• Wrestling rumble! It's 'Tower of Power' Lauer vs. 'Sternum Choker' Roker

    Updated Aug. 8: Matt "The Tower of Power" Lauer and Al "The Sternum Choker" Roker (as Bob Costas dubbed them) received a lesson in Greco-Roman wrestling — even painfully learning what the "flying squirrel" move entails!

    The duo have teamed up three previous times to try out Olympic sports, getting schooled in rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming and the luge. 

    U.S. wrestlers Dremiel Byers and Ellis Coleman this time showed our co-anchors how to get gold, by lifting them in the air and then slamming them onto the mat. 

    "That's called a reverse lift," Dremiel told Al. "I call that pain," the weatherman moaned. Dremiel even got Al to yell for "mommy" once, while Matt complained of a ruptured spleen! 

    The two co-anchors then faced off in "one of the most anticipated" wrestling showdowns of the Olympic Games, according to Costas. NBC Sports' Mary Carillo said the entire match could come down to "breath." "If one of these two mooks had onions or garlic for lunch, that could decide the whole thing," she said. 

    Who won the duel? Watch the video, and see some amusing photos below.

    Jen Long

    Al Roker lies on the floor after a particularly painful-looking move. "I'm seeing a lot of this ceiling," he joked.

    Jen Long / TODAY

    Matt learned a tough lesson: Never ask a wrestler how he got the nickname, "The Flying Squirrel."

    TODAY

    Matt and Al face one of their worst nightmares: Wearing more spandex!

    Original story:
    Matt Lauer and Al Roker have gyrated as gymnasts, swam in synch and slid down an icy track — and they're up for more!

    Our fearless co-anchors will reveal their fourth Olympic event tomorrow morning. 

    The particular sport is always a closely guarded secret. TODAY.com pried one hint out of producer Jen Long: "The world's Spandex supply just took another hit." 

    That fact alone promises it'll be another gold medal-winning effort. 

    Vote on which sport you'd like Matt and Al to test out, and relive their three previous performances below.

    More on TODAY.com:
    TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)
    Pow! Natalie, Savannah get a boxing lesson — in heels
    London calling: TODAY anchors go sightseeing

  • Al, Shawn Johnson, TODAY staffer create 'Sisterhood of the Salmon Pants'

    Al Roker / Twitter

    Al admits that TODAY staffer Sarah Dunham and Olympian Shawn Johnson wear the salmon pants better.

    By Julieanne Smolinski

    This is why you should ALWAYS call Al Roker before you go out.

    Al, fellow TODAY staffer Sarah Dunham and Olympian Shawn Johnson all showed up this morning wearing pants that were verrrrrrry similar.

    Apparently Nantucket Red is popular over in London, so the matching outfits happened because they're all "on trend" and not because of any kind of "Mean Girls" prank situation. Al went as far as to call it "The Sisterhood of the Salmon Pants."

    Shawn, a TODAY.com special correspondent for the Olympics, had nothing but nice things to say of Al and his fancy slacks. “Considering he’s so stylish every day it’s an honor to feel like I was finally fashion forward,” she said graciously. She told TODAY.com that she bought hers at British trouser shop Harvey Nichols after noticing the bright fad around town. “Everyone is wearing patterned, printed and colored. I just liked the color.”

    Sarah wanted to point out that she was not, repeat, NOT copying Al's style. “Not for nothing," she said, "but I came to work first. I think I may be rubbing off on him.”

    Al knows when he's beaten, tweeting, "Ok, so Sarah and Shawn wear these pants better." Gentlemanly! But would you expect anything less from a guy in salmon pants?

    Julieanne Smolinski is a TODAY.com contributor. Her favorite Edgar Allen Poe short story is "The Salmon Pants."

    More on TODAY.com: 
    Al Roker rocks a plaid, salmon-colored jacket
    Al gets his knight on in 15th century armor
    TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)

  • TODAY anchors fight the London 'monsoon'

    Al, Natalie, Matt and Savannah proved they were pros when wild weather disrupted the TODAY broadcast from the London Olympics this morning.

    First, Natalie bravely delivered her newscast despite torrential rain flying sideways and hitting her face. Watch it here.

    Later, strong winds ruffled the anchors' hair and blew into their mics. Thinking quickly, Savannah figured out a solution to keep the broadcast going:

    More on TODAY:
    TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)
    London calling: TODAY anchors go sightseeing
    Beach volleyball (and its dance squad) takes TODAY by storm

  • Beach volleyball (and its dance squad) takes TODAY by storm

    TODAY was all shook up this morning by the Olympic beach volleyball dance troup. (Yes: That is a thing.)

    Beach volleyball has quickly established itself as the cool kid of Olympic events, what with its gnarly Santa Monican origins and devil-may-care bikinis. It's also got an attendant dance squad, who conga between points and perform full routines during technical timeouts. (See a slideshow of the team performing on NBCOlympics.com.)

    TODAY

    Beach volleyball dancers do the conga!

    As Savannah said, "This has become THE sport."

    Though maybe she should cheer from the stands rather than hit the sands. The anchors' natural athletic prowess didn't shine during a short pickup game against volleyballers Phil "The Thin Beast" Dalhausser and Todd "The Professor" Rogers.

    TODAY

    Matt tried to distract the beach volleyball Olympians with his colorful jacket.

    The gold medalists creamed them, even with Matt, Al, Natalie, Savannah and Hoda all on the same team. 

    It's OK, guys, there's always 2016. 

    Julieanne Smolinski is a TODAY.com contributor who believes there are very few things that can't be improved with the addition of a dance squad.

  • TODAY tries Olympic racewalking (and things get awkward)

    Team TODAY donned neon jogging suits to demonstrate a deceptively tricky Olympic event: racewalking.

    John Nunn and Maria Michta, members of the Team USA racewalking team, coached Savannah, Matt, Al, Natalie, Meredith and Ryan on the quirky sport, where one foot must always be in contact with the ground. 

    Cue the starting gun: The anchors were ready to race(walk). 

    TODAY

    And... things got awkward quickly.

    TODAY

    We're no experts, but attacking a competitor seems like it would be against the rules.

    TODAY

    TODAY

    TODAY

    And when Savannah, Meredith and Natalie paused to pose for a photo, Al breezed by to win the gilded sneaker.  

    TODAY

    TODAY

    Good thing Al's crown matches his outfit! 

    TODAY

    Julieanne Smolinski is a TODAY.com contributor who always bets on the weatherman.

    More on TODAY.com: 
    Seacrest out! Matt 'tackles' Ryan to the ground in Leno clip
    Ryan Seacrest shows his 'flexibility' with US gymnasts
    Pow! Natalie, Savannah get a boxing lesson -- in heels

  • Shawn Johnson: Olympians should 'censor themselves' on social media

    By Scott Stump

    Shawn Johnson has a message to Olympians who get the urge to jump on social media: Be careful.

    The London Olympics are being called the first ‘social media Games,’ where more fans than ever before will flock to Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere to follow the action.

    Johnson, TODAY.com’s special correspondent and 2008 gymnastics gold medalist, warned against athletes getting too wrapped up in social media at the expense of their primary focus. Johnson has 189,000 Twitter followers, so she is well aware of the impact it can make.

    “I think it can (be a distraction) if they allow it,’’ Johnson told Al Roker on TODAY in London Friday. “I think they need to almost censor it themselves. There’s going to be a lot of critics, a lot of opinions, a lot of competitors on social media that are going to say and do what they want, and if they read that, it can get to them, but it can also connect the world.’’

    The dangers of social media for athletes during the Games came into focus this week when a Greek triple-jumper was removed from the team when a tweet about African immigrants was deemed racist. Voula Papachristou was dismissed by the Hellenic Olympic Committee, which announced that she was placed “outside the Olympic team for statements contrary to the values and ideas of the Olympic movement.’’

    After winning three medals in Beijing in 2008, including a gold in the balance beam, Johnson, 20, is adjusting to life on the other side of the spectacle as a member of the media. She retired in June, three weeks before the Olympic trials, because of a nagging knee injury she suffered while skiing.

    “It’s a little bittersweet,’’ she said. “I would give anything to be on the team, but coming up a little short and having to retire was the best decision to me. Now getting to interview athletes and have fun with it, it’s going to be interesting.’’

    She plans on taking in Friday’s Opening Ceremony as a spectator, four years after she entered as part of the American team in Beijing.

    “It’s going to be weird,’’ she said. “I would love to be walking through it. I’ll probably get a little emotional even, but it’s going to be cool seeing my teammates walk through, and I’m very proud of them.’’

    More:

    Shawn Johnson: 'Going to London is bittersweet' 
    Gold star: Medalist Shawn Johnson joins TODAY.com Olympic team 
    Follow Shawn on Twitter 
    Shawn Johnson on her new book, 'Winning Balance' 
    London eyes: Behind the scenes with TODAY staffers