EYES ON LONDON: The flame, Gabby, primal scream

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HELLO CAULDRON

After a magnificent unveiling at the opening ceremony, the Olympic cauldron kept a low profile during the first week of the London Games.

Now it's taken center stage.

Many visitors griped about not being able to see it while it was hidden in Olympic Stadium for the first week. It's hard to blame them. It's an impressive sight to behold.

— Jon Krawczynski — Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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PHOTO OF GABBY DOUGLAS

AP photographer Gregory Bull knew it would come — the moment when Gabby Douglas does that little bit extra.

Her leap, high above the beam, in the women's all-round individual gymnastics competition on Thursday is one of the iconic shots of the London Games.

"I know there is that one moment where she jumps higher and stretches further back than everyone else," said the San Diego-based photographer who has covered Douglas a number of times. "I knew that key moment was coming — and I knew I should wait and nail it."

Denis Paquin, AP's deputy director of photography, says the beauty of the shot lies in the combination of "the graceful motion and the horizontal lines between the balance beam and her perfectly-positioned body — all captured at the precise moment during her routine."

Here's another look at the picture: http://apne.ws/Qjv5dV

— Fergus Bell — Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb

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WHERE IS BOLT?

AP's Jenna Fryer is scouring London and Olympic Park for sprinter Usain Bolt and seeing what people have to say about him. Here's her latest entry:

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It's well documented that Usain Bolt loves McDonalds, so the quest to catch the "fastest man in the world" led directly to the golden arches.

Since he's not staying in the athletes village, there was no need to go to the one there, where the food is free. But the first day of athletics during these games made the two-story McDonalds just steps from Olympic Stadium a possibility.

Lee, an East Londerner of Jamacian descent, exited the fast-food joint draped in the Jamacian flag and eating a Big Mac. He assured me Bolt was not inside.

"He's not due in to London until today," Lee said.

Huh?

"He's been in Birmingham training," Lee explained. "Bolt gets here today and he probably can't be eating chicken nuggets this close to competition."

I had planned next to head to Brixton, where a weekend street festival will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence, but Lee discouraged the trip.

"He won't be having time to go out there," Lee insisted.

Hmmmm. If Bolt has really been training all this time, maybe he needs a new pair of sneakers.

Next stop: The Puma store.

—Jenna Fryer — Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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GOOGLE ME

Gabby Douglas said she woke up at 6 a.m. the day after winning the women's gymnastics all-around and "went on a tweeting mission."

Douglas also googled herself, reading all the headlines and scrolling through the photo galleries of her gold-medal winning performance on Thursday.

"I googled 'Gabby Douglas' and everything popped up. People tell me this is very big news and it's not hit me," said Douglas, who wants to use her new celebrity status to meet Usain Bolt and Serena Williams before the London Olympics are over.

—Jenna Fryer — Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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PRIMAL SCREAM

Uzbekistan weightlifter Sherzodjon Yusupov's primal pre-lift scream made him an unexpected crowd favorite at the ExCel Centre.

Yusupov lets out a short but extremely loud yell — the loudest of any weightlifter so far — before his attempts. The crowd picked up on this and by the time Yusupov's last scream and lift came around the crowd yelled right back at him to show support.

Bouyed by the atmosphere, Yusupov cleared 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) in the clean and jerk. He then blew kisses to the British fans, many of whom gave Yusupov a standing ovation.

"I like the atmosphere, it is very warm. Everyone is shouting 'Yeah! Yeah!' when you lift," Yusupov said.

— Luke Meredith — Twitter http://twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP

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TOO GOOD?

Team USA's 156-73 thumping of Nigeria on Thursday night has reopened the debate about whether LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the star-studded squad are simply too good to play in the Olympics.

The 83-point margin of victory and Carmelo Anthony's 37 points were greater even than anything the original Dream Team, including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, managed back in 1992.

Spokesman Mark Adams says the IOC does not think the incredible margin is damaging to the spirit of the games.

"There may be some games where some teams do miles better than others," Adams says, "but that doesn't mean there's not a good, decent level of competition and representation. And our job at the IOC is to balance those two things."

— Jon Krawczynski — Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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PLASTIC BRITS

She represented Cuba, then Sudan. Now, Cuban-born Yamile Aldama is jumping for Britain.

The triple jumper has lept into the immigration debate over so-called "Plastic Brits," or people who obtain U.K. citizenship.

She represented Cuba at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She then moved to Britain but competed for Sudan when her British citizenship didn't arrive in time for Athens 2004.