Olympics 2012: A Fortnight of Memories (Joy in Repetition Rewarded)

And just like that, the 2012 London Olympics are over and done. A fortnight (two weeks for us non-London folks) has passed and memories have been forged in time. I've already done extensive pieces on my favorite moments so I'll leave you with quick hits on a few more.

Kirani James's win in the 400m. The 1st ever gold medal for Grenada. A 19 year old kid with the weight of an entire country on his shoulders and he carried it proudly.

My dude Cullen Jones racked up two more medals. A silver in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay and his first individual medal - silver in the 50 freestyle.

Cuba's Felix Sanchez wins the 400m hurdles and sheds tears for his late grandmother. I almost wanted to hug him as he bawled during his national anthem. 

Michael Phelps vs. Carl Lewis (Greatest Olympian Ever?)

22 medals for America's Golden Boy. Remarkable!

Before I start this post (Ed. Note - it's been updated to reflect current totals as of Aug. 4), I'd like to set some parameters. This is strictly comparing Olympic accomplishments, not overall careers. I wanted to remind folks who are prisoners of the moment that there is much to consider about who's on the Mt. Olympus of greatness. Here we go.

Carl Lewis - 10 medals (9 gold, 7 individual) - 4 gold medals in 1984 (200 - OR, relay WR) - 1988: won 100 with OR (post suspension of Ben Johnson) - 4-peat in long jump (1 of 3 Olympians to 4-peat in an event) - Anchored 4 x 100 relay to world record in 1992 - The only man to defend the 100 and long jump

Michael Phelps - 22 medals (18 gold, 13 individual) - 8 gold medals in 2008 (7 world records, 8th Olympic) - 6 gold in 2004 (2 WRs, 3 ORs) - 2 WRs set at Olympics still stand - 2 time Olympic champion in several events - 3-peat in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay, 200 IM and 100 butterfly (1st swimmer to ever 3-peat in an event)

By the numbers, Phelps is the greatest Olympic champion. But greatest Olympian ever? For my money, it's Lewis. Let's break down swimming though.

2012 Olympics: What I'm Looking Forward To

The Olympics start today in London and I'm already excited to see what shakes out this time around. Mainly I'm looking forward to see how the first Summer Games is captured in this new social media age. I saw the intrigue and fun from the 2010 Winter Games but now it's going to be even more fun to see the tweets, posts and interaction all around the world.

As far as the Games itself, this is what I'm checking for.