, 2012 in London, England. Britain won 1-0.

U.S. swimmers Conor Dwyer (left), Ryan Lochte (center) and Ricky Berens react after Michael Phelps finished the team's final leg to win the gold in the Men's 4x200m freestyle relay final during the swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 31, 2012 in London.

Italy's Claudia Wurzel (left) and Sara Bertolasi react after arriving in fourth place in the women's pair final B of the rowing event during the London 2012 Olympic Games, at Eton Dorney Rowing Centre in Eton, west of London, on August 1, 2012.

Natalie Dell of the U.S. reacts after winning the bronze medal along with teammates Kara Kohler, Megan Kalmoe and Adrienne Martelli in the women's quadruple sculls final A of the rowing event during the London 2012 Olympic Games, at Eton Dorney Rowing Centre in Eton, west of London, on August 1, 2012.

Danilo of Brazil reacts after scoring against New Zealand during the Men's Football first round Group C match between Brazil and New Zealand on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at St James' Park on August 01, 2012 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Brazil won 3-0.

Russia's centerback Tatiana Khmyrova reacts after falling on the floor during the women's preliminaries Group A handball match Russia vs Angola for the London 2012 Olympics Games on July 28, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London. Russia won 30-27.

France's Lucie Decosse reacts as she wins her women's -70kg judo contest semi-final match of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 1, 2012 at the ExCel arena in London.

Argentina's Sebastian Sole reacts during the Men's preliminary pool A volleyball match between Poland and Argentina in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 2, 2012. Poland defeated Argentina 3-0.

Danell Leyva of the United States reacts after competing on the pommel horse in the Artistic Gymnastics Men's Individual All-Around final on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on August 1, 2012 in London, England.

Michael Jamieson of Great Britain reacts after he finished second in the Final for the Men's 200m Breaststroke on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on August 1, 2012 in London, England.

Joshua Binstock of Canada reacts during the Men's Beach Volleyball preliminary match between the Brazil and Canada on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Horse Guards Parade on August 1, 2012 in London, England. Brazil beat Canada 2-0.

Sayaka Sato of Japan cries as she is consoled by opponent Tine Baun of Denmark after withdrawing injured in their Women's Singles Badminton on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wembley Arena at Wembley Arena on August 1, 2012 in London, England.

Spain's leftback Beatriz Fernandez Ibanez reacts after a goal during the women's preliminaries Group A handball match Spain vs Denmark for the London 2012 Olympics Games on August 1, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London. Spain won the match, 24-21.

Britain's leftback Ewa Palies reacts after a goal during the women's preliminaries Group A handball match Great Britain vs. Russia for the London 2012 Olympics Games on July 30, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London. Russia beat Britian 37-16.

United States' gold medalist Kayla Harrison reacts on the podium of the women's -78kg judo contest of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 2, 2012 at the ExCel arena in London.

Sabine Lisicki of Germany (left) reacts after a point against Maria Sharapova of Russia during the third round of Women's Singles Tennis on Day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wimbledon on August 1, 2012 in London, England. Lisicki lost to Sharapova, 7-6, 4-6, 4-6.

Turkey's players react during the women's preliminary pool B volleyball match between Serbia and Turkey in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 1, 2012. Turkey went on to beat Serbia 3-0.

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates after winning over Canada's Milos Raonic during their men's singles tennis match second round at the 2012 London Olympic Games at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 31, 2012.

U.S. swimmer Allison Schmitt reacts after winning the women's 200m freestyle final during the swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 31, 2012 in London.

David Florence (right) of Great Britain and his team mate Richard Hounslow react after competing in the Mens`s Canoe Double (C2) finale on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Lee Valley White Water Centre on August 2, 2012 in London, England. Florence and Hounslow won the silver in the event, as fellow Brits Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott took the gold.

Belarus' Maksim Skavysh (right) and Stanislav Dragun react after their 3-1 defeat against Egypt during a London 2012 Olympic Games men's football match at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, on August 1, 2012.

Spain's Iria Grandal reacts after being defeated by South Korea's Choi Hyeonju in the women's individual 1/16 elimination match on Day 5 at Lord's Cricket Ground in London on August 1, 2012 during the London 2012 Olympic Games. South Korea won the match.

Japan's Kei Nishikori reacts after losing a point against Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro during their men's single tennis quarterfinal match at the London 2012 Olympic Games in London on August 2, 2012. Del Potro defeated Nishikori, 6-4, 7-6, to advance to the semifinals.

Stephen Rowbotham, Charles Cousins, Tom Solesbury and Matthew Wells of Great Britain react after the Men's Quadruple Sculls final on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney on August 3, 2012 in Windsor, England. The British team finished fifth, as Germany took the gold medal.

France's rightback Alexandra Lacrabere (right) reacts after a goal next to South Korea's rightback Choi Im Jeong during the women's preliminary Group B handball match South Korea vs France for the London 2012 Olympics Games on August 3, 2012 at the Copper Box hall in London. France won the match 24-21.

Argentina's Rodrigo Quiroga reacts during the men's preliminary pool A volleyball match between Poland and Argentina for the 2012 London Olympic Games in London on August 2, 2012. Poland defeated Argentina 3-0.