, Saturday, May 25, 2013
As the top athletes in the world prepare to face off at the Olympics, we follow their pre-games stories through pictures.
AUTOPLAY 
A Olympics flag flies in front of Big Ben Monday,
July 23, 2012, in London. The 2012 London Olympics
opening ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, July
27. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A worker attaches an Olympics rings logo to a
fence at the Royal Artillery Barracks, during
final preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. (AP
Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Rowers practice before the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Eton Dorney, near
Windsor, England. The opening ceremonies for the
2012 London Olympics will be held Friday, July 27.
(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
This Sept. 25, 2010 photo shows the Olympic
rings on the approach to Olympiastadion Berlin,
where U.S. gold medalist Jesse Owens won four
gold medals during the 1936 Summer Olympics in
Berlin, Germany. Germany hosted two notorious
games: The 1936 Berlin Olympics, which Adolf
Hitler tried to turn into a showcase of Aryan
supremacy, and the 1972 Munich Olympics, married
by a hostage crisis that left 11 Israelis dead.
A tour takes you to the stands overlooking the
track area where Owens and other athletes
competed. (AP Photo/Anick Jesdanun)
U.S. Olympic archer Brady Ellison trains at the
2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 21, 2012, in
London. Archery competition at the London Olympics
begins July 27. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
U.S. Olympic archer Miranda Leek trains at the
2012
Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 21, 2012, in
London. Archery competition at the London Olympics
begins July 27. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Workers carry scaffolding next to the Riverbank
Arena in the Olympic Park in the 2012 Summer
Olympics, Sunday, July 15, 2012, in London. The
Riverbank Arena will be the hockey competition
venue during the Olympics. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)
Piotr Kuleta of Poland trains for the Canoeing
Flatwater competition before the 2012 Summer
Olympics, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Eton Dorney
near Windsor, England. The opening ceremonies for
the 2012 London Olympics will be held Friday, July
27. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Flowers bloom outside Olympic Stadium at the 2012
Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in London.
The opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics
will be held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Patrick
Semansky)
The German cycling team trains for the 2012 Summer
Olympics, Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. The
opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics
will be held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Sergey
Ponomarev)
Flowers are planted near the Olympic Stadium at
the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 25,
2012, in London. The opening ceremonies for the
2012 London Olympics will be held Friday, July 27.
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A diver trains at the Aquatics Center at the
Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in London. Opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Players practice during a training session for the
badminton competition of the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. The opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27.(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
Players practice during a training sessionfor the
badminton competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. The opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27.(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
Synchronized divers train at the Aquatics Center
at the Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer
Olympics, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in London.
Opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics
will be held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-
man)
Pedestrians pass a poster advertising the 2012
Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in
London. The city will host the 2012 London
Olympics with opening ceremonies for the games
scheduled for Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Ben
Curtis)
Sun Yang of China trains at the Aquatics Center at
the Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer
Olympics, Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London.
Opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics
will be held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-
man)
A diver practices at the Aquatics Center at the
Olympic Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. Opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Visitors stand in the entrance of the ExCeL Center
ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July
25, 2012, in London. Opening ceremonies for the
2012 London Olympics will be held Friday, July 27.
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ryan Lochte of the US trains at the Aquatics
Center at the Olympic Park ahead of the 2012
Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in
London. Opening ceremonies for the 2012 London
Olympics will be held Friday, July 27. (AP
Photo/Jin-Man Lee)
U.S. Olympic archer Brady Ellison, right, Jennifer
Nichols, center, and Miranda Leek, left, remove
their arrows as they train at the 2012 Summer
Olympics, Saturday, July 21, 2012, in London.
Archery competition at the London Olympics begins
July 27. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Members of Denmark's badminton team warm up during
a training session for the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in London. The opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Workers set up a goal in preparation for the 2012
Summer Olympics, at the city of Coventry stadium,
in Coventry, England, Tuesday, July 24, 2012.
Opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics
will be held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Hussein
Malla)
Equestrians train with their horses at Greenwich
Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July
25, 2012, in London. The city will host the 2012
London Olympics with opening ceremonies scheduled
for Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A man pulls a dolly inside Olympic Park prior to
the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday,
July 25, 2012, in London. The opening ceremonies
for the 2012 London Olympics will be held Friday,
July 27. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A diver trains at the Aquatics Center at the
Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in London. Opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A player's shadow falls on the court during a
training session for the badminton competition at
the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 25,
2012, in London. The opening ceremonies for the
2012 London Olympics will be held Friday, July 27.
(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
India's Saina Nehwal practices during a training
session for the badminton competition of the 2012
Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in
London. The opening ceremonies for the 2012 London
Olympics will be held Friday, July 27.(AP
Photo/Saurabh Das)
In this Monday, June 18, 2012 photo, Najwan El
Zawawi, background, UAE women's weightlifter team
coach, assists Khadija Mohammed, who competes in
the 75-kilogram category and will be the first
female lifter from the Gulf at the Olympics and
the first Emirati to qualify for the Olympics
outright, at the Al Shabab stadium in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
A taxi passes one of the special Olympic traffic
lanes, which go into effect on Wednesday, ahead of
the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 24, 2012,
in London. The opening ceremonies for the 2012
London Olympics will be held Friday, July 27. (AP
Photo/Ben Curtis)
British armed forces personnel walk at the Olympic
Park ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, in London,
Tuesday, July 24, 2012. The opening ceremonies for
the 2012 London Olympics will be held Friday, July
27. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Swimmers from China attend a practice session at
the Aquatics Center at the Olympic Park ahead of
the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 24, 2012,
in London. Opening ceremonies for the 2012 London
Olympics will be held Friday, July 27. (AP
Photo/Jin-Man Lee)
Divers practice at the Aquatics Center at the
Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. Opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de
Olza)
Swimmers practice at the Aquatics Center at the
Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. Opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de
Olza)
Swimmers practice at the Aquatics Center at the
Olympic Park ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London. Opening
ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics will be
held Friday, July 27.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de
Olza)
The Olympic Rings hang above a platform near a
sculpture in St. Pancras International station
for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July
25, 2012, in London. The opening ceremonies for
the 2012 London Olympics will be held Friday,
July 27. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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