For Michael Phelps, 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold, really is enough, as he confirmed that his swimming career is over.

In an interview with Bob Costas on NBC, Phelps said he has no regrets about his career. "I can look back at my career and hang my suit up and say I've done everything I wanted to do," Phelps said.

Phelps didn't waver when confronted with the doubts of others. When told that fellow swimmer Anthony Ervin would "eat [his] fins" if Phelps never swam competitively again, Phelps laughed and said "He's gotta eat his fins then." And when asked about his mother wanting to go to the Rio Olympics in 2016, Phelps said "We'll go and watch, but we're not competing."

When pushed, Phelps said "Nah. I'm done."

When Bob Costas brought up Michael Jordan's competitive itch and how he had to come back, Phelps interrupted, saying "I've got golf, I've got golf." Which is of course ironic, because Jordan had golf also. "There are other things I can do," said Phelps. "I am not a very good golfer...and if I have a goal [of improving my golf game], those things are going to keep me motivated, and fire me up, and excite me."

And while many will wonder if he is really done, what separates Phelps is that he never seemed very motivated this time around, even admitting he wanted to quit "countless times" in an interview prior to the Olympics.

Only time will confirm, but Phelps sounds like a guy that is ready to walk away for good.

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The menu for the 2012 London Olympics took five years to make.

In an ambitious plan, the organizing committee set out to prepare 14 million meals with local, sustainable ingredients. The end goal, according to the Daily Beast, is to fundamentally change how catering works at large-scale events like the Olympics, and improve how food is sourced in the UK.

The committee developed a lengthy list of minimum requirements involving vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, and fish. Since 2007, they've been working with caterers to figure out a way to both meet these sustainability standards and feed millions of people in a practical way.

As you can see from this sampling of meals (PDF) available at various venues in the Olympic Park, the result of five years of planning is a international menu composed of locally-derived ingredients. Here's what people are eating at the Olympics:

• Porridge and maple syrup, made with UK oats and milk – £2.20
• Toasted tea cakes, with Yorkshire butter – £2.10
• 6 Jerk Red Tractor assured chicken wings – £3.50
• Red Leicester British cheese with British apple chutney and Farm assured lettuce on Oxfordshire bread – £3.80
• Jacket potato with Dingley Dell bacon and Freedom Foods chicken in a herb mayonnaise, served with roquete and watercress salad – £5.80
• Pole and line caught tuna and sweet potato British salad – £5.90
• Freshly carved hog roasted Red Tractor pork, served in Oxfordshire cross hatched bread roll with mixed leaf salad and assorted accompaniments – £6.50
• Grilled Red Tractor chicken burrito – £6.50
• Farm assured Scotch Beef with Stilton Pie, Irish mashed potato with Red Tractor Cream and British butter and onion gravy – £8.00
• Cod and chips – from £8
• Singapore noodle, stir fried egg noodle, chicken, prawns, char sui Pork, chili and shredded peppers in a hoisin dressing – £8.50

And here's what some of the tents look like (via @kpmarek):

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There's a perception out there that the top tennis players in the world don't really care about the Olympics.

Andy Murray using his gold and silver medals as dog collars will not help dispel that perception.

The official Twitter account for Andy Murray's dog tweeted out this photo today. The account is ghost-written by Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears, according to The Daily Mail.

"Here we go folks... Just checking to make sure Rusty definitely has the silver, obviously," Sears tweeted.

Murray won gold in singles and silver in doubles.

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Usain Bolt easily won the gold medal in the Men's 100m dash, beating the second place finisher by 0.12 seconds.

To put that in perspective, consider that there have only been two larger winning margins in the 12 Olympics since they started measuring times to the hundredth of a second. And one of those was by Bolt in 2008 when he won 0.20 seconds.

So is Bolt the most dominating sprinter ever? Carl Lewis also won back-to-back gold medals. And in 1984, blistered the field. But in 1988, his winning margin of victory was just .05 seconds. And that was only after Ben Johnson had his winning time stripped for testing positive for a banned substance.

Here's the history of the men's 100 meters winning times and margins of victory...

Data via DatabaseOlympics.com. Times measure to just tenths of a second until 1968. Olympics were not held in 1916, 1940, 1944.

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The UK had its moment in the spotlight on Saturday night, winning three gold medals in track and field within 46 minutes of each other.

The highlight of the night was Jessica Ennis sealing her gold medal in the heptathlon by winning the 800 meters — which wasn't even her strongest discipline going into the event.

Ennis would have won the heptathlon as long as she stayed with 12 seconds of the winner in the 800m. But instead of using it as a victory lap, she won the race in her home country, with 80,000 Brits cheering her on.

Here's video from the stands. It really gets good at the 1:40 mark, when Ennis makes the turn for home and the fans really get into it. Great atmosphere:

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The US women's soccer team just beat Canada 4-3 at the Olympics with a goal in the 123rd minute.

The game looked all but over, but Alex Morgan looped a header past the goalie to send the US into the gold-medal match against Japan.

The US trailed by a goal three separate times, but came back.

You can watch the goal here >

Heather O'Reilly sent in a perfect cross:

There was a mass of bodies in the box, but Morgan rose above them all:

The goalie was a little bit off her line, and got burned:

The US celebrates, a little stunned:

Here's the goal-scorer, she can barely believe it:

We were also live-blogging it with screenshots and such, you can find all that below...

UPDATE (120+ minute):

Oh wow, Canada keeping on the pressure in stoppage time. Where's the whistle, the US has to be wondering.

UPDATE (120th minute):

Penalties are close, the ref will blow this one over at any moment...

UPDATE (119th minute):

Off the woodwork for Wambach! A looping header beats the goal-keeper but bounces off the crossbar. Holy cannoli, what a chance

UPDATE (117th minute):

Counterattack fizzles for the US, but Morgan puts the ball in a dangerous area, no one on the end of it for the USA

UPDATE (116th minute):

Free kick from a tricky angle for Canada. Dangerous stuff here... And Solo smothers it, off the go on the counter

UPDATE (114th minute):

So yeah, this game has really fallen apart. USA just lobbing long balls into the box, Canada throwing their bodies in front of everything. Looks like penalty kicks now.

UPDATE (111th minute):

Canada is really backed in its own penalty box, USA still needs to find that final ball though, ~10 minutes left.

UPDATE (109th minute):

Corner for USA is punched out by the Canadian goalie. No chances for Canada so far, USA has had just that corner. Translation: pace is slowing down.

UPDATE (107th minute):

Player hurt for USA, looks like a cramp, she's okay:

UPDATE (106th minute):

Off we go! Winner plays Japan in the final. Penalty kicks if no one scores, or if they both score.

UPDATE (105th minute):

The first 15 minutes of extra time is over, and we'll take a super quick break. USA had the slight edge in the first 15, but Canada had their chances. 15 minutes to go.

UPDATE (104th minute):

Impressive stuff from Canada. They looked like they were ready to hunker down but they've come out of their shell and attacked. Corner kick, Canada.

UPDATE (102nd minute):

Free kick from a dangerous area for Canada. Nearly a penalty, but it's right on the far edge of the box. And.. it sails out of bounds, USA ball.

UPDATE (100th minute):

Great save Canada! Wambach nearly put the Americans ahead. The US is really dominating now, but Canada just needs to hang on for 20 minutes more.

UPDATE (99th minute):

The first good chance of ET comes from the US, but she sends a volley flying over the bar. USA with the bulk of possession, but needs a final ball.

UPDATE (96th minute):

Canada gets out on the counter, but they botch a pass and the US has it back. The game has gotten sloppy in extra time, but a goal can still come any minute here.

UPDATE (92nd minute):

The pace has definitely slowed down here, but the US is still throwing numbers forward like crazy when they enter the final third. Should open up counter-attacking chances for Canada...

UPDATE (91st minute):

We're off. Regulation ended in a fever pitch, so we'll see if both teams are still as aggressive or if they take try to conserve energy early.

UPDATE (END OF REGULATION):

Regulation over, and now we'll go to a 30-minute extra time period. It's not sudden death, and we'll go to penalty kicks is no one scores. Whew, what a game.

Expect a goal or two in extra time. There have been chances everywhere, and the USA is still playing a offensive-minded 3-4-3. Megan Rapinoe, the US woman of the match so far, looks a little burnt out going into the extra time:

UPDATE (90+ minute):

We're into stoppage time, and it looks like we're headed to extra time. There are still all sorts of chances back and forth, and you can probably bet on a goal coming in the 30-minute extra time, unless everyone just gets burnt out by the blistering pace.

UPDATE (89th minute):

Hope Solo with a beautiful kick save from an odd angle. Corner for Canada... and USA clears. Into the 90th minute we go.

UPDATE (87th minute):

Rapinoe sends in a free kick from a dangerous area but it's cleared out. Still chances in this one, stay tuned...

UPDATE (85th minute):

A whiff by Wambach! She had a wide-open goal on a one-timed cross form Alex Morgan and she pushed it wide. Canada still alive. Wide open:

UPDATE (83rd minute):

Back comes Canada with a counterattack, but Sinclair shoots a harmless shot into Hope Solo.

UPDATE (82nd minute):

USA is sustaining pressure right now. If you're going to bet on either team to score before extra time, it's the US.

Here's Wambach after tying it at 3-3:

EARLIER:

Underdog Canada was up 3-2 on the US late in the Olympic semifinal. But the US tied it at 3-3 with a penalty by Abby Wambach in the 79th minute.

It's been a crazy game. It was 1-0 Canada in the 52nd minute. After that, the teams have scored five goals in 17 minutes. Christine Sinclair has scored a hat-trick for Canada, Megan Rapinoe has two goals for the US.

We're now in extra time.

Click here for updates >

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The Olympics bring together celebrities of all stripes under one roof.

Case in point: Ryan Lochte is currently "chillin" with Ludacris at USA's basketball game against Argentina.

Lochte is finished swimming at the Olympics, so he has some time to relax around London.

Quite the pair:

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Earlier we talked about Michael Phelps interview with Bob Costas for NBC and how Phelps confirmed that he will never swim competitively again. But there was another comment Phelps made that was even more eyebrow-raising.

When Phelps was asked if there would be any regrets now that his career is over, he compared himself to Michael Jordan and how there is nothing left to accomplish...

"I've done everything I have put my mind to. I have prepared for everything that has happened in my life. I said this to [Coach Bob Bowman]...somebody I have always looked up to in my sporting career is Michael Jordan, and he became the greatest basketball player of all time. And I'm able to look back on my career, and I am able to say that...I think that is a pretty cool part of my career."

What is surprising about the comment is not that Phelps is wrong*, it is that he is so candid about the comparison. Many athletes strive to be "The Michael Jordan of their sport." And a few have even come close. But most don't have the confidence to actually say it in a one-on-one interview on national television.

Then again, it is that competitive confidence that separated Jordan from everybody else.

* The only other swimmer in the conversation is probably Mark Spitz, who won 9 gold medals and 11 overall. Both of those totals are exactly half of Phelps' medal haul.

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We already know US athletes will get $25,000 if they win a gold medal, but are you curious to see how that number compares to what other countries gift their medalists?

Below are estimates of cash prizes given to the Olympic athletes from different countries. Keep in mind that some athletes, especially the ones from the US, make most of their money from endorsements rather than medal cash rewards. Here's the list of cash prizes ranging from the most to the least:

1. Singapore: $805,000
2. Italy: $182,400
3. Russia: $135,000
4. Ukraine: $100,000
5. France: $65,200
6. Japan: $35,900
7. China: $31,400
8. US: $25,000
9. Australia: $20,300
10. Canada: $20,000
11. Ghana: $20,000
12. Germany: $19,500
13. Great Britain: No performance bonus

These are just basic estimates of how much athletes are getting for their gold medals from certain sources; there's no telling what the true value of a gold medal will mean for the lucky winner.

DON'T MISS: 23 secrets to booking cheap airfare > 

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With the Track & Field portion of the Olympics now at full speed, one of the cooler aspects of NBC's coverage has been the super slo-mo view of the runners approaching the finish line.

The view gives the viewers an amazing perspective on the faces of the runners that are pushing their bodies to the brink of exhaustion.

Whether it is just the emotional responses or just the contortions of traveling at high speed, the close-up views of the runners have been mesmerizing.

On the next few pages we'll show you some of our favorites from this past weekend...

Some of the best views are when we can contrast the faces of several runners at once

In the men's 10,000 meters we saw the surprise of victory and the screams of American silver

In the men's 100 meters, we saw the strain of trying to keep up with Usain Bolt

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During an MLS match this weekend, two players were ejected, sending the announcers into a full-blown tizzy, when Nelson Rivas didn't like being thrown to the ground and expressed his displeasure with a headbutt to the face of his opponent.

On the one had you have to feel a little sorry for Nelson Rivas of the Montreal Impact as this was classic case where only the retaliation was punished and not the initial foul. And it is also noble that he stayed true to the sport of soccer and assaulted his opponent with his head and not his hands.

But it's not smart to retaliate when the referee is 20 feet away and staring right at you. Oh yeah, and it's not smart to headbutt people.

Here's the video (via SportsGrid.com)...

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Ryan Lochte didn't have the dominating Olympics he was expecting, but he's still becoming a crossover athlete-celebrity with all sorts of endorsements in the wake of five medals.

One of Lochte's sponsors, Gillette, congratulated him with these two tricked-out razors.

"U gotta hand it to @Gillette for getting me my own personally gold plated and diamond encrusted razor. #jeah," he tweeted.

Gillette also tweeted out this ad, which uses Lochte's "jeah" catch-phrase:

Lochte has a history of hoarding blinged-out accessories. The most obvious one is his grill:

But he also likes fancy glasses, necklaces, and bracelets:

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Seven Cameroonian athletes have gone missing in the Olympic village, according to Reuters. 

A backup goalkeeper for the women's soccer team disappeared as the rest of her team traveled to Coventry to prepare for a game, and since then six other athletes from Cameroon have gone missing as well. 

All of the athletes had completed their respective competitions, and it is suspected that they fled the Games to hide throughout Europe for economic reasons.

We've seen this phenomenon before, specifically with Cuban baseball players who defect by fleeing their hotels when they travel for international competitions. But it's unclear if that's the case this time.

Boxers Thomas Essomba, Christian Donfack Adjoufack, Abdon Mewoli, Blaise Yepmou Mendouo and Serge Ambomo all went missing on Sunday, and swimmer Paul Ekane Edingue cannot be found in the Olympic village. 

We'll keep you updated.

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To be a dominant country in the Summer Olympics, it is good to have medal contenders in all sports. But those sports are not evenly represented. So it helps if the country is strong in both swimming and running.

Below is a look at how the 302 events at London 2012 are broken down by sport, with Track & Field and Swimming representing more than one-fourth of all medals (27%). In fact, the United States, which is second overall in the medal standings has nearly half of their medals so far in the pool (30 of 66).

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The Houston Astros are 36-74, 27 games back in the National League Central and are on pace for 109 losses. And they have been even worse recently, going 4-31 over their last 35 games.

Well, last night they somehow managed to reach an even new low against the Washington Nationals. With the score tied in the 11th inning and a runner on first base, the Nationals just wanted to bunt the runner over to second base.

One collision, one flying player, two errors, and lots of head shaking later, the Nationals took the lead and would go on to win the game. The only thing missing is the Benny Hill theme song...

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Lolo Jones snuck into the last spot in the 100m hurdles final as the "fastest loser" in the semifinals.

She ran a 12.71 after she got out to a horrible start. That's 0.03 worse than she ran this morning in the qualifying heats.

Sally Pearson, the gold-medal favorite, ran a 12.39 — the best time in the world this year.

The semifinals consisted of three heats, with the top two finishers in each heat advancing to the final automatically. Then, the two "fastest losers" from those heats also advance to the final.

That's how Lolo got in, despite coming in third place in her heat.

The final is at 4 pm.

She wasn't too happy:

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Kids hoping to see Dwight Howard next week at his annual youth camp are going to have to settle for an autograph instead. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Howard will skip the camp, choosing instead to remain in California to rehab his surgically repaired back.

While Howard may have a good excuse for missing the camp, the fans in Orlando are probably going to be less-than-forgiving for what they will likely consider just the latest snub by their All-Star center. And given the drama in recent months over his trade demands, as well as recent public appearances he has made at Dodgers games and elsewhere, it will be hard to blame them.

According to the report, campers will instead receive an autograph from Howard, a ticket to an Orlando Magic game, and an Adidas gift bag. Campers can also ask for a refund.

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American beach volleyball legends Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings advanced to their third-straight Olympic gold medal match today.

The pair won a tight match against Chinese duo Xue Chen and Zhang Xi — who won bronze in Beijing — in straight sets.

The Americans have won two-straight Olympic golds, but many questioned whether they'd be able to win a three-peat in London. They barely played at all in 2009 and 2010 due to various injuries and pregnancies, and slipped to the fourth seed going into the 2012 Games.

But after some early struggles in the tournament, they're back in form.

As you can see, they were very excited:

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It will probably take you longer to look at the image below than it did for Usain Bolt to travel 100 meters. And after we made the case yesterday that Bolt is the most dominant Olympic sprinter ever, this multi-exposure shows you just how Bolt pulled away in the last 50 meters to takes home the gold.

Click on image for the complete sequence. Note: you may have to zoom in to get a clearer view after clicking the image.

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The notorious group that runs the Olympics is expected to earn a record $8 billion revenue in the latest quadrennial.

Formed to promote "Olympism," the International Olympic Committee doesn't get rich off the Games, but they do enjoy themselves.

The 109-member Committee gets wined and dined by cities and corporations bidding for contracts, and they get treated like royalty at the Games.

Several times they've been caught taking bribes, but generally what happens in Switzerland stays in Switzerland.

Olympic revenue increased 47% in the latest quadrennial.

Source: Sportcal

The Committee is conveniently located in tax haven Switzerland.

Calling Switzerland home allows the non-profit IOC to avoid a 20% income tax, and that's just the start, according to Play The Game's Lars Jørgensen.

"The tax exemption is very important. I have no concrete figures on how much we save in dollars and cents. But the tax exemption means that we can spend even more money on our Olympic solidarity work," said IOC member Gerhard Heiberg in an interview with Danish newspaper Information.

What's more, bribery was basically legal in Switzerland until recently. Stronger anti-corruption laws are finally coming into place after another bribery scandal at the IOC and FIFA resulted in almost no convictions.

Count Jacques Rogge leads a group of 109.

A doctor, a knight, a count and a three-time Olympian in yachting, Belgian Jacques Rogge, 70, is the ideal president of the IOC.

The Committee, which can hold up to 115 members, is composed of royals, nobles, CEOs and Olympians. Since Rogge took the helm in 2001, it has opened up to a larger number of Olympians. Still the IOC's co-option method of selecting members ensures that it remains an elite group.

Royals include Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz, Prince Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Albert II and Princess Nora of Liechtenstein.

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