In London, Peter Woodman notes Mayor BORIS JOHNSON "welcomed figures showing that busy tourism and shopping areas had seen an increase in numbers during the Games." Retailers across London's Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street said that there "had been an increase in sales and a higher footfall -- the number of people going into a shop -- over the past few days." Heart of London, the business improvement district representing these areas, said that "between Monday and Thursday of last week, footfall was up 11.6% on the previous week and 16.2% up on the same week in 2011." Johnson announced that London Underground "carried more passengers last Friday than on any other day in its history with 4.4 million customers" (London INDEPENDENT, 8/6).
GIRL POWER: Dutch Bronze Medal-winning judoka EDITH BOSCH yesterday described on Twitter "how she whacked a man after he allegedly threw a bottle onto the track" at the start of the men's 100m final. Bosch: "A drunken spectator threw a bottle onto the track! I HAVE BEATEN HIM ... unbelievable." A London police spokesperson said that a man "had been heard shouting abuse and was then seen throwing a bottle immediately before the race," won by Jamaican sprinter USAIN BOLT. Police said that nobody "was injured during the incident and the event was not disrupted" (London INDEPENDENT, 8/6).
BRAND RECOGNITION: U.S. women's soccer F ABBY WAMBACH, a Gatorade endorser, during a press conference yesterday "moved aside the bottles of Coca-Cola and Powerade that organizers place beside microphones" during interview sessions. Wambach said that she was "following the example" of Heat F LEBRON JAMES. James is a Powerade endorser and Wambach said, "I love how LeBron didn't even take a sip of Gatorade when he was cramping during the Finals" (USATODAY.com, 8/5).
PROBLEMS FOR PARENTS: ILEANA LOCHTE, the mother of U.S. Gold Medal-winning swimmer RYAN LOCHTE, last month filed a motion "to dismiss a lawsuit from CitiMortgage seeking to recoup $250,000." She said that none of her children were "aware of her financial situation." Ileana Lochte: "We didn't discuss this with Ryan or any of my children, really. I would never allow him to help us." Ryan Lochte said that when he "brought this up to his mom, she took the same stance" (USA TODAY, 8/6)....NATALIE HAWKINS, the mother of U.S. Gold Medal-winning gymnast GABBY DOUGLAS, "filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy." Hawkins said that it was "her best option so she could continue to pay bills and keep her home in Virginia Beach while looking toward the future (L.A. TIMES, 8/6).
NAMES: U.S. Gold Medal-winning sprinter SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS, wife of Jaguars CB AARON ROSS, yesterday "was shown on the scoreboard" at EverBank Field following Jaguars practice after she won the women's 400m race. It was a "surprise treat" for the team and the 1,112 fans in attendance (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 8/6)....Comedian CHELSEA HANDLER "learned about tennis players' superstitions the hard way" as she was a guest of Russian tennis player MARIA SHARAPOVA "early in the tournament" at the London Games. As Sharapova "kept winning, there were requests for Handler to return" (SI.com, 8/5)....The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Bruce Orwall writes with "more than a week remaining in the London Olympics, awkwardly large WENLOCK and MANDEVILLE dolls are already on offer at an 80% discount" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/4)....U.S.Gold Medal-winning swimmer MICHAEL PHELPS "earlier this year" listed his Baltimore condo for $1.42M. After lowering the original listing price, it sold for $1.25M last week (TMZ.com, 8/2)....There "are an estimated 9,000 betting establishments in Great Britain," and a source estimated that the London Games "will bring in more than" US$50M in wagers (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/5).
