we're back now with more of "today" from london's olympic park on a monday, the 30th day of july, 2012. as you look down at a huge crowd that's gathered here this morning. the park is open, the games have begun. lots of drama. we thank these people for stopping by and cheering. i'm matt lauer with savannah guthr guthrie. fresh off a mediocre performance in race walking, we have ryan sea crest, natalie morales and al roker. a first in olympic coverage, ryan's hosting the 9:00 hour here. >> leaning on you.

>> he's already drinking. he stole a beer from this guy right here. three seconds ago. >> this is not the fourth hour. it's the third. >> i'm confused. >> we have a lot to talk about, especially in women's gymnastics. the team did great in the qualifying round but jordyn wieber, the reigning world champion didn't make it to the individual all-around. we'll catch up with two olympians who did in their years. we'll get their take on what happened yesterday many a few minutes. >> then the winners of team usa's first medal of the london olympic games came in men's archery after a stunning upset. a power house of south korea. we'll talk to members of the team. >> and jill martin is here for an exclusive all-british steals & deals. we have great stuff today. want you to get in on the action. >> and later on, in f ycase you

missed it, we donned bright suits to compete in olympic race walking. >> they could be scene seen from out of state. >> burst into flames. >> we have a lot to get to. natalie, bring us up to date on olympic news. >> as you mentioned the first two days of competition you saw a lot of thrilling victories, but also heartbreaking disappointment. >> michael phelps and ryan lochte. >> reporter: big surprises in the pool. sunday night the men's 4 x 100 relay with superstars michael phelps and ryan lochte leading the way. >> i think the americans are set up well. >> the u.s. started strong but lochte couldn't hold the lead in the final second. >> france will outtouch the americans and lochte. >> the u.s. walking away with silver. france taking gold. >> michael phelps -- >> on saturday phelps and lochte went head to head for the so-called duel in the pool.

>> lochte will win. >> lochte crushed the competition scoring his first gold medal of the game. >> it is not michael phelps, the two-time defending olympic champion. dethroned. >> phelps finished fourth without a medal. >> i have a lot of races. the big thing now is putting this behind me and moving on. >> both men are back in the pool also in swimming sunday brendan hans took bronze in the 100 meter breaststroke. for the women, dana vollmer set a new world record in the women's 100 butterfly. allison schmidt took silver in the women's 400-meter freestyle. and more silver for rhode island's elizabeth beisel in the 400-meter individual medley. a bronze in the 100-meter relay. today, 17-year-old phenom missy franklin competes in her first individual finals -- the 100-meter backstroke.

more drama in women's gymnastics. a shocker for 17-year-old jordyn wieber. >> and jordyn wieber is out of the all-around. >> wieber failed to qualify for the women's all-around finishing behind gabby douglas and surprise contender ali raisman who took the top spot. >> it's a disappointment but i'm happy to help out the team. >> tuesday the team goes for its first gold since atlanta in 1996. u.s. men's gymnastics team goes for a medal tonight. there is still a glow from friday's opening ceremony watched by more than 40 million people. >> good evening. mr. bond. >> good evening, your majesty. >> featuring the acting debut of queen elizabeth. britain's newest bond girl. now back to the competition. ryan lochte goes for his third medal of the games tonight while

michael phelps takes part in the men's 200-meter butterfly. in other news this morning, colorado shooting suspect james holmes is in court as prosecutors file formal charges against him. legal experts say holmes will not face additional charges after a pregnant woman wounded in the shooting suffered a miscarriage over the weekend. central to the case will likely be the case of whether or not holmes is sane. republican presidential mitt romney arrives in poland on the final leg of his overseas trip. this weekend in israel he took a stand against iran saying the u.s. should support military action against iran. he's getting harsh criticism for his comments about jerusalem. a woman who kidnapped an infant girl from a new york city hospital in 1987 then raised the child as her own faces sentencing today. prosecutors have recommended that ann pedway serve 10 to 12 1/2 years in prison.

"the dark knight rises" won the weekend box office holding onto the top spot with $64 million. "ice age continental drift" came in second with $13 million and "the watch" came in third. a dozen thrill seekers got more than they paid for sunday when the roller coaster they were riding in california stalled 150 feet up. they waited nearly two hours until mechanics got it moving again. fortunately the passengers were stuck on the upright portion of the ride which also travels upside down. it's six minutes after the hour. now back to matt, savannah, ryan and al. >> can you imagine -- >> being upside down. >> there was kryptonite on that superman ride. >> there is a sign that tells you not to do that. >> how about a check of the weather? >> first of all, we are looking at a risk of strong storms later tonight here on into tomorrow,

tuesday morning. temperatures in the upper 60s. wednesday, partly cloudy. temperatures in the low 70s. the rest of the country, as we move back to the u.s. we have a risk of strong storms throughout much of wisconsin into upper parts of michigan. we've got down in the lower gulf coast a risk of strong storms. and we are looking at a lot of heat. the heat continues in the mid section of the country down to the gulf coast. temperatures, the heat index values feel like over 110 degrees.

and that's your latest weather. ryan? >> thank you, al. here with the first medal winners of our games for team usa, jacob wukie, brady elly son and jake kaminski. how did it feel to get the first u.s. medals? >> incredible. going out there, trying to start the team off right and get everybody working together. we went out, won as a team, lost as a team, worked as a team. unfortunatelile came away as a silver but it was great to jump start usa. >> lost by a point to italy but beat korea. they usually win. how did you do it? >> we knew going into the match we could beat them. there's been a lot in the media in korea and stuff like that pitting us against them. there was a match everyone was looking for. we gave it our al. we put a lot of emotion into the match. it was the one everyone wanted

to see. >> jacob, many people aren't as familiar as we are with archery. but we can guess it's probably a sport of intense focus. i understand you worked on the focus early in your career by covering yourself in mosquitos. can you explain at? >> when we are out there competing, especially in the finals, there are loud noises, camera, people talking, whatever. you have a lot of distraction. i would intentionally go out and practice when there were a lot of mosquitos so it would force me to focus on being able to shoot my shot. >> lots of exposure with archery, the games and "the hunger games." i know you have been haunted by the movie and others including "the avengers." brady, you have a signature move. can you show the crowd? go ahead. [ cheers and applause ]

>> nice to see you. congratulations. >> thank you very much. up next, gold medal winning gymnasts react to last night's drama for team usa. and later, we'll prove why there is nothing easy about the sport of racewalking. take a look to see the embarrassing shots on the streets of london. more after this. [ alarm buzzes ] [ female announcer ] wake up time, but not for your eyes. they're still so tired looking. with olay challenge that,

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i mean, he can take on any size job. look how easily he gets things cleaned. it's enough to make you cry. you, specifically. not me. i'm just happy we don't go near rex's mobile home as often. because it's hard to clean or because you're scared of an itty-bitty doggy? [ dog barks ] aah! oh! [ clears throat ] yeah, that was a sneeze. i think i sprayed myself. [ male announcer ] new mr. clean select-a-size magic eraser. lets you pick the right size for every job. welcome back to london. it was one of the biggest upsets in women's gymnastics. reigning world champ jordyn wieber didn't qualify for the all around final. ladies, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> it was a shocker. jordyn wieber was expected to make it to the individual all-around. what do you think happened? >> it's obviously devastating for her coming in as the

reigning world all-around champion. it's something you dream about your entire life, to compete at the olympic finals. of course she's upset. but she still has two chances to win a gold. >> it's not like she messed up. she placed fourth overall. it's just because of the rules. each country only accepteds two. >> unfortunately that's the rule. to have three of the girls in the top four was incredible. shows the depth of the team, how strong they are and any given day one can edge the other out. that's what the olympics is all about and being perfect every day not letting little mistakes happen. >> you mentioned the team. i know they are oh concentrating on the team medal. how did the team look to you? >> so strong. if you look at the results they are ahead by a point and a half. everything starts from scratch in team finals. it will all come down to the

count where all three girls have to be so consistent on each event. really at this point it's so mental. physically they are ready and more prepared than ever. >> i think one thing that those of us who aren't athletes can't understand the mental preparation that's so key. >> because you are training for the olympic games. at this point your coaches have brought you to the peak position. your routines are at the peak position. your body. everything is where it needs to be. the only thing is to do it like you have been training to do everything the same. for me yesterday going in to watch the prelims i was nervous. all the girls are young, so great. to see them go up on the first event and look so confident and hit everything, my nerves went away. they're completely ready. >> you're up there biting your nails. >> i was. i had goosebumps when i walked in there. so nervous for them. they showed me and proved that they are so ready.

>> what did a lirli and gabby n to do and they have tough competition. >> the russian gymnast got second in the all around to jordyn wieber. ali and gabby are both mentally and physically prepared. out's going out, trying to do your best. >> both of you have the gold medals. although you are wearing silver, carly. are you enjoying the olympics? >> out's so much fun. in beijing i didn't really get to enjoy the full aspect of being a fan. >> this is my first time back since 2004. i love london. i can't wait to experience all that the olympics has to offer. other than gymnastics. >> enjoy. great to have you here. i know we'll talk a lot. >> thank you. >> you can catch the men's team final tonight. the women on tuesday right here on nbc. up next from here in london, a

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♪ we are back with a special olympic edition of "steals & deals." this morning we are featuring deeply discounted products from british companies just for you. jill martin traveled all the way here to bring us some deeply discounted deals today. we should tell people about the shipping. that's going to be something people are asking about. >> i'm so excited because we have gone international with steals & deals. go to today.com now. we are clear. some things will be shipped from london, some from the u.s. check shipping prices and when they will come. want to be clear on that. >> let's get started. i love these t-shirts and totes. the keep calm and carry on modeled here by brittany, sara

and chrissy. >> here you get a tote and a t-shirt for $75. kate middleton. this is inspired by a poster print during world war two. that's where the saying comes from. the shirts are offered in red, white and blue. big celeb favorites. they are huge with celebrities. the retail, $75. the deal is $23 for both. 69% off. >> fantastic. you can get in on the olympic spirit. ladies, thank you. next is beauty package. >> retail $163. in this kit you get the cleansing water, mask and glam pac tox kit. celebrity consumers include kim kardashian and elizabeth hurly.

$49 for the set. that's 70% off. >> that's a british cosmetic. >> based here. >> fabulous. to feel royal you need pearl necklaces by select traders uk. >> these are great. the retail is $220. this is the largest online pearl company in the uk. we are offering three different ones. each is approximately 26 inches. this company's most popular style. the deal is $55. that's 75% off. >> that's great. >> they're classic pearls. >> quality as well. you will look very much like the queen if you wear it. over here, let's look at the great handbags by the cambridge satchel company. it's the glitter satchel, available in three colors. i guess we have two here. >> there are three. i don't know if you can tell. there's a shimmer. the retail is $198. they are so popular.

they are available in antique gold, black sparkle and graphite gray. the retail is $198. these are rarely discounted. the deal is $85, 56% off. >> over here modeling out. looks cute. >> perfect size. >> very nice. we like it. a lot of people will get excited about this. you can have your tea. the royal dalton nine-piece set in three different patterns. >> the retail is $143. this company was founded in 1815. so it's been here for a while. nine-piece tea set includes four teacu teacups, four saucers and a teapot. check the shipping. retail is $143. the deal is $42.99. 72% off. >> amazing. head to today.com.

encourage you to check the shipping as well. we have a keep calm and carry on t-shirt and tote combo, the beauty package by rodia, the pearl necklaces by select traders uk and handbags from the cambridge satchel company. finally the nine-piece tea set from royal daulton. for more go to today.com. still ahead, savannah catches up with dana vollmer after her record-breaking performance in the pool. that's after your local news and weather. how about it for jill martin, everyone? [ cheers and applause ] [ lane ] your anti-wrinkle cream is gone. but what about your wrinkles. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles in just one week. "why wait if you don't have to." rapid wrinkle repair.

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♪ >> they look good. the next two days are big ones for team usa gymnastics. the men go for the gold today. tomorrow, it will be the women's turn and the guys join us live tomorrow on "today." good morning. i'm savannah guthrie alongside al roker, natalie morales and ryan seacrest. did you watch swimming last night? >> pretty cool. >> what a moment. dana vollmer, she didn't get to the medal stand in 2008 but last night she broke a world record,

won the gold and lost one of her swim caps during the race. she held it all together. coming up, what she said about that. >> also there is an olympic sport called racewalking. it looks easy, but we found out it's not so easy. our team takes on racewalking in our tracksuits. >> at least our outfits weren't embarrassing. >> and we'll find out the reaction the brits have to the newest bond girl -- queen elizabeth acting with daniel craig and taking part in one of the most talked-about parts of the opening ceremony. >> it was good. she delivered. first you will deliver the forecast. >> let's see what we have starting with today. we'll be looking at strong storms down through the gulf coast. also up through the upper mississippi river valley. expect plenty of sunshine up and down the west coast. beautiful in the northeast after a rough day yesterday. as we move into tomorrow, a risk of strong storms through the

southeast and sizzling weather to continue for the northern plains into the midwest. hot through the gulf coast. northeast states into the midatlantic with showers along the coast. that's your latest weather. ryan? >> al, thank you. now let's say hello to u.s. swimmer leah neil. she won in the 400 meter relay on saturday, her first olympic medal. congratulations and good

morning. >> thank you. good morning. >> how does it feel to have the medal around your neck today? >> it's amazing to be on the same relay as those girls. my first time swimming with natalie coughlin and the rest of them actually. it was just amazing. after the first race in the morning i felt so good. i was ecstatic to hear i was chosen to be on the night relay. it's so exciting. and then to get a bronze on top of it was amazing. >> you swam third. just before you jumped into the pool and gave out your swim what was going through your mind in that very moment? >> i was just thinking about how awesome it was. just soaking everything in. just listening to my music, being pumped up, jumping up and down. this morning was fun, so tonight will be probably even more fun. >> you talked about swimming with natalie coughlin and helped

her get to the 12 medals and tie an olympic record. what did it mean to you to help her achieve the goal? >> she obviously deserved all the credit for that. i'm so honored to help chip in for that 12th medal she got. i'm in awe of her. she's an amazing swimmer. >> congratulations. nice to see you. enjoy that. show it to everyone back here. up next, how the british are reacting to queen elizabeth as a bond girl. right after this. hey!

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leaves this surface 3 times cleaner than a dishcloth. the cleaner way to clean. bounty extra soft. ♪ i'm teaching performance. here's what they'll need. ♪ get your backpack, your hoodies, harajuku, ♪ ♪ turquoise kinda purple orangish sorta blue. ♪ ♪ backpacks, yeow, ♪ to put their stuff in. ♪ graphic tees and denim, denim, denim, denim. ♪ ♪ backpacks. school takes a lot, target has is all. welcome back to london's olympic park. you may not think of the queen as a bond girl, but that's exactly what we got during friday's opening ceremony. nbc's michelle kosinski has more on her majesty's cameo. good morning, michelle. >> hi, al.

people around the world are still marveling that the queen and her corgies would be up for this. her first role in a bond film -- which stole the show -- is getting rave reviews. it started simply enough with benign scenes of london, but then in strode bond. shaking and stirring some corgies up a bit and you just knew there sat some famous actress. >> good evening, mr. bond. [ cheers and applause ] >> good evening, your majesty. >> reporter: whoa. not so. not so at all. and the planet's collective jaw dropped. even the corgie can't believe she's doing it. >> is that the queen? was that the queen?

>> hilarious. >> wonderful. >> gold medal for the queen. >> when i saw the guy who escorted james bond in i thought, that's strange. he's real. then it was obvious it would be the queen's first starring role in a bond film. ♪ >> so out of character. but brilliantly performed. >> reporter: the corgies, too. good sports. when they approached her, the queen agreed, even insisting on using her own dogs. >> she was very helpful and very sharp. very sharp. you don't have to tell her something twice. she's a good actor. she's good at it. she and james bond got on well. >> reporter: done in march reportedly in a single take. that wasn't the queen climbing into the helicopter, waving or, as you might have guessed, jumping out ahead of 007. that was a professional base jumper.

when the queen appeared in olympics stadium she briefly sported a big smile. later, don't let the all-business look fool you. here she is watching the opening ceremony and here's queen sophia of spain. she couldn't wait to hear how it had gone. >> you were brilliant. absolutely. >> i hope it made people laugh. >> that incredible helicopter move through tower bridge here was real. the first time it's been done. this was incredibly kept secret and if the queen had said more than just "good evening, mr. bond" they thought it may have been uncomfortable to watch. they think she played it just right. >> now she's the queen of comedy. >> i guess so. who knows what's next? >> she's here until thursday.

michelle kosinski, thank you very much. up next, american dana vollmer opens up to savannah about her record-breaking performance in the pool right after these messages. of nature appears every day,c within each strand of an oat's rhythmical sway. when an apple's vibrant red temptation, and honey's sweet touch of golden sensation, join together with a pecan crunch you'll savor, creating the most perfect lesson in flavor. at nature valley, nature's best-written recipe is ready for you to enjoy. delicious granola bars made with the best ingredients in nature. nature valley, nature at its most delicious. [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen.

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it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream and now women have made regenerist microsculpting cream also unscented. women love it. in original and also fragrance-free. it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica.

don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. back now with dana vollmer's remarkable and record-breaking swim in the 100-meter butterfly. she failed to qualify for the beijing games. i talked to her after the win last night. you said your knees are shaking still? >> i'm shaking all over. seeing my family, i haven't gotten to see them yet. it was incredible. that really made it set in. i was so in shock. tearing up, hugging my mom, my husband and my dad. it's such an incredible feeling. >> it's not enough you won a gold medal. you set a world record at the same time. >> my first world record. i don't think it's set in yet

that i'm the fastest butterflyer ever. it's crazy. the training i have been able to do. everyone's support. i wouldn't be here without everyone that helped me. >> when you think about this long road you have been on it started when you were 16 years old in athens at the olympics. can you believe you have made it all the way here? i mean, you're at the height of your sport. >> it's been such an incredible journey. going from winning a gold medal in athens and then missing the team. i feel like it took missing the team for me to really change my mental approach to swimming, my training. i'm finally healthy. mentally and physically. just really loving to race, feeling confident in who i am and my family had a huge part in that. >> did you really lose your swimming cap halfway through the race? >> i did. it's never happened before. slowly but surely with every stroke the cap moved further and further back and it fell off.

i told an official after i swam, there's a cap in there somewhere. someone has to find it. >> amazing it didn't distract you. >> i think it was a good distraction. i wasn't thinking about my legs hurting or anything. but i didn't have a good finish. maybe it did distract me a little bit. hard to have a perfect race. there is always something i feel i can get better at. having been that fast and know i can still get better is really exciting. >> this has to be close to a perfect race. >> pretty close. i was calm the first 50. i know the second 50 is my strength. no one comes home faster in the world than i do. tapping into the rhythm and the feel of the water that i have trained so much and charging home. every time i breathed i could hear the crowd. i was hoping when i had the bad finish, oh, i knew i won, but did i get the world record? to have them both come together is incredible.

>> she's amazing. dana competes one more time on wednesday. >> not bad. this was your first olympic event. >> first time and the first race i watched was dana. that's not a bad way to start your olympic spectating career. she wins gold, breaks a world record. >> keep going to events. >> it wasn't all her hard work. we were so proud. it was exciting. especially when you hear our national anthem. coming up next, something slightly less inspiring. we try our hand -- or feet -- at the olympic sport of racewalking. first, this is "today" on nbc.

you know, if the olympics are anything, they are inspirational. >> oh, yeah. >> they certainly are. our team a got very inspired and got caught up in the excitement

as we decided to tackle the sport of race walking. i mean, really, how hard could it be? as matt and the rest of us found out -- very. >> yeah. you've heard the olympic motto -- faster, higher, stronger. well, how about -- awkwarder. finally an olympic sport we could succeed at -- walking. how hard could it be? to learn the art of racewalking we had to go to the best. and the best americans are olympians john nunn and maria michta. >> i think we're overdressed actually. >> can ryan wear your outfit? >> it's all about swapping gear

at the olympic games. we can swap after. >> all right. why don't you teach us? let's learn how to racewalk. >> let's go! >> okay. there's two rules that separate racewalking. >> two rules. one, you must always remain in contact with the ground. two, your leg must be straight on contact. looking efficient and smooth. >> this is bad for my hips. >> okay, ryan. >> you don't have to make that face. >> efficient and smooth? us? maybe not. ridiculous and slow? we have that covered. >> shall we try to make our way up the track and you can give us pointers as we go? >> for sure. >> meredith, you can bend your knees through. it's not surprised racing. it's racewalking. you look like you have been told a secret. >> quit trying to distract me. i'm in the zone. >> i'm trying to keep up with

meredith. >> meredith! >> go, meredith! >> keep it more forward. >> i find this very difficult. i'm being left in the dust here. >> your right arm is flailing out a little bit. you can bring it in. >> why are you picking on me? >> out of my way. >> turns out we were better at running our mouths than racewalking with our feet. >> okay. we respect this. >> it's hard! >> it's much, much harder. >> we went 70 yards. that's it. >> listen to how hard you're breathing. wow. >> oh, no. >> oh, look at mr. olympian. >> excuse me. i'm not in a world class athlete program. >> not to make you feel bad, but that was our warm-up pace when we're warming up before the race. >> can we see you at your natural pace? >> sure. sure, just a demo. >> walkers, take your marks. get set, go. [ laughter ]

>> i'm sprinting! >> we found natalie's kryptonite. >> after talking the talk it was time to walk the walk and race the race. >> hey, wait, wait. we need the music. >> oh, yeah. >> the music. >> oh, right. >> cue the music. ♪ [ theme from "chariots of fire" ] ♪

>> very aggressive. >> well, al, congratulations. on behalf of us, the golden sneaker for your first race walk. >> thank you. >> oh. >> i want to thank you two for showing us great sportsmanship. >> let's settle this. >> thank you. >> congratulations, al. >> thank you. thank you. >> did you smell that? >> i will wear it with pride. >> here it is. [ applause ] >> i will wear it proudly after

i air it out quite a bit. >> that will explain the glitter on our jackets. >> where's the orange cone and the tracksuit? >> well done. >> after you get that image out of your mind, nbc coverage of the olympics coming up. >> and ryan lochte tomorrow on "today." we're going to racewalk out of here. >> i know you have a shared love of rubber ducks. >> we do. >> the gold medal for bumming people out at the olympic games, david zinczenko.