Let's Catch Up: Phelps In Fly, Too Many Tweets, And A Chatty Olympics Greeter

NPR | By Bill Chappell

Published July 30, 2012 at 10:27 AM EDT

Sam Griffiths of Australia, and his horse Happy Times, compete in the cross country phase of the equestrian eventing competition in London's Greenwich Park.

Good morning. Here's a roundup of London 2012 Olympics news stories that have caught our interest. We also have a highlight list of today's upcoming events, in a different post. You can also check out our main schedule. Here's what's been happening already today:

-- Michael Phelps qualified for the 200m butterfly semifinal with the fifth-fastest time — a potentially worrying sign to his fans. Phelps qualified in the eighth slot for the 400m individual medley, finishing fourth in the final.

-- In singles tennis, Andy Roddick advanced to the second round after beating Martin Klizan of Slovakia, 7-5, 6-4, on the grass of Wimbledon.

-- As London handles both commuter and Olympic traffic for the first full day, British Prime Minister David Cameron declares the city's transit system to be fine. "I've been on the Tube this morning, it is not too bad," he tells the BBC.

-- A different type of traffic is not as smooth. Olympics organizers are blaming overzealous texting and tweeting fans for technical glitches, such as the BBC's botched GPS tracking of Saturday's men's cycling road race.

-- In judo, Marti Malloy of the United States upset No. 2 seed Telma Monteiro of Portugal Monday. The AP reports that after going into overtime, Malloy won when she "swept Monteiro's foot to make the winning throw." Which can't help but make me think of The Karate Kid.

-- An Olympics greeter has won fans with her ultra-dry welcoming speech, delivered over a loudspeaker to fans in Stratford, London. "I'm going to find a picture of myself, frame it, and give it to my mother. She'll be so proud," she told laughing spectators. The video is at Gawker.