we're back now with more of "today" friday morning, the 10th day of august, 2012. how is that for a view? that is rio de janeiro, brazil. the reason we're showing you that, that is the home of the 2016 summer games. just four short years from now. al and savannah are dancing their way toward those games as we speak. >> did you say something? i look into your eyes. that's all i do. >> out on the plaza here in london's olympic park, i'm matt lauer with savannah guthrie and al roker. we're winding down but have more

ahead. >> we do. we've seen a lot of the royals during the games. the queen out, duke and duchess of cambridge, prince harry. we will catch up with all the royal highlights in a few minutes. >> then an olympian shows off her other talent. singer natalie coughlin, one of the most decorated female olympians. turns out she's a gold medal winning chef. she will show us those talents in the kitchen in just a little bit. >> can we just say good morning right now to someone who made history at these games, claressa shields. 17 years old, she will go down in the history books as the first woman to win a gold medal for the united states in boxes, correct? >> thank you. >> congratulations. >> how does that feel? >> it feels unbelievable. it feels unreal. i still think i'm dreaming a little bit. >> do you think this boxing team put on a good enough show so boxing will stick around.

>> i got a gold medal. she got a bronze. we came here to do our best. i think i did a real good performance. >> you got a gold medal. >> one of my favorite moments was when you were up there on the medal stand. did you kind of get a case of the giggles a little bit? >> i don't know. i just kind of got -- i freaked out. >> what is your favorite punch and could you demonstrate on matt. >> clarres ark, don't do that. >> i don't know. my favorite punch is all of them. i had to hit her with a lot of stuff. >> that's okay. >> claressa, seriously. i bruises like a peach. >> just a little bit. >> soften him up alt bit. >> say hi to the folks in clint, michigan. >> hey, clint. i love y'all. >> congratulations. >> coming home with a gold

medal. claressa, thank you. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> let's go inside now. >> we've got natalie with a look at the headlines. natalie. >> thank you, matt, savannah and al. claressa's gold was one of several for team usa which dominated competition on thursday especially on the soccer field. >> it's all over. redemption for the united states. >> a golden night for the u.s. women's soccer team. a 2-1 victory over japan. not one but two goals. the other star of the game hope solo with this incredible save in the winning minutes. the win a redemption after u.s. lost to japan in the world cup last year. >> we got it back. we snatched our dream back and we're so happy right now, onton of the world. >> this means everything to us.

seems surreal in the moment. but we're going to party and live it up and celebrate this gold medal. >> it's the third consecutive women's gold for u.s. women's soccer. >> eaton continuing on his gold. >> the golden night for the u.s. also played out in track and field in the decathlon ashton eaton won gold trey hardee silver. >> another one-two finish in the triple jump. christian taylor won gold, will claye silver. >> the fastest man in the world has another gold meteorologist, jamaican sprint are usain gold become the first man to win back-to-back gold in the 100 and 200 meter. as always bolt gave the crowd a show to celebrate his win. >> i came here to become a

legend and i am a legend. i've shown the world no doubt. >> celebrating in the pool with women's gold for water polo. team usa beat spain for its first olympic gold medal. maggie steffens scored gold to lock in the win. in women's boxing claressa shields took the first gold medal. the 17-year-old high school student beat the russian athlete. back on the track incredible moment for manteo mitchell. he broke his leg during the opening lap of the 4 x 400 relay. can you see him limping at the finish. he thought it was just a cramp. but later doctors said he had broken his left fibula. that's the guy you want on your team. and that run there by mitchell helped his team end up qualifying for tonight's final. the u.s. women's basketball team, meanwhile, will also be going for gold.

they knocked off australia to advance to the gold medal game. the u.s. men play in the semifinals later today. now to the rest of the day's top stories, the campaign trail is heating up as republican presidential hopeful mitt romney kicks off a tour dfour-day bus this as an ad questions romney's history of paying income taxes. meanwhile he could be days away from announcing his running mate. legal analysts say could lay the groundwork by not guilty by reason of insanity. hired an attorney for the psychiatrist that treated him. for the first time great white sharks swimming off cape cod have been fited with electronic tags so they can be tagged by an underwater robotic shark cam. this footage for discovery channel's shark week was shot in the same area where a swimmer was recently attacked by a great

white. discovery kicks off 25th annual shark week this sunday. we'll have special shark week coverage starting monday right here on "today." scary to see that shark jumping out of the water. we've been exhausted, travelers willing to sleep anywhere at the airport. this crossed the line. check it out. this right here is a drunk tourist from norway who decided to pass the time until his flight at the airport by taking a nap with his suitcase on the luggage carousel still clutching his beer. the belt took the sleeping man into an area and went unnoticed until he was spotted on the x-ray screen. he now faces charges not to mention humiliation. let's go back to al and savannah. can you believe that? >> i'm surprised given our director is here. >> can be two places at once. >> folks hanging around here.

this young man has been making noise. what is his name. >> benjamin. >> how are you doing ben? >> now he's quiet. >> i see how it is. well played, benjamin, well played. let's see what we have for today. we are talking about a risk of strong storms stretching from new england all the way down to charleston. could see isolated tornadoes, heavy downpours, damaging winds and hail. on the radar already seeing activity firing up, stretching from chicago all the way up into new england and down as far south as washington, d.c. rainfall amounts over the next 24 hours anywhere from one to three inches but locally from lansing, michigan all the way down to charlotte and charleston. we could see anywhere from two to five. >> team usa. >> that's what's going on around the country --

>> good morning. showers and thunderstorms will be likely to start the day today. and that's your latest weather. savannah. >> al, thanks. i'm not sure who has had a better time at these games, us or the british royal family. the world is seeing them in a whole new light. ben fogle has more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. even when she and without her prince, the duchess of cambridge is a star in her own right. in the last few days the crowds and the athletes have been appreciating her enthusiastic support.

she may just bring good luck, cheering on the first final in women's boxing. and a win, even if the boxer didn't know she was there. >> absolutely amazing. i didn't even realize she was there. i think it's great we have so many people coming out for women's boxing. >> reporter: earlier she watched synchronized swimming. just by showing up she created a stir. out on the water with sailors, the u.s. gymnastics team and british field hockey team, a personal interest of hers. kate took a turn in tangerine trousers at a preolympic training session this year. the royal enthusiasm for sports has been infectious. hugging in delight, doing the wave repeatedly. >> we've seen royals like we've never seen before the olympics, particularly william and kate who aren't used to doing public

displays of affection but suddenly hugging themselves. the olympics in london. >> and prince harry has been helping out, too. meeting with aspiring olympians. and of course watching each volleyball match. no british athletes but supporting the sport anyway. at one point with his head on a friend's shoulder. these are royals like we've never seen them before, sitting in the audience, sharing, a new interest. >> a new generation coming through the ranks. william and harry. >> as they wait to be future king and queen. the sport loving royals, this really has been the perfect savannah. o show that support. >> love seeing kate play ping-pong. it's not as easy as it looks. >> it's really hard. i think the coach said there's a

future in it for her. he wants her to take up the role. >> if the whole princess thins doesn't work out. >> if it doesn't work out. >> ben, thank you so much. >> thank you. up next we'll talk to the man behind amazing images of medal winners. later, one of the most decorated female olympic swimmers of all time natalie coughlin steps out of the pool and into our kitchen but first these messages. good grief mom, you gonna clean that thing or wrestle it? well, it's not gonna clean itself. want me to get dad? no thank you. viva's all i need.

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eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? ♪ best yogurt ever. yeah! [ men grunting ] open! [ male announcer ] dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2 to 1 in a national taste test. oikos greek yogurt. possibly the best yogurt in the world. you may not know the name but you certainly know his work. he's taken some of the most famous pictures in sports. on the beam in 1976. carl lewis on the track, 1984. michael jordan, larry bird and magic johnson, the famous 1992

dream team. here in london he's been with us every morning shooting all the athletes behind the scenes as they visit our set. neil, good morning. >> good morning. >> we've had so much fun working for you. has it been fun for you or a lot of work chasing down the athletes and trying to get them to strike a pose. >> that's what is so much fun. they come here and they are brought to me so i haven't had to chase. i've had a great time. >> do you have to work differently to make them have fun while taking the shot. >> the first couple of athletes. then we began showing them the results. they have been wonderful. you're dealing with kids who enjoy -- by the way, they have finished finally, have won their medal by the time i get them. >> ready to let loose. >> and have fun. that's been the whole idea. >> let's take a look at your favorites. first, gabby douglas holding herself up as we look at this shot in a split with the rest of the girls behind her.

this was shot yesterday. tell me how you got that? >> i photographed gabby alone doing this. i thought what a great way to get the whole team together. they loved it. we had a good time. we gave gabby a good workout. >> she can hold that split a long time. >> i think so. >> michael phelps, you have a photo after the olympics. this is really cool. he's holding a signed ticket from the night he broke the olympic record. >> sometimes you get lucky. phelps showed up without a medal. i didn't know quite what to use. jim gray was interviewing him just before me. i saw him ask phelps to sign the ticket. i borrowed the ticket. i had three e-mails asking for the ticket. not my ticket. >> next i love brian lockett. you got him wearing the glasses, shirtless and the grills in the teeth. his idea? >> the grills were certainly his idea. took him five minutes to find them. he was a lot of fun.

i enjoyed -- as soon as we took the first frame i knew we had something. >> missy franklin here, showing how much fun she has, a hair moustache. >> missy was definitely my favorite. i hate to say i have a favorite. she came in, walked into the studio with all five medals by herself. nobody was there. really i just ran out of ideas. she was there for 15 to 20 minutes. >> ready to play. >> wonderful. >> and this gymnast holding an upside down handstand. was he holding himself up like that? how long was that? >> not that long. he did it half a dozen times. i was trying to have some fun with him. i said can you do a handstand with a medal. then i realized the medal. he said watch this. that was the result. >> this is hancock and his five-month-old daughter you've got to love. >> two things you can't miss with, puppies and kids. as soon as i saw his little

girl, i said i've got to do that and it worked. >> neil, you are fantastic to work with. we have a great time with you. thanks so much for being here with us. >> thank you, natalie. i've had a great time. >> we have much more from london right after this. yeah, he won the batting title way back in '35. actually it wasn't 1935, he won it in '38... with a .386 average. you sure? i'm 99.9% positive. so you don't know. made with 100% angus beef, to make guys 100% happy. ball park angus beef franks. i'm 99.99999% sure. if you don't know, you don't know...it's fine. hey, becky. hey....uncle steve. for life's bleachable moments.

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you're looking live at the aerial shot of the dmx track. welcome back to london. athletes are sporting more than just medals. nbc's michelle kosinski takes a look at the tattoo craze. >> reporter: you might think the most incredible bodies on the planet don't need a bit of embellishment but look a little closer or just try not to notice. michael phelps's peace out, matt grevers punches, ryan lochte. it seems like every time an olympian bends, turns or takes aim, the rings are with them. >> hey, nice tattoo. >> sometimes subtle, the small of the back, nape of the neck, over the heart, a butterfly on an italian gymnast's angle.

seventeen butterflies from a russian synchronized swimmer. jonathan horton takes off his usa jacket, usa remains. we spotted a fairy on an italian, from jenn kessy, a flower. but more and more for men and women, olympic is bolder, bigger, stronger, biceps, swimmer, canadian superman. went for his name with a crown. race walker who taught the "today" show never liked tattoos until the olympics. >> while not a wall plaque. >> i think a huge signed of who i am. it's something i've worked for 12 years. >> are you going to add a little something? >> honestly, i thought about -- >> oh no. >> making -- i wanted to do big

ben on my side with the laurel wreath on the side. hopefully i'll make 2016 and put a monkey for rio, put my daughter's name. >> you have a little ring and now you're going for big ben and a monkey? >> for some it's artistic. all ten symbols of decath loan on the leg, a grateful pole vaulter, for inspiration that doesn't fade, the olympic motto. deserve tattooed on the chest. on his back, what i deserve, i earn. this canadian has a phrase from lord of the rings. u.s. hurdler, a bible verse. as physical as their lives are, the olympics own symbol point as much to what is inside as out. >> wow. >> you got the "today" show sunrise tattoo.

>> to match your ink. just ahead the best british countryside estates these games have witnessed. for five seconds. honey! i think i'm getting burned! heh! eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? ♪ best yogurt ever. yeah! [ men grunting ] open! [ male announcer ] dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2 to 1 in a national taste test. oikos greek yogurt. possibly the best yogurt in the world. get two miracles in one product. tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. covers spots, lines, and wrinkles. and helps improve skin tone over time. tone rehab from easy, breezy, beautiful, covergirl! covergirl! like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> the first batch of rain showers will taper off as meet hand it to the rest of the morning. chance for more thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. high temperatures between 84 and 89. " but will go through tonight that will get rid of humidity. high

♪ we cannot wait to get back to rockefeller next monday. we've got a week of great concerts awaiting us. we've got the fray on monday. nicki minaj tuesday. wednesday, country sensation carrie underwood. the legendary lionel richie on thursday. on friday, 98 degrees reunion. i don't know about you but i'm looking forward to lionel richie. >> penny love. >> slow dancing. don't get us started -- them.

>> they are not in concert. >> the first concerts, you know. >> anyway, moving on. this half hour watching all the action from london, has you planning a trip to the british isles, some great country escapes. we'll show you where to go. >> we're punchy. natalie coughlin looks -- cooks like a champion, looks like one also. >> she does. >> an easy middle eastern recipe. >> saif save us. what's coming up this weekend. >> too late to save you. we're going to take a bike ride in london, riders of the team usa bmx team. let me tell you, their kind of riding is not for the faint of heart. we'll look back at names to remember and a preview of the

closing ceremony. someone named natalie is going to be joining me here from london this weekend. just leave me the keys, i'll lock the whole thing up. >> me, too. >> get another van and you guys are good to go. >> bring us back. >> mr. roker, how about a check of the weather. >> saturday, we start the weekend off friday, friday, london, three-day forecast. gorgeous today. 82. 80 tomorrow. sunday some morning showers then clearing in time for the closing ceremonies. saturday around the u.s. we've got the heat out west. even up into the pacific northwest thunderstorms along the eastern seaboard down into florida. sizzling in the southwest. sunday -- sunday! -- we are looking at more wet weather making its way down through florida. the rest of the country, though, pretty much on the hot side. nice and mild in the western >> good morning. the central

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part of the olympic games is the events, jenna bush-hager is here with one man's story. >> good morning, that's right. when most people hear jackie robinson, they think about the baseball player that broke racial boundaries in 1947. but a year later a different jackie robinson was playing for team usa's bbt teaasketball tea in london and he helped droo bring home gold. barcelona's team, beijing dream team and now lebron, kobe. before all of them, there were team usa in the 1948 olympic games also in london. a symbol of peace and rebuilding after world war ii in a city

destroyed by bombs. it was the first olympics since the war and the second with basketball as an event. one of the members on the team. at 85, over 60 years later, now a retired preacher, he's back. this time to a very different london. >> there was rubble everywhere. >> even this park was filled with rubble. >> there were holes with barricades around. the children had never seen a candy bar, taught them how to chew gum. >> in the summer of 1948, he sailed across the atlantic to a war ravaged city. the team dominated the game, a tight one with argentina. robinson scored one of the last baskets to clinch the wind and still has the game ball. the team beat france to win. >> when you got that gold medal. >> i did fine. >> he even managed to meet king

george vi, then pregnant prince elizabeth at buckingham palace. >> we made it to the gates of buckingham palace. >> there it is. been there and done that. >> 64 years ago. >> that's right. >> if somebody had told you 64 years ago that you'd be back looking at this place? >> it's a dream come true. >> at home in georgia, the reverend displays the medal in his office for the kids of his town to see. the medal you see here is not the one he brought home in 1948. that medal was stolen in 1964. he was told receiving a replacement wasn't possible. after some communication across the pond between rotary clubs in augusta, georgia and londonish one was located. he was surprised with it in 1968. part of this trip was to thank them in person. >> thank you. >> reporter: he now keeps the medal a bit closer to his heart when not until lock and key. >> this you put a gold chain on

it, so your wife can wear it. >> yes. >> but you only let her wear it every once in a while. >> no. whenever. >> while robinson didn't meet any british royalty on this trip, he did manage to meet some of the current teams of the court who are looking for gold in london. >> i've got your phone. >> saw in person his second olympic opening ceremony in london. now a few generations later, a world changed. with his great grandson and namesake jack by his side, london has called once again. >> he's back home in the states, waiting to see if team usa can bring back the gold from london. but it looks like they are on their way. tonight we'll see in the semifinals if they are going to do it. >> hope they don't disappoint. what a story. >> he was the sweetest gold man.

>> he's got that little grandchild. i'm sure you would appreciate it to, too. jennabush-hager. your next trip here, some great country getaways after this. sometimes, i feel like it's me against my hair. [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen.

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this morning on "today" in london, countryside estates. when you come to london, you don't have to just stay in the city. features director for "travel & leisure" magazine is here with a few beautiful ideas. good morning. >> good morning. >> lots of great places, a couple of hours away, two to three hours. >> what's great about london, it's a beautiful city. so many things accessible to it, beautiful country estates. >> first, the park in berkshire. >> very close, only 20 minutes from heathrow. this is actually a place that's a quintessential english country house. they even have their own polo

grounds where william and harry happened to play recently. kate was waving and cheering them on, which is great. it's a grand hotel with a beautiful georgean style. i love their deep soaking tubs. you can see a view of the rolling hills and lovely vast property. what i love to do is horse back ride. you can go riding there, especially when you know you can follow up with a spa. >> put that one down. next the mag dallen chapter. how long to get here? >> three and a half hours. this is definitely worth it, some of the most beautiful countryside in england. the only county that has two coastlines, north and south. you're going to get incredibly mild climate and seafood. >> looking at those gorgeous rooms. >> a 19th century hospital they have revamped into a gorgeous hotel. it just opened. one of the first people to stay

there. a fun inside out pool, you can play indoors or out. bring the kids. >> yes. >> next over to the chewton glen in hampshire. this is a family hotel. >> this is one of the first country house estates that opened in the '60s. this has been popular. families go back year after year. they have a kids club, spa treatments which i love. they are not resting on their laurels. they have just opened these six tree houses, basically 12 suites in the sky on stilts. you get a great view of the trees. when you're done being in the trees, you can come out and explore the incredible new forest, which is a national park and gorgeous. >> kids love those tree houses. staying in hampshire if you're looking for a more affordable, smaller hotel, the pig is the place to go, the new in hotel. >> so much so we at travel and leisure named it your it list. the pig is named proep

appropriately because they love their food there. mark hicks goes everything from smoke his salmon to grow mushrooms in the forest. this is a place where you're going to have a cozy intimate feeling. a smaller hotel but we love it just as much. >> sounds fantastic. next, speaking of small hotels, langford in somerset. >> tiny property in somerset. they are known for incredible nature. once again, they have wetlands, bird watching if you're into that. this property has only six rooms and seven acres of english gardens. >> wow. >> garden, english, they do it better than everybody else. they do it well. >> got to book. tell us about the gunton arms. >> this is where hip londoners are going to unplug. this is a deft definitely a place, very popular now.

they have the chef here who is a big, big deal, doing everything seasonally, a lot of local stuff, including the fact they are on a giant deer preserve, incredible convenientson. affordable, under $200. >> great to have you in london with us. we'll see you back in new york. up next olympic great natalie coughlin stops by. she'll be cooking with us. first this is "today" on nbc. rs

olympic kitchen. this morning on "today's" olympic kitchen, natalie coughlin tied as the most decorated olympian of all time, happens to be a great cook. >> thanks for having me. >> you're making shawarma, a favorite of the u.s. women's swim team after your all night

pub crawls. >> it wasn't a pub crawl. we were at a party. all in good fun. no, this is one of the -- it's middle eastern, and it's street food, which has become really popular here in london. so it's super, super easy. >> it's been marinating. >> this is prime rib. it's been marinating overnight in yogurt, garlic, lemon, then we cooked it in that, boiled it. now we're going to take it out and slice it. >> you're using ribs but you could use chicken, a lot of different proteins. >> a lot of times it's more like a meat loaf but we used prime rib. i'm going to slice it up. can you shred it. >> i know how much time you love cooking, i spent time with you. you made me kale and eggs.

>> this is hummus, a garlic sauce, add the meat. all sorts of condiments, pickles, cucumbers, onions. we'll wrap it like a brurrito. >> what's that vegetable salad. >> cucumber, herbs. >> this is pretty healthy. >> yeah, it is. lots of protein and it's definitely satisfies when you're on the go. >> yeah. >> this is truly street food. wrap it, eat, and go. >> you want to give it a try? >> roker. >> wow. >> i made you a big one. i'm sorry. >> here we go. >> you can do it, al. >> we can share this. >> i'm in a white dress. >> delicious, right.

>> that's terrific. >> i love it. >> what other foods have you been eating since you've been here. >> i've been eating a little bit of everything. the food here in london, there's a miss conaccepts, it's wonderful. i got out of the village, the village food is good. >> you like to cook everything. you were telling me all the recipes. are you thinking about writing a cookbook at some point? >> i would love to write a cookbook at some point but i have not started. maybe now i'll focus on that. >> will you cook for us 2016 in rio. >> i would love to. i can't pronounce -- >> natalie has all the pronunciati pronunciations. >> what are you going to do now that everything is over. >> i'm going to enjoy it. i'm going to head to bmx in five minutes. i didn't go to beijing. i was supposed to go but it got

rained out. this time i'm staying until closing. >> you've had an incredible record, tying, 12 for 12. natalie coughlin, everyone. good luck. we are wrapping up our time here. >> there's the cue. >> looking forward already to rio. we have the samba band ready to rock. we want to thank everybody who was a part of the show, the athletes that stopped by. >> conga line. >> a crew so wonderful, made it happen. now we samba or conga. filled with olympic stars to help us say good-bye to london. >> who is on the bus with us this morning. a little hand for carli, because carli --

>> an underwater shot. that must mean success. sure enough, the the gold for team usa. >> it's fun. >> we love the pressure. we look for these moments. we don't get enough of them. >> in an interview, you admitted to ryan from time to time you pee in the pool.