• Silver screen, gold medalists: Olympians pick top sports films

    Warner Bros. Pictures; Sarika Dani, NBC News

    Left, Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby"; right, boxing gold medal baby Claressa Shields, 17.

    By Sarika Dani and Ian Sager

    The London Games are winding down, and it's a long time until the 2014 Winter Olympics. But you don't have to wait that long to experience the thrill of victory again — there are plenty of inspiring and entertaining sports moments to be enjoyed through the magic of the movies. We asked Olympians from many disciplines to reveal their favorite sports films; here are the ones they put on their personal podiums.

    Claressa Shields, boxing

    The 17-year-old who won the first U.S. gold medal in women’s Olympic boxing names “Ali,” starring Will Smith as Muhammad Ali, and “Million Dollar Baby,” which won Hilary Swank a Best Actress Oscar as a boxer who beats the odds, among her favorite sports films. “They both have something to do with boxing and they are both good stories,” she told TODAY.com.

    Jamie Gray, shooting

    “‘Miracle’ is such an inspiration,” Gray told TODAY.com, referring to the 2004 film about the U.S. men's hockey team's remarkable gold medal win over the heavily favored Soviet team in the 1980 Winter Olympics. “I always watch before matches,” she added, but confessed that at the London Games, “I fell asleep.” (No harm done; Gray is bringing home the gold in the women's 50m rifle, 3 positions.)

    NBC, MGM

    Pole vaulter Jenn Suhr loves "Rocky IV."

    Jenn Suhr, track & field

    Suhr is a pole vaulter, so it's a bit of a surprise that her favorite sports film is a boxing movie: "Rocky IV." Why? “Because of the fight between Rocky and Ivan Drago!” she exclaimed. “Plus, our training center in Rochester, New York is called the Meat Cooler," she added. "It’s a big metal and steel building. It reminds us of the scenes from the movie.”

    Serena Williams, tennis

    The tennis superstar was one of the two Olympians TODAY.com spoke to whose favorite sports film is a comedy (the other was swimmer Matt Grevers, who chose "Cool Runnings," the John Candy film about a Jamaican Olympic bobsledding team). "Easy, it’s 'Talladega Nights'!" Williams said. For motivation, Williams turns to the inspiring (and fully trademarked) words of NASCAR legend Ricky Bobby, played by Will Ferrell: "If you ain’t first, you’re last."

    NBC, Buena Vista Pictures

    Aly Raisman, gymnastics

    Chalk up another vote for "Miracle": "It’s really inspiring and the captain of the team is from my hometown in Massachusetts.” So, does the multiple medal winner watch before every competition? "No, I’ve just watched it before so I like it a lot," she told TODAY.com. "I think it's a good movie."

    Marlen Esparza, boxing

    "Remember the Titans," the fact-inspired 2000 drama starring Denzel Washington as a football coach struggling with racial tensions on his team, is "super motivational," the Texas-born boxer told TODAY.com. In fact, she's lost count of how many times she's watched it; she lets it play "every time it comes on."

    NBC, Paramount Pictures

    Hurdler Dawn Harper credits Samuel L. Jackson as "Coach Carter" as a model for perseverance.

    Dawn Harper, track & field

    The silver medalist in the women's 100m hurdles chooses "Coach Carter," the 2005 Samuel L. Jackson drama, based on the true story of a high school basketball coach who benched his undefeated team for their low academic grades, and motivated them to success in the classroom as well as on the court. "It's about the perseverance," Harper told TODAY.com.

    Dremiel Byers, wrestling

    The Newark, N.J.-born grappler's instant choice was "Vision Quest," a 1985 drama starring Matthew Modine as a high school wrestler searching for meaning in his life. "Come on, I'm a wrestler," he told TODAY.com. But then he thought for a moment and added: "Actually, this is hard for me. I'm stuck between 'Vision Quest' and 'Prefontaine' (the 1997 story of long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine, played by Jared Leto). "But I'm a wrestler, so I'd have to say 'Vision Quest.'"

    Courtesy of Producers Distribution

    Silver medalist Leo Manzano (right) was fascinated by a documentary about Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna (left).

    Leo Manzano, track & field

    Manzano was fast enough to win the U.S. silver in the men's 1500 meters, so it's natural that he chose a film about speed: "Senna," a critically acclaimed British documentary about Brazilian Formula One race car driver Ayrton Senna. "I didn't know anything about F1," Manzano confessed. "Then (I) watched this movie and fell in love with it."

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  • Athletes reveal their post-Olympic pig-out plans

    Christophe Karaba / EPA

    Silver medalist Dawn Harper will stick her finger in some grease, she said, to fulfill her need for junk food.

    By Ian Sager and Sarika Dani

    For four long years, they have resisted the siren call of the greasy hamburger and the enticing whispers of the milkshake. 

    Now that their competition in London is done, several U.S. Olympians are done fighting the urge to break their strict diets. Bring on the fries, pizza and steak, and let 100-meter hurdles silver medalist Dawn Harper show the way.

    “I want something bad,’’ Harper told TODAY.com. “I will find grease and dip my finger into it.’’

    Clive Rose / Getty Images

    Gold medal-winning swimmer Matt Grevers celebrated his Olympic run with a run to McDonald's.

    When Harper finally returns to her home in East St. Louis in late September at the end of the international track season, she wants her family to pretend it’s late November.

    “This is really bad,’’ she said. “I told my family I want a Thanksgiving meal prepared, with all the fixings.”

    Before she gets to her turkey feast, Harper will have to settle for something frozen in London. She plans on having some Pinkberry, “since there’s no Cold Stone.’’

    Swimmer Matt Grevers had something similar in mind after he finished his competition with a gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke and a silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

    “I went to McDonald’s and had a vanilla milkshake,’’ he said. “It was delicious.”

    Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

    Gymnast John Orozco had a feast that "destroyed" his stomach after competition was over.

    When these finely-tuned athletes are ready to stop counting calories, their bodies aren’t always ready for the shock of a cholesterol tidal wave.

    “I had pizza, chicken nuggets from McDonald’s, and I had a big cookie,’’ gymnast John Orozco told TODAY.com. “That was it for me. After that my stomach was destroyed.”

    The 19-year-old from the Bronx was on a diet of protein, lean meats and salad leading up to the games, where he did not earn a medal in the individual or team competition.

    “Maybe that (diet) didn’t work for me,’’ he said. “I was too weak.”

    Watch video: Olympians reveal nicknames from serious to silly 

    Gregory Bull / AP

    Aly Raisman's post-games guilty pleasure is pizza, while teammate Gabby Douglas is going to hit up a Mongolian grill.

    The guilty pleasures of Orozco’s gold medal-winning counterparts on the women’s gymnastics team run the gamut from pizza (Aly Raisman) to a Mongolian grill (Gabby Douglas), while U.S. shooter Jamie Gray made a special order after winning the gold in the 50-meter rifle three-position.

    “I’m a healthy eater, normally,’’ Gray said. “[After competing] I went to the USA House and had a nice rare steak. It was awesome. They didn’t have it in the buffet so the chef made it and brought it out himself.’’

    Not all athletes go completely off the wagon. “[I want] a giant slice of gluten-free pizza!’’ said pole vault gold medalist Jenn Suhr. “I follow a gluten-free diet, but I can’t wait for some good pizza.’’

    Food cravings are also a reminder of home for the Americans thousands of miles across the pond. Mexican-born distance runner Leo Manzano, who became the first American to medal in the 1,500-meter race since 1968 when he took silver, is craving some of his mother’s flour tortillas at home in Austin, Texas.

    Watch video: Athletes reveal which royal makes them swoon

    “Flour tortillas are not as good for you, but they taste better,” he said.

    Fellow Austin resident Michael Tinsley, who won the silver medal in the 400 hurdles, has his own hometown agenda.

    “I really want to have a burger from Mighty Fine,’’ Tinsley said. “They have the best burgers in Austin. They’re big and juicy and neatly made!”

    Some Olympians aren't craving food, but company: Suhr said her first order of business when she gets home will be going to the babysitter to pick up her dog, a Great Pyrenees named Tundra, and her cat, Morris.

    petside.com

    Missy Franklin smooches her pooch, Ruger. The two Skyped while she was in London.

    Swimmer Nathan Adrian is also waiting to see his dogs, a pair of pound puppies named Boo (after the character in "Monster’s Inc.") and Sully. Adrian said he has been Skyping with his family but since you can’t Skype pets, he has missed his dogs.

    Don’t tell teenage swimming phenom Missy Franklin that you can’t Skype with pets. Franklin pined for her 9-year-old, 110-pound Alaskan Malamute named Ruger so much that she had a Skype session in London with the canine simply sitting in front of the camera. When she gets home to Centennial, Colo., she plans to “cuddle my dog for like 20 days straight.’’ 

    Finally, if there aren’t any pets or burgers waiting for them at home, Olympians could always blow off steam the old-fashioned way, like Grevers plans on doing.

    “I want to stay out late and socialize,” he said.

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  • U.S. gymnast's dad 'embarrassed' watching viral video

    TODAY's Natalie Morales chats with the parents of U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman about their dramatic and animated reactions during Sunday's competition.

    By Scott Stump

    Contorting in the stands with their daughter's every flip on the uneven bars, the parents of U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman became a viral sensation when NBC cameras caught them urging her to “stick it’’ in her final routine on Sunday.

    Rick and Lynn Raisman could only laugh at their own expressive body language as they watched the video during an interview with Natalie Morales on TODAY Tuesday. The Raismans had reason to be excited in their now-famous clip, as Aly stunned the field in the qualifying round on Sunday to advance to the individual all-around finals. In the process, she bumped out teammate (and gold medal favorite) Jordyn Wieber.

    Raisman’s performance was a big story on its own, but her mom and dad joined her in the headlines by showing the type of emotion familiar to any parents dealing with the anxiety of watching their child compete. On Monday morning, Aly tweeted, “I love my parents,’’ and attached a clip of the video.

    “It was such a relief when she finished the event,’’ Rick told Morales. “There’s just so much pressure and it’s just so magnified. I’m embarrassed watching (the video) now. You don’t even realize it. You’re just so locked in, it’s just unreal.’’

    “I knew he was moving,’’ Lynn said of her husband. “I had no idea I was moving that much.’’

    Rick stood up and pumped his fist in celebration while Lynn cried tears of joy once they realized their daughter was now one step away from her dream of an individual Olympic medal. They knew Aly had reached the finals before she did.

    “She doesn’t always watch her scores,’’ her mother said. “I said, ‘Did you know how close you were going into the last event?' She said, ‘No I didn’t look at the scores.’ Her coach is usually happy at the end, but he was really, really happy, and she said, ‘I had no idea.’’’

    Aly’s ecstasy was Wieber’s agony, as the reigning all-around world champion is now out of the running for an individual all-around gold medal. Wieber finished fourth overall in Sunday’s qualifier, but international rules state that only two competitors from the same country can advance. Since Raisman and teammate Gabby Douglas finished ahead of Wieber, she was eliminated from a finals berth.

    “(Aly) felt terrible,’’ Lynn Raisman said. “It’s always terrible that there’s a two per-country rule. When you’re from a country like the U.S. where’s there’s five girls who really could do it if they were all given a chance to compete in the all-around, it could be any number of them. It’s really hard.’’

    Wieber will still compete in Tuesday’s team finals, with the United States being the favorite to win its first gymnastics gold medal as a team since 1996.

    “If they just go in and do what they’re capable of doing, no question they’ll do it,’’ Lynn said. “They’re a good group, they’re so close, they’re so focused and so determined that I’m really hopeful.”

    “Today is the most important day for the team,’’ Rick said. “That’s what they’re here for first. We just wish them all the best and hopefully they can do their thing.’’

    Read More:

    Watching your child compete: The agony and the ecstasy of Aly Raisman's parents

    Missy Franklin's mom: 'She's always been smiling'

    Read all of TODAY's 2012 Olympics coverage!

     

     

     

  • Olympians flash their bling while going for gold

    Leon Neal / AFP - Getty Images

    U.S. swimmer Dana Vollmer wears her elephant stud earrings on July 29, 2012 in London.

    By Jillian Eugenios

    Though the Olympics sees more than its share of grit, the London Games have also had plenty of glitter: More and more athletes are pushing the envelope and showing off their bejeweled accessories while competing.
     
    Aly Raisman, the 18-year-old gymnast and captain of the U.S. gymnastics team, made sure to pack her custom-made earrings when she left for London. Made especially for her by Adamas Fine Jewelry in her hometown of Newton Highlands, Mass., the earrings have rubies, sapphires and diamonds to represent the red, white and blue.
     
    Adamas owner Veronica Sagherian spoke of the bespoke studs in a statement, saying that they were made in support of Raisman’s accomplishments: “We wanted to create something that fits her style in the Olympic games. We hope that this is a piece that she will wear forever.”
     
    “If I’m allowed to wear them in the competition, then I will,” Raisman told NBC-affiliate WHDH. Once she got the green light from her coaches, it's as if she hasn’t taken them off: She’s been photographed wearing them when she qualified for her all-around final, as well as during pre-Olympic interviews and in her Sports Illustrated cover shoot.

    If Raisman's team does well at the games, they can expect to get a hint of glam as well: Adamas Fine Jewelry has promised a pair of the earrings to each of Raisman's teammates if they bring home gold.

     

    Mike Blake / REUTERS

    Aly Raisman performs at the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in San Jose, Calif., on June 29, 2012.

    When spectators caught a glimpse of Raisman rocking her bling on the bars, many took to Twitter to ask if that was against the rules. Many of the tweeters complained that athletes competing on regional and national levels aren’t allowed to wear jewelry during competition.


    User Alex Hickman tweeted, "If Olympic athletes can wear jewelry, why can't I wear earrings in my soccer games?" Adam Christopher asked, "I’m always surprised when women fencers wear big dangly earrings while fencing. Surely they jangle around inside the mask?"

    But it isn't only Raisman and the odd fencer wearing jewelry into competition. American table tennis player Ariel Hsing has won two matches at the Olympics so far, and done so while wearing a pair of gold-backed studs.

    And Dana Vollmer has been competing wearing a tiny pair of elephant earrings, which she bought as a good luck charm for London 2012. Looks like they've paid off so far: She scored a world record the second day of the games, winning the 100-meter butterfly in 55.98 seconds.

    No stranger to glam, Paraguayan javelin thrower and beauty contestant Leryn Franco has been photographed competing in studs and diamond hoops. Franco has also been known to bring her javelin along to photo shoots, showing that a girl can both wear stilettos and handle a javelin with no trouble at all.

    Norberto Duarte / AFP - Getty Images file

    Paraguay's Leryn Franco sports hoop earringa in a javelin practice in Asuncion on July 19, 2012, ahead of the London Games.

    The International Olympics Committee does not officially rule regarding jewelry for each sport; instead, the governing body of each sport sets its own rules. Which means, for instance, that wearing jewelry of any kind is a no-no for volleyball players, but gymnasts are allowed to wear earrings as long as they keep it simple.

    A spokesperson for USA Gymnastics told TODAY.com that the latest official rule book concerning female gymnasts states, “No jewelry, with the exception of one pair of stud earrings (one in each ear). All other piercing should be removed, not just covered with tape or Band-Aids.”

    Looks like Raisman is free to show off that red, white and blue.

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