London Buzz - Olympians Sound Off About 2012 Qualification, Training

(ATR) Around the Rings tracks top athletes and Olympic stakeholders on Twitter in a new weekly feature ahead of the London 2012 Summer Games.

Beijing 2008 bronze medalist Louis Smith on Team GB men's gymnastics team qualifying for the 2012 Olympics at O2 arena:

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Craziness... Up early up BBC breakfast interview.. Now goin back to bed. Still buzzing from yesterday though haha so happy :DWed Jan 11 08:34:33 via Twitter for BlackBerry®Louis Smith

louissmith1989

U.S. tennis great and two-time Olympic champion Serena Williams on a possible mixed doubles pairing for London 2012:

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In my dream I was playing mixed with @andyroddick and we were playing against Mr. T and Andy kept missing and could not beat Mr. TWed Jan 11 01:57:05 via UberSocial for BlackBerrySerena Williams

serenawilliams

Reigning eight-time Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps of Team USA on his favorite new exercise machine:

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Ride the stationary bike..maybe boring but its helpful .RT @aznswimmerboi: @ryanlochte @Nathangadrian ... http://t.co/KOWeVRJuTue Jan 10 15:14:52 via UberSocial for BlackBerryMichael Phelps

MichaelPhelps

UK Athletics on the latest torchbearer for the 2012 Olympics, former 400-meter athlete Derek Redmond’s father Jim:

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Great to hear how much you appreciate your parent's. And again congrats to @Derek_Redmond's Father - a deserved torchbearer for #London2012Tue Jan 10 15:09:36 via webUK Athletics

UKA_athletics

World's fastest man and reigning three-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica on his attitude for the year ahead:

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The perfect quote for 2012 "The will to win is important but the will to prepare is vital"Tue Jan 10 14:13:39 via Twitter for BlackBerry®Usain St. Leo Bolt

usainbolt

Reigning road race world champion Mark Cavendish of Team GB on a surprise wake-up call:

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What could be worse than the anti-doping officers waking you before daylight? The nutritionist. Concluding I've put on weight over ChristmasTue Jan 10 07:16:24 via Twitter for AndroidMark Cavendish

MarkCavendish

Beijing 2008 all-around gymnastics champion Nastia Liukin of Team USA on Monday's 200-days-to-go milestone:

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#200daystogo #London2012Mon Jan 09 17:00:53 via Twitter for iPhoneNastia Liukin

NastiaLiukin

South African "Blade Runner" and Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius on his 400m training regimen:

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I'm officially a mute for the rest of the day.. Lost my sense of humour. 4x500m. 6min rest between sets. 75sec/73sec/72sec/67sec. Bed time.Mon Jan 09 15:18:22 via UberSocial for BlackBerryOscar Pistorius

OscarPistorius

Team GB heptathlete and 2009 world champion Jessica Ennis on another workout in the books:

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Morning session done. Was definitely as painful if not more than I'd imagined! Another session ticked off though :)Mon Jan 09 10:51:00 via Twitter for BlackBerry®Jessica Ennis

J_Ennis

Twelve-time world champion and three-time Olympic champion swimmer Ryan Lochte of Team USA on a new personal record:

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Just killed some strong man workout today... PR, flipped 650 lbs tire 16 times in a minute and 20 secondsSun Jan 08 21:56:45 via Twitter for iPhoneRyan Lochte

ryanlochte

Compiled by Matthew Grayson.

20 Years at #1: