2012 Summer Olympics: Early Storylines That Have Dominated the London Buzz

The 2012 Summer Olympics are sure to be full of excitement for some and disappointment for others.

With the world's best athletes congregating in one place, all in the hunt for eternal glory, some people are destined to head home heartbroken and empty-handed.

The Summer Games in London have just kicked off, yet we've already witnessed some major upsets and triumphs that have shocked the international stage.

Here's a look at some of the headlines out of London that have been taking the world by surprise. 

Gymnastics

Seventeen-year-old Jordyn Wieber from Team USA, the reigning world all-around champion in gymnastics and heavy favorite heading into London, will not compete for gold in the finals.

She was edged out by teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas in the qualifying round on Sunday.

Women's Beach Volleyball

The women's beach volleyball team from China, ranked No. 2 in the world, lost its final two sets on Saturday to fall to the Russian duo of Anastasia Vasina and Anna Vozakova.

Zhang Xi and Xue Chen won the bronze in Beijing, and they will have to bounce back if they hope to make a run at another medal this year in London.

Swimming

Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice returned to defend her gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, but fell short of the podium with a disappointing sixth-place finish.

After Michael Phelps barely found his way into the men's 400-meter individual medley finals, he failed to earn a medal in what has been one of his strongest events.

Fellow American Ryan Lochte, who took the bronze at the event in Beijing, earned his first gold medal in London.

The U.S. men's 4x100 freestyle fell just short of gold to France, as Lochte lost the lead in the last leg of the race.

Men's Soccer

Spain's soccer team has absolutely dominated on the world stage over the past few years.

They've won two consecutive European Championships and took home the 2010 World Cup, making them the odds-on favorites to earn the gold this summer in London.

After losing their opener to Japan 1-0 last Thursday, it was evident that they would need to step up their game to at least advance to the knockout round.

Honduras, however, had other plans in store for this Spanish squad.

Spain's road to glory came to a screeching halt on Sunday when they lost their second match of the group stages to Honduras, 1-0.

This shocking upset will pave the way for teams like Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and hometown favorite England to make a run at Olympic gold.