2012 Olympics

Looking back at 2012, The London Games is definitely one of the biggest highlights of the year. And months later, we're still beyond proud of Team USA! Our amazing athletes won a hefty 104 medals, with 46 of those being gold. The race to the podium wasn't easy: we saw nail-biting finishes, tears of joy, and solid determination. Here are our favorite moments from Team USA's road to glory.

This year, all eyes were on London for the 2012 Summer Olympics as we followed the athletes, the Games, the ceremonies, and — of course — Britain's royal family. We covered the Olympics throughout 2012, bringing you in-depth stories and videos and plenty of eye candy along the way. (Hello, Ryan Lochte!) As the world tuned in to watch fierce competition, the Games put inspiring female athletes like Gabby Douglas, Missy Franklin, and runner Carmelita Jeter into the American spotlight. With appearances from Michelle Obama, the Spice Girls, and Queen Elizabeth herself, it was an epic Summer filled with fascinating headlines. Read on to relive the entire 2012 Olympics with all of our coverage of the Games!

We've long been fans of handsome athletes like David Beckham and Tom Brady, but this year, thanks to the 2012 Olympics, we were introduced to a whole new crop of sexy sports stars from around the world. With their impressive talents — and, OK, their impressive bodies, too — these hot athletes stole all our attention. One of the most swoon-worthy pros? Swimmer Ryan Lochte, who basically owned the Summer headlines. In the water, on the court, on the field, and on the ice, these sexy jocks turned us into diehard sports fans. Get your daily dose of eye candy by checking out 2012's hottest athletes!

This Summer's biggest event, the 2012 Olympics, was one for the history books. There were too many happy, sad, and heartfelt moments that we experienced, along with the world's finest athletes, to count. Even so, a few have stuck in our minds long after the competitions have ended. We've highlighted a few of the most memorable moments from the 2012 Olympics. Click through to relive the games, and at the end, vote on which moment was your favorite — or tell us which ones we missed!

It's been a big year for pint-size Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, who made history by being the first African-American woman to win the all-around gymnastics gold medal at this Summer's London Olympics. The 16-year-old sat down with Michelle Obama, was interviewed by Oprah, led the national anthem at the DNC, and now she has a memoir out today!

In honor of Gabby's book, we're looking at some of the other reads penned by our favorite female athletes. Inside stories, inspirational tips — these books offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the lives of some of the most popular Olympians. Jennifer Sey writes about controversial issues in gymnastics, swimmer Dara Torres offers tips for getting ahead, and Serena Williams touches on her childhood influences. Read all that and more with these inspiring books by female Olympians.

He entertained us with a paw-some salutation for James Bond during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, and this weekend Great Britain's royal palace released the sad news that Monty, one of Queen Elizabeth II's beloved Pembroke Welsh Corgis, has passed away.

A celebrated animal lover, the queen has been flanked by this smiley-faced breed since 1944, when she received a puppy named Susan for her 18th birthday. Since then, Susan's progeny of Corgis and Dorgis (Dachshund/Corgi mixes) have accompanied their regal matriarch around the royal family's many homes and even on the queen's honeymoon! Today, Monty is survived by the queen's two Corgis, Willow and Holly, and two Dorgis, Candy and Vulcan. To memorialize this favorite royal pet, we're taking a look back at the queen and her dogs throughout the years. Rest in peace, little one!

Source: International Olympic Committee

Jay-Z, Rihanna, Chris Martin, and Coldplay brought the house down at the Paralympics closing ceremony last night in London. The group played at the Games' 80,000-seat stadium as part of a three-hour event that officially ended nearly two weeks of competition for disabled athletes. Coldplay started the fun with a long set, and toward the end of their performance welcomed Rihanna for a version of "Princess of China." Jay popped up, too, to sing "Run This Town" with both Rihanna and Chris before they segued into "Paradise."

Jay, Rihanna, and Chris celebrated the successful set with an afterparty at The Arts Club. It was a special evening for Jay, who just wrapped up a yacht vacation with Beyoncé Knowles and their daughter, Blue. Chris's spouse, Gwyneth Paltrow, was busy, too. She was off in LA for the Stand Up to Cancer telethon, then ventured to Canada for the TIFF premiere of her new movie, Thanks For Sharing.