Olympics 2012 Results: Biggest Surprises from Day 4

Day 4 of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London may have lacked the volume of shock and surprise fans had seen in the first three days of competition. But there's never a shortage of moments that might make your head turn.

Looking to stay up to date on the latest twists and turns in London? We have your back.

Read on to find 10 of the biggest surprises from Day 4. As always, Bleacher Report looks forward to your thoughts and reactions.

Michael Phelps, U.S. Swimming

Regardless of the outcome of Michael Phelps' third attempt at London gold, the result was going to be a surprise.

The real surprise, though, was the manner in which he finished the 200-meter butterfly.

After holding a lead throughout most of the race, Phelps' lead began to narrow in the final 15 meters. But he held steady and appeared ready to end the pursuit of his first gold medal of the 2012 Games.

Then, he found himself too far from the wall to touch, but too close to take another stroke.

Timing is crucial in the butterfly and Phelps was off. As he attempted to glide into the wall he was out-touched by Chad le Clos of South Africa.

Phelps became the first man to make an event final of the same race in four consecutive Games. A win would have made him the first man to swim for gold in the same event in three straight Olympics.

That pursuit will have to wait, as he has two more opportunities to set that record.

What won't have to wait is Phelps setting a record 19 Olympic medals or securing his first gold medal of the 2012 Games. He accomplished both shortly after the fly final in the men's 4x200 freestyle relay.

U.S. Women Gymnasts Win Team Gold in Blowout Fashion

The Americans' win wasn't a surprise, but the dominance in which the "Fab Five" collected the nation's first team gold since 1996 certainly was.

Russia, Romania and China were seen as possible threats to Team USA's bid for gold, but the Americans (183.596 points) would have none of it, thumping the runner-up Russians by more than five points.

The U.S. soared on vault, its first apparatus of the day, taking a 1.7-point lead that never was in jeopardy. Any questions about how 2011 world champion Jordyn Wieber would respond to her heartbreaking Sunday were decisively answered at the outset when she produced a memorable initial vault for her team. Wieber shook off the disappointment of not reaching the all-around finals due to the absurd "two-per-country" rule that excluded the fourth-best performance in qualifying.

Team USA's golden day finds its way on this list because of what a historic romp it was.

China Buckles in Women's Gymnastics Final

The defending Olympic champions entered the team finals in women's gymnastics hoping to follow suit with their male counterparts, who secured a near-flawless commanding win the day before.

Instead, it was the American women who responded with a commanding win, as the Chinese women were more reminiscent of the U.S. men's team final.

China finished just under two points behind the resurgent Romanian team for fourth place.

What was most disconcerting was that two of their competitors failed to score above 14 points in two apparatuses. 

Deng Linlin dropped scores of 13.733 on the floor and 13.766 on the balance beam. Huang Qiushuang had even bigger problems, scoring 12.500 and 13.800 in those same rotations. 

One of few bright spots came on the uneven bars, where they secured the top team score.

Great Britain Comes Out Flat in Women's Final

The British women's gymnastic team put forth an amazing performance in the qualification round and made its way into the team finals for the first time in 88 years.

It had an outside chance at a medal, and many thought the excitement of the home crowd would help the gymnasts find their way onto the podium.

Their dream didn't last long.

They started on the balance beam and managed a miserable 39.199 points, a score that would be the worst on the day for any team on any apparatus.

Their best score was only the 15th-best overall out of 24 competitors. 

Venus and Serena Williams Won't Play Mixed Doubles

Venus and Serena Williams are playing in ladies singles and doubles in the London Games. There was also interest in playing in mixed doubles, though not with each other.

Serena had expressed an interest in joining forces with one of her male teammates. Venus, on the other hand, knew it wasn't an option, as she is currently battling an autoimmune disease.

Andy Roddick, John Isner and Mike and Bob Bryan had all shown an interest in being her partner.

NBCOlympics.com shared an Associated Press report that included the response from U.S. coach Mary Joe Fernandez.

"We all discussed it. I think it was the best decision for the team," Fernandez said of keeping the Williams sister off the mixed doubles roster.

"It's a lot of matches in a short amount of time," Fernandez said, referring to competing in three events. "You don't want to jeopardize the other events. We're lucky we have so many possibilities in matchups."

The teams will still be formidable, as the Bryan brothers are doubles specialists. Mike will pair with Lisa Raymond, a duo that won in Wimbledon, and Liezel Huber will pair with Bob. Raymond and Huber will also play ladies doubles.

Serena hasn't had much to say, but Venus seemed happy with the decision.

"What's most important is bringing home medals for the U.S.," she stated. "We already have a ton of matches ahead of us in just a few days, so I think it was better for us to focus on these two events." 

With Tuesday's activity, it is no surprise. Venus cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Aleksandra Wozniak and then had a doubles match with her sister shortly thereafter.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Wins 3-Hour 3rd Set over Milos Raonic

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France was competing in the semifinals of Wimbledon earlier in the month. His match today seemed to keep him on the court almost as long as the entire championships.

It took a little under an hour to split the first two sets with Milos Raonic, 6-3, 3-6. Then came the third set, which must be won by two games.

Three hours later, Tsonga emerged with a 25-23 victory over Raonic.

South Africa Ties Japan in Women's Soccer

Japan is one of the favorites to win gold in women's football. It needed a win today to secure a first-place finish in Group F and help its seed in the knockout round.

South Africa came into the match without a point after its first two games.

This is the second 0-0 tie for Japan in the last two games. The Japanese's ability to knock off the U.S. women will be in question following group play.

Allison Schmitt, U.S. Swimming, Breaks Olympic Record

Allison Schmitt was one of the two favorites in the 200-meter freestyle. She was expected to get at least a silver, and I had predicted a gold before the Games began.

The surprising part is the manner in which she won the race.

Schmitt left the field well behind her wake while winning in Olympic-record pace. 

Camille Muffat of France beat Schmitt in the 400-meter freestyle and was expected to push her in the 200.

Schmitt wasn't going to let this opportunity pass and finished an amazing 1.97 seconds ahead of Muffat.

Stephanie Rice, Australia Swimming, Women's 200-Meter Individual Medley

The women's 200-meter individual medley was full of talent. China's Ye Shiwen was the favorite and made a late push to grab the gold away from Australia's Alicia Coutts. 

The small surprise in this race came as a result of who didn't reach the podium and her announcement earlier in the day.

Australia's Stephanie Rice was the Olympic-record holder coming into the 2012 Games, but Ye broke that record in the semifinals. She managed fourth in the event, coming in behind Caitlin Leverenz of the U.S.

Earlier in the day, the 24-year-old tweeted that she could be done as a competitive swimmer:

"

Possibly my final night of racing!! Bring on this 200IM I'm so excited

— Stephanie Rice (@ItsStephRice) July 31, 2012"

British Fans Embrace "Sculling Sloth"

Hamadou Djibo Issaka is a novice rower from Niger who found his way into the Olympic Games. He didn't qualify by virtue of a national competition, and didn't meet the minimum standards for the sport. 

But the Olympic Games are all about inclusion, so just as they limit the number of athletes from one country that can compete in the gymnastics all-around finals, they have a clause that allows nations to send non-qualified participants so they can still be represented in the games.

He's become known as the "Sculling Sloth" for obvious reasons. He was 300 meters behind the finishers in his last race, which was only 2,000 meters.

His experience is in a fishing boat, not a competition scull. "I don't have any technique," he told reporters, via Kate Holton of KGMI. "I've been learning only three months. But with the time and the years, I'll get the technique," he said, referring to participation in the Rio Games in 2016.

Those are some lofty aspirations for a 35-year-old.

But his last race was 28 seconds slower than the prior effort, calling his "experience" assertion into question.

In a Reuters Television interview, he shared some of the issues he's facing:

"

When I was on the starting line, I was just glad that I didn't make the boat fall over. I am very happy about that. And when I was finishing it really wasn't easy.

But there are lots of people who have encouraged me, and I needed a lot of courage to finish the race.

We don't have any boats. No boats. We are getting two single sculls and two double sculls and some oars. They are coming in the next month so we can begin this sport in our country with the equipment.

"

Considering the level of seriousness with which Great Britain treats its boating sports, it's surprising the it has embraced a man that is so utterly unable to compete—not to mention the risk of backlash associated with him making a mockery of the sport.

But this is also the nation that brought us "Eddie the Eagle" and is happy to pull for the underdog.

Perhaps the Sloth can be the encouragement his country needs to create a rowing team.

Honorable Mention: Olympic Flame Moved

One of the more disappointing aspects of the 2012 London Games is the obscurity of the Olympic flame. This is the symbol of the Olympics, but organizers had it tucked away inside the main stadium.

Attendees are upset they are unable to capture photos with the flame and will only be able to see it if they attend a track-and-field event.

When the flame was extinguished yesterday, there was speculation regarding what had happened. Not to worry...it was put out to allow organizers to move the cauldron.

Could it be that they realized the issue with the location of the flame? Not exactly...

This was the plan all along. It was in the way of the upcoming events and needed to be moved to a different part of the stadium, which happened late yesterday. It was a bit too late to hit Day 3, so it is being added to Day 4's surprises.

It still won't be visible, but an ESPN.com report shared the cauldron designer's explanation, stating that technology allows people to watch the flame on video screens.

Video is as good as seeing it live? Perhaps that is why attendance at the Games is suffering.