Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters

Germany's Katrin Holtwick sports kinesio tape during the women's beach volleyball preliminary match against Czech Republic during the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 28.

German beach volleyball player Katrin Holtwick might be more internationally famous for the aquamarine lines of tape trailing down her midriff than her serves and spikes. But the 28-year-old Olympian isn’t making a fashion statement; she’s using the tape to alleviate pain and perform better. In theory, anyway.

Kinesiology tape, or kinesio tape for short, is a flexible, cloth tape, which athletic trainers apply on achy muscles to relieve pain or to encourage muscles to work more efficiently. People specifically trained to apply the tape place it over the muscles in precise ways; the tape exerts force on the muscles so they are more synchronized.   

“It’s cotton tape that has some sort of adhesive that mimics the elasticity of the skin,” says Dr. Aaron Mares, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at UPMC Sports Medicine and associate team physician for the University of Pittsburgh football team. 

Other notable Olympics tape sightings: Beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings has taped up her right shoulder, the Chinese synchronized diving pair striped their lower backs with the stuff and every other commercial break there seems to be an ad for the brand of tape called SpiderTech. But aficionados of kinesio tape aren't all elite, Olympic-level athletes -- amateur runners and cyclists, for example, use the stuff, too.

Fans of kinesio tape say it reduces pain by increasing blood flow and encouraging lymphatic drainage. It's also intended to help the muscle work correctly after an injury. Say a beach volleyball player has a sore muscle in her shoulder. She might serve a bit differently because she’s using her other muscles to overcompensate for the tender one. The kinesio tape -- again, in theory -- should reduce the inflammation that causes pain and encourage her muscles to move properly.  

“If there is a structural damage like a torn ACL or meniscus, it’s not going to be effective; after all, it’s tape,” explains Dr. David Geier, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Medical University of South Carolina and director of its sports medicine program. 

Currently, there is not a lot of research indicating that kinesio tape actually works -- but if athletes believe it helps, that in itself might be enough. It could be an example of the placebo effect, the phenomenon when people feel better after taking a pill, even though it might be inactive. Traditional taping -- such as what’s used for a sprained ankle -- and kinesio tape helps people with proprioception, a person’s perception of where a body part exists in relation to their body. Even just that simple act of re-familiarization with the athlete's own body may help give them the feeling that their body is aligned and whole -- and ready to compete. 

“[Kinesio tape] is not something that harms the patients. If athletes feel this may help benefit them from a performance standpoint, I have no problems with them trying it,” says Mares.

But kinesio tape alone probably won't make injuries go away, Grier adds. He recommends tending to sports injuries with remedies including physical therapy, icing and taking over-the-counter pain relievers, like aspirin or ibuprofen.   

Related: 

• Give McKayla Maroney a break: 2nd place is tougher than 3rd 
• Video: Mixed feelings about silver
• Why do so many Olympic athletes have asthma?

Nursing a broken heart from a disappointing fourth-place finish in Tuesday’s 100-meter hurdles, an emotional Lolo Jones fired back at her critics on Wednesday.

Jones opened up about a Saturday New York Times piece that compared her to Anna Kournikova, the former tennis pro known more for her good looks than her accomplishments on the court. 

“I think it was crazy just because it was two days before I competed, and then the fact that it was from a U.S. media,’’ Jones told Savannah Guthrie before fighting back tears. “They should be supporting our U.S. Olympic athletes and instead they just ripped me to shreds. I just thought that that was crazy because I worked six days a week, every day, for four years for a 12-second race and the fact that they just tore me apart, which is heartbreaking.

“They didn’t even do their research, calling me the Anna Kournikova of track. I have the American record. I am the American record holder indoors, I have two world indoor titles. Just because I don’t boast about these things, I don’t think I should be ripped apart by media. I laid it out there, fought hard for my country and it’s just a shame that I have to deal with so much backlash when I’m already so brokenhearted as it is.”

On Tuesday night, Jones tweeted that she had a “broken heart’' after missing an Olympic medal finish by one-tenth of a second. Her disappointment followed her performance in the 2008 Olympics, when she was leading the race and clipped the ninth of 10 hurdles to finish seventh. She took no solace that the Tuesday night race was the fastest one in Olympic history, with Australia’s Sally Pearson running an Olympic-record 12.35 seconds to edge American Dawn Harper by two-hundredths of a second to win.

“Definitely, I was crushed afterwards,’’ Jones said. “I know I had the best race of my season. Not the best race of my life, but I had the best race of my year, so I just try to look at that. It doesn’t take away from the pain that I was close to once again having a medal and not getting it.”

Jones tried to find the silver lining in reaching the Olympic finals after several setbacks in the past year.

“I think it’s disappointing in one extreme as in I didn’t get the medal, but in another extreme, a year ago I was having spinal cord surgery,’’ she said. “I mean if I look at that, spinal cord surgery, two hamstring injuries and you fought through all of that, so I take time to focus on that and not the negativity I’ve received.”

Jones has drawn criticism for her openness with the media about everything from her personal life to struggles with injuries. However, she hopes that her story will inspire others to overcome adversity.

“Putting your heart out there, obviously it opens you up to a lot of negativity, but at the same time if I could just reach somebody out there,’’ she said. “Maybe there’s a little girl who thinks she can be an Olympic athlete and she sees all the things I struggled through to get here. Yeah, I didn’t walk away with a medal or run away with a medal, but I think there’s lessons to be learned when you win and lessons to be learned when you lose.’’

Dave Hogan / NBC News

Gabby Douglas and her mom, Natalie Hawkins, on TODAY after Team USA's gold-medal win.

Just before the scoreboard showed that Gabby Douglas had won the gold in individual gymnastics last week, her mom Natalie Hawkins had only one reaction: relief. It was relief that came after ten years of training, after her daughter said she dreamt of being an Olympian, and after she let her daughter move away from home at 14 to chase her dreams.

The relief didn't last long, as Hawkins soon found herself defending her daughter's hair, which had been swiftly criticized for being both “unkempt” and “embarrassing” very soon after Douglas made Olympic history.

In an interview with gymnastics gold medalist Dominique Dawes, Hawkins said when she first saw the comments she was confused. "Because I was looking at the pictures and I was like, 'I'm missing it,' because I don't see what they're talking about. I mean, she doesn't have fly-aways all sticking out, it's not like it's all over her head. It's pulled back into a ponytail."

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Gabby Douglas has been deflecting online commentary about her hair.

Hawkins went on to describe the specific way gymnasts must tie their hair back so that it doesn't interfere with their tumbling. 

As her daughter competed, Hawkins thought of Douglas sharing a place in the history books alongside Dawes, who was the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics. Hawkins told Dawes that when she imagined Gabby winning the gold she thought of her sharing "that amazing feat with people like the likes of you, and so that was exciting for me to know, that she would be counted on a level and in a category with you and all the other gymnastic greats."

She was not considering her daughter's ponytail.

According to Dawes, it shouldn't be a consideration. "As an athlete you are not focused on your appearance or you're not going to make those achievements," she said.

The attention over Douglas's hair gained ground once it hit Twitter. One user tweeted, “I love Gabby Douglas, but I'm mad at whoever keeps letting her wear that half wig and that silky ponytail on the back of some nappy hair.” Another suggested she did not belong on camera.

If Douglas has been fazed she hasn’t shown it, continuing to wear her hair the same way throughout the games. Fans have encouraged her along the way, many coming to her defense. TODAY's Al Roker tweeted Tuesday, "Anybody who has a problem w/Gabby Douglas' hair needs to sit down and be quiet. Enjoy and focus on the accomplishments."

When Hawkins spoke about the hair controversy to Fashionista.com, she said that she herself was once guilty of prioritizing her daughter's hair before her training, and had to be reminded that it had nothing to do with her career. “It was actually her coach who told me that,” she said. “I was trying to get her into a hair appointment and I wanted to move her training schedule around and he said to me, ‘She’s beautiful. You don’t need to change her hair. We need to focus on training.’"

Douglas lives and trains in Des Moines, Iowa, with a host family, Hawkins reminded Fashionista.com. "She lives with a white host family and they don’t know anything about taking care of her hair," she said. "And there’s no black salons in their area — not one. We had to work really hard to find a stylist to come and do her hair... It’s really been African-American women that have come out and attacked her. They don’t know about gymnastics. She has to keep her hair in a ponytail 28-30 hours a week."

Hair, especially among African-American women, has long been a cause of contentious discussion. As TODAY.com reported last week, media queen Oprah recently went au naturel for the cover of her magazine's September issue, which hits the stands today. The cover has sparked everything from widespread support to accusations that she isn’t wearing her real hair.

Douglas herself has summed up the controversy, echoing her mom’s statements in an interview with the Associated Press. "'I just made history and people are focused on my hair? It can be bald or short; it doesn't matter about (my) hair,'" she said.

More: Gabby Douglas: Gold medals are made of sweat, blood and tears
Video: Gabby Douglas is welcomed by gymnastics legends Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson, and Nastia Liukin
Golden Gabby! Read Shawn Johnson's analysis of gymnastics all-around finals 
TODAY Moms: Sweet photo of white dad doing black daughter's hair goes viral 

Lee Jin-Man / AP

China's Liu Xiang, left, fails to clear the first hurdle in a men's 110-meter hurdles heat as he competes alongside Hungary's Balazs Baji at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on August 7, 2012.

Daniel Ochoa De Olza / AP

Liu Xiang, second left, and Barbados' Shane Brathwaite, right, both fell at the first hurdle. Poland's Artur Noga, left, pulled up with an injury as only five men finished the race.

Daniel Ochoa De Olza / AP

The Associated Press reports — Former world-record holder and 2004 champion Liu Xiang of China stumbled into the first hurdle and fell to the track in his opening heat Tuesday, his second consecutive first-round exit in the Olympic 110-meter hurdles.

Four years ago in Beijing his Olympics ended after two full strides, when he withdrew from his preliminary heat with right foot and hamstring injuries, disappointing his country of more than 1 billion people.

Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

This time, Liu made it only as far as the initial hurdle, knocking it down. He clutched his lower right leg and stayed down for a few moments. He eventually rose and hopped on his left foot along the outside of the race route.

Daniel Ochoa De Olza / AP

When he got to the spot of the 10th and final hurdle, he hobbled over to kiss it, then continued hopping until he got to the finish line.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

Another hurdler, Balazs Baji of Hungary, went over and raised Liu's hand in the air, as if to signify he was the winner. Then other competitors went over to offer handshakes of condolences. Eventually, Liu got into a wheelchair and was taken away from the track. Read the full story.

Olivier Morin / AFP - Getty Images

Previously on PhotoBlog: A moment of true sportsmanship, as Japan consoles a defeated France

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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Julie Jacobson / AP

U.S. silver medalist gymnast McKayla Maroney makes a face during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women's vault finals at the 2012 Summer Olympics on Sunday in London.

The look on McKayla Maroney's face seems to say it all.

The U.S. gymnast, considered a lock for a gold medal, slipped during her final vault Sunday, missing the coveted prize by a fraction of a point. While the world champion took home silver, her face seems to succinctly sum up the research of a Cornell psychology professor: coming in at number two feels a little like, well, number two.

"Bronze medalists are one step away from not getting anything," says Thomas Gilovich, who conducted a study of winning Olympic athletes in 1995. "But the silver medalist is one step away from something that's very different -- the winner, the thing that gets you on the Wheaties box."

For his study, Gilovich, who's been at Cornell for 30 years, showed clips of winning medalists from the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona to a group of non-sporty subjects, then had them rate how happy the participants looked. One tape showed immediate reactions after the athletes had finished their performance; the other showed them on the podium receiving their medals.

"By a very substantial margin, the silver medal winners looked less happy than bronze medal winners," says Gilovich.

The psychology professor also created another tape of follow-up interviews with silver and bronze medalists and showed them to people for their interpretation.

"There was much more of an 'If only' kind of dialogue on the part of the silver medalists and a 'Well, at least I' dialogue going on with the bronze medalists," he says.

Are bronze medalists actually happier than silver medalists?

Michelle Rohl, a race walker who brought home a silver medal in 1995 and a bronze medal in 1999 from the Pan American Games, says she remembers feeling a bit disappointed with her second place honor.

"Yeah, there was a little bit of kicking myself," she says. "Although it was more later than right away. I kept thinking, 'I could have had that gold. I could have been a gold medalist.'"

Gilovich says when it comes to prizes, our minds are drawn upward when it comes to second place and drawn downward when it comes to third -- and that the results are pretty much universal.

"How the mind works is the same across cultures," he says. "The mind's going to be pulled in one direction disproportionately by virtue of the different payoffs of the gold, silver and bronze."

But as the years go by, people do become more content with their second place wins, Gilovich says.

"We have this great set of mechanisms referred to as the psychological immune system to help us deal with these problems," he says. "I think people do get more comfortable with it over time, however, just losing out on something can be hard to deal with. We have stories about the one that got away -- whether it's fishing or love. I suspect the same thing is true of Olympic medals."

Mark Grimmette, am American luger who took a silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and a bronze at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, says time has helped ease his disappointment.  

"I had a very long and successful career," he says. "I can't say it's something that grinds me to this day."

The athlete -- currently working as a coach for the United States Luge Association -- says he does occasionally think of his near-miss, though.

"Athletes are analytical," he says. "When I go back and look at those performances, I cringe a little bit at those moments where it could have gone one way or the other. I'll still have that feeling for a long time. But you have to make sure you put it in proper perspective in life."

Rohl, currently the track and field assistant coach at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Penn., may have done just that.

"I wish I would have gotten a gold medal at the Pan Am Games but it's not that important to me anymore," she says. "I actually don't even know where my silver medal is. I'm sure it must be somewhere."

Related:

• Video: Mixed feelings about silver
• What it takes to be an Olympian
• Why do so many Olympic athletes have asthma?
• Chinese weightlifter's hairy mole: Everything you never wanted to know

Al Roker / Twitter

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

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)

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa (or Blade Runner, as he is also called) ran in the men’s 400-meter race in London over the weekend, making history as the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic games. And though Pistorius, 25, did not medal in his event, he told TODAY’s Savannah Gunthrie Monday that his experience in London had been “phenomenal.

“When I got on those starting blocks, I knew 400 is always a tough event. But I had these cramps in my cheeks, I was smiling so much. I was a mixture of butterflies and goosebumps.”

That smile lasted about half the race, until he started getting cramps “everywhere else.” But even though Pistorius came in seventh, he said, “Getting to that point, to be able to line up on the starting blocks at a race like that, just means so much to me.”

The Olympic games is an accomplishment for any athlete, but Pistorius had an especially hard road. He was born without fibulas (commonly known as the calf bone), and both his legs were amputated below the knee when he was still an infant. He had been fighting to compete with able-bodied athletes in the Olympics since before the 2008 games in Beijing. Though he qualified, the track’s governing body barred him from running, citing his blades, known as Cheetahs, as a competitive advantage.
 
Though that decision was ultimately struck down, it wasn't in time for him to compete in Beijing, so Pistorius set his sights on the London Olympics.

 His family joined him in London, the first time they were able to see him since he left South Africa in May to start the competitive racing season. And though there were supportive, Pistorius called his family’s approach to his competition “blasé.

"They’re just like, 'Oh dude cool run, you know you looked good,' or whatever. They don’t really care so much about my athletic performances as long as I’m happy and trying and doing my best.”

The Blade Runner's 89-year-old grandmother was also in attendance. “When I got chosen for the team, she phoned me and said there’s no way she’s going to miss it for the world. She came up, she had her pacemaker ordered and was in the crowd with her flag and her tears and everything.”

But Pistorius's family weren't the only ones rooting for him. After the race, fellow competitor Kirani James of Grenada turned to Pistorius, hugged him, and then asked to exchange name bibs, a poignant gesture of respect.

Pistorius had come in at 46.54 seconds, .95 of a second behind James, the winner. James said of Pistorius, “He’s very special to our sport. He’s a great individual - it’s time we see him like that and not anything else.”
 
Pistorius called James a “phenomenal competitor” and said that trading the name bibs was “what the Olympic spirit is all about.” 

Pistorius will be a spectator himself when he watches the final race Monday night, and he said that he doesn’t know who he’ll root for. “These are the guys I look up to for inspiration and try to chase every year, and I won’t know who to shout for. There’s just so many true gentleman on and off the field of play.”

Many spectators around the world have called Pistorius a groundbreaking Olympian, and one of the most inspirational stories of the games. But the runner said he isn't different from any other competitor in London.

"I think every athlete that’s just out here for the Olympics just does something to inspire those around them and inspire each other." 

So what was the best moment of his race? Pistorius said that it was coming down the home stretch and "hearing the roar of the crowd and knowing that there were so many people behind me just made it that much more enjoyable, and will definitely be one of the memories I’ll really cherish for the rest of my life."

Related video:
2008: Double amputee shares his Olympic dream
Amputee Olympian: Competing a 'massive blessing'
Double amputee: 'Mind-blowing' to run in Olympics

Missy Franklin insisted Monday that she plans to maintain her amateur status so she can swim with a college team, although she acknowledged her multiple Olympic medals and new-found fame could have her swimming in million-dollar endorsements.

“It is still the plan right now, but I know there’s definitely going to be a talk in the future with my family and my coach just trying to figure out what is best for me,” she told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie.

Franklin, 17, has stressed her desire to compete on a college team once she graduates from her Colorado high school next year because she thrives in a group environment.

“I do want to swim in college so badly,” she said. “I love being part of a team, and in college, that team is such a big part of who you are and what you do and I really want to get a chance to be a part of that.”  

Although an exact tally is difficult to estimate, Franklin could probably earn a million dollars in the next two years promoting food products, apparel, cosmetics and other items typically geared to American teenagers like herself, said Jim Andrews, senior vice president of IEG LLC, a Chicago-based sponsorship consulting and research firm.

Olympians are in different situations than professional football and baseball players, golfers and other athletes whose feats can be viewed weekly on television, Andrews pointed out. Spotlights usually shine on Olympians once every four years. Very few have year-round notoriety like Michael Phelps.

“Even in the off years, when we see Phelps doing Subway commercials and other things, we know who he is because he’s such a superstar. He’s transcended the games,” he said. 

Darin David, account director at The Marketing Arm, called Franklin’s decision highly unusual. Most star Olympians are seizing chances to capitalize on their fame.

“Being Olympians, you only have a narrow window to gain, and kind of recoup, some of the expenses you put in all those years of training,” he said. “To pass up on your high water mark has got to be a tough thing to do. It’s highly unusual.”

However, Andrews also pointed out that swimmers, unlike other athletes, tend to have longer competitive careers. At 17, Franklin could easily be expected to compete at another Olympics, should she stay healthy and free of injuries.

“Obviously, there are no guarantees. Will she win another four gold medal four years from now? It’s not a definite. There’s a risk she’s taking, but at least the possibility exists.”

Franklin won the nation over with her personality as easily as she won four gold medals and a bronze in her London Olympic competitions. Her youthful energy and down-to-Earth demeanor charmed fans, as did her insistence on experiencing life as an average teenager. For example, she enthusiastically told Guthrie one of the things she looks forward to the most in school next year is attending the football games with her friends.

But by forgoing promotional contracts and professional prize money to retain her amateur status, Franklin gives up deals similar to the ones that already have showered fellow American Olympic star Gabby Douglas. The gold-medal gymnast will be featured on a special edition of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes boxes. She also has cinched a contract with Proctor & Gamble, whose products include beauty brands such as CoverGirl, Olay, Pantene and Secret.

Although the Olympics have garnered her national attention quickly, Franklin said she feels very little has changed in her life.

“Maybe a few more people know who I am but really, that’s all that’s changed,” she said. “I still have the best family and friends and teammates in the world and just going to go home and be a normal high schooler.”

More: Missy Franklin plans to bring tattoo home along with Olympic medals 
Missy Franklin's mom: 'She's always been smiling'
Best yet? Swim team makes 'Call Me Maybe' lipdub
Missy Franklin: I'll win to 'shine some light' on Colo. 
Gabby Douglas: Gold medals are made of 'blood, sweat and tears' 
Ryan Lochte: Mom meant 'nothing negative' about my love life 
NBC Olympics: Missy Franklin dominates the 200 back