EYES ON LONDON: Kerri Walsh Jennings' Pinkeye Play - ABC News

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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PLAYING WITH PINKEYE

Two-time defending gold medalist beach volleyball pair Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor of the United States wrap up pool play Wednesday against Austrian sisters Doris and Stefanie Schwaiger — and Walsh insists she won't be slowed by a case of pinkeye in her left eye.

"It's super minor," she said. "It just looks worse than it is."

Walsh Jennings' left eye was red and watery as she squinted through it, dabbing it repeatedly with a tissue to wipe away the gunk and teardrops. Her husband, fellow beach volleyball pro Casey Jennings, has it much worse.

"It looks like his eyeballs got their butts kicked," she said.

Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor have opened the London Games with victories in their first two matches in pool play — a 16-game winning streak that stretches back to Athens. They are virtually assured of a spot in the knockout round regardless of what happens in Wednesday night's match.

— Jimmy Golen — Twitter http://twitter.com/jgolen

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AFRICA'S FENCING WIN

With a silver medal in hand, Egypt's Alaaeldin Abouelkassem won the first Olympic medal ever claimed by a fencer from Africa.

United States' Conor Dwyer, left, Michael Phelps, center, Ryan Lochte, second right, and Ricky Berens, right, pose with their gold medals after their win in the men's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza) Close

He lost the final 15-13 to his Chinese rival, yet could barely believe what he'd achieved.

Abouelkassem, son of an Algerian mother and an Egyptian father, said his victory would not just boost fencing in Egypt, but in all over Africa.

"They need this medal to improve the fencing in Africa," he said.

On his way to the final, Abouelkassem beat reigning world champion Andrea Cassara of Italy and former four-time world champion Peter Joppich of Germany.

"Every match, I am better than the match before," he said after defeating Cassara. "I feel good, I have no stress, I am from Africa, from Egypt, so no one expects me to win."

Abouelkassem dedicated the medal to his father who died recently.

"This was the dream of my dad and he left me three months ago," he said.

— Eric Willemsen — Twitter https://twitter.com/eWilmedia

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BAD-MINTON

Did the world doubles badminton champs try to lose?

Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China were booed off the Olympic court Tuesday after appearing to intentionally lose against South Koreans Jung Kyun-eun and Kim Ha-na in a preliminary women's match. The South Koreans also didn't look as if they were trying to win at times.

The reason? Both teams had already topped their groups and qualified for the last 16, but the result ensured top seeds Wang and Yu avoided playing their No. 2-seeded teammates until the final.

Yu said they were only trying to save energy for the knockout rounds, starting Wednesday.

"We would try hard in every match if they were elimination games," she said.

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FIERCE FIVE

The U.S. women's gymnastics team has gold medals around their necks, but one thing is still missing.

They need a catchy nickname, something like "The Magnificent Seven" from 1996, the last time American women landed on top of the medal stand.

"I like Fierce Five," McKayla Maroney said. "Because we are definitely the fiercest team out there."

— Nancy Armour — Twitter www.twitter.com/nrarmour