United States is proud of Gabby Douglas

LONDON (AP) -- Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

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PACKING EVERYTHING

U.S beach volleyball player April Ross doesn't mind bringing extra luggage to Horse Guards Parade on Wednesday night.

Ross and partner Jennifer Kessy have to bring their medal stand uniforms to their final match against fellow Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings. Since it's the gold medal match, Ross knows she and Kessy will be on the podium no matter what.

Had they lost in the semifinals, they would have had to play in the bronze match with no guarantee of needing the medal ceremony uniform.

"I didn't want to have to bring it not knowing if I would wear it," Ross says.

All American athletes get a medal stand uniform - just in case.

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MAILBOX SCOURGE

Wearing a bright smile and brighter gold medal, Jessica Ennis has won the hearts of Britons with her stirring performance in the heptathlon and her show-stopping good looks.

But there's a Scrooge in every town, including in Ennis' hometown of Sheffield. Civic officials say vandals have defaced a mailbox there that was painted gold to honor Ennis' achievement.

Royal Mail started an initiative to paint one red postbox gold in the hometown of every British athlete that comes home victorious. But the Sheffield box was defaced with graffiti, prompting postal workers to quickly repaint it.