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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."

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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 

Jorge Silva / Reuters

Days after his mom, Ike, told TODAY.com her son "goes out on one-night stands," Ryan Lochte clarified what she was really trying to say about his love life.  

"I know what she meant by it," he told us. "What she meant is that I'm not in a relationship so I do go on dates. It's not that negative part....She had nothing negative." 

We feel you, Ryan! Sometimes mom-speak needs translating. 

The gold medal-winning swimming star addressed another burning question: Just how many shoes out of his collection of 130 did he pack for London?

"I brought a total of eight pairs," he said. 

For his visit to the TODAY set, Ryan also brought along his world-famous set of red, white and blue grillz. Should we stay tuned for a potential line of Lochte dental wear? A signature collection of grillz could happen, he said, "maybe in my near future."

Slideshow: Happy birthday, Ryan Lochte! Here's 12 pictures of him

Fabrice Coffrini / AFP - Getty Images

Launch slideshow

More: Ryan Lochte's mom: He's too 'on the go' for girlfriend 
Lochte: 'I'm going another four years' to Rio  
Lochte: 'I want a stare-off with Phelps'  
Check out all of TODAY.com's London Olympics coverage here! 

Martin Bureau / AFP - Getty Images

Ike Lochte is a strong — and emotional — supporter of her son’s competitive lifestyle, but she says Ryan is too busy to commit to a girlfriend.

“He goes out on one-night stands,” she told TODAY.com. “He’s not able to give fully to a relationship because he’s always on the go.”

Update: Lochte clarifies his mom's comments 

The swimmer celebrates his 28th birthday this Friday, Aug. 3, but Ike says the family will celebrate him on Saturday after he is freed up from competing. His 4x200 freestyle relay swim airs Tuesday night on NBC. 

Lochte’s mom, along with the family clan, was on the TODAY set to chat with Matt Lauer about Ryan’s performance so far this Olympics. “Everything he has done has been to the max,” Ike said. “He’s unique, loving, and he challenges himself all the time.” Ryan likely gets much of his drive from his own parents, both of whom were swim coaches. Ike says the best trait he inherited from her is his love of kids and his awareness of his position and his fans.

The swimmer uses Twitter to show his love to fans, re-tweeting and updating his admirers. Monday night he thanked them: “GOODNIGHT #LochteNation & thank u for being the best fans. Always said it b4 & I'll say it forever.. I wouldn't be anything without u.”

As for Ike, she’s not on Twitter, but she sends words of encouragement to her son via text when she’s not with him. Before he competes, she keeps her message simple: “I say, have fun, and I love you,” she said. 

Sarika Dani is a TODAY.com editor in London. No lie: She has the same birthday as Ryan Lochte. 

More:

Phelps rival writes his own headline: 'Ryan Lochte takes over' 
Fashion lover Ryan Lochte has 130 pairs of shoes 
Ryan Lochte to Vogue: 'I'm a coach's nightmare' 
Olympic moms on supporting star athletes 
Ad gives Olympic (and regular) moms their due  

Missy Franklin caught the nation's attention for a smile as bright as the Olympic gold medal she won for the 100-meter backstroke Monday — and an attitude as if she's never had a down day in her life.

“Missy is just always like that. She’s always been smiling, happy,” her mother, D.A. Franklin, told TODAY Tuesday. “I think she smiled when she was born. She’s just a happy child.”

Franklin, the 17-year old from Centennial, Colo., captured the spotlight as much for her bubbly all-American spirit, in full view after emerging victorious from her competition Monday, as for her first Olympic medal. She secured the win a mere 14 minutes after finishing a qualifying semi-final heat for another event, the 200-meter freestyle.

Franklin’s parents, in an interview with TODAY, said it may have proved crucial that she was allowed to keep warm in the nearby diving well — which swimmers are normally not allowed to use – between the two events.

“Fourteen minutes is as tight as she has ever done,” her father, Dick Franklin, said.

Franklin told TODAY's Hoda Kotb that she didn’t realize she had won until she glanced at the scoreboard. 

“It’s so hard to tell by looking up there and seeing,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Because her parents are Canadian, they offered their daughter the option for swimming for Canada, a suggestion to help lessen the pressure. They said their daughter refused.

“She’s a Colorado girl,” said her mom, crediting all the support she has received from her hometown pool and high school.

Although Missy Franklin’s Olympic potential was spotted by family friends who told them “she’s the real deal” when she was around nine, her grandmother knew much earlier. She spotted the talent at the girl’s first swim meet when she was five.

“She said, ‘she’s going to be an Olympian someday’ and I said, ‘shhhh.'” D.A. Franklin said with a laugh. “It was very embarrassing.”

But Grandma was right and now everyone is a believer, including one of Missy Franklin’s favorite singers, Justin Bieber, who tweeted about her win.

“Heard @FranklinMissy is a fan of mine. Now I’m a fan of hers too! CONGRATS on winning GOLD! #muchlove.”

Franklin tweeted in response: “I just died. Thank you!”

More: Natalie Coughlin: I could swim again in London 
Shawn Johnson's dare: Ready, set, jump for TODAY! 
Video: Matt Grevers: Gold-winning swim 'felt pretty good' 
Read all of TODAY's 2012 Olympics coverage!