The medals for the 2012 Olympic Games were locked up on Monday in a vault at the Tower of London, where Britain's Crown Jewels are kept under armed guard.

The 4,700 gold, silver and bronze discs will not be seen in public again until they are hung around the necks of the winning athletes at the Games, which open in the British capital on July 27.

Spain's triumphant Euro 2012 heroes parted a red-and-yellow sea of fans in central Madrid on Monday in a giant, deafening national fiesta that swept aside all thoughts of economic crisis.

An open-top double-decker bus ferried the team like a small boat picking its way through a vast ocean of hundreds of thousands of adoring Spaniards waving flags, cheering and dancing to thumping rock music.

Novak Djokovic is thriving under Wimbledon's Center Court roof and after three appearances in the greenhouse conditions, the Serb believes he can keep shining in the gloom of an English summer.

The defending champion needed just 90 minutes to defeat fellow Serb and childhood friend Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 on Monday to reach the quarterfinals.

New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin has withdrawn from the USA men's select team that will train this month against the 2012 USA basketball men's national team during training camp in Las Vegas.

Lin told USA Basketball Monday that he was withdrawing because he is now a NBA restricted free agent.

Top-seeded Maria Sharapova was knocked out of Wimbledon on Monday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round — just a month after completing a career Grand Slam.

Lisicki, a 15th-ranked German, simply outplayed the 2004 Wimbledon champion in windy, rainy conditions on Court 1 for her first career victory over Sharapova in four matches. She avenged a loss in the semifinals to Sharapova here last year.

Michael Phelps is headed to the London Olympics with a chance to match his glittering eight-gold haul of 2008.

Phelps won the 100m butterfly on the penultimate night of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Sunday in 51.14sec to claim a fifth individual berth for London.

In a result that can no longer be considered a surprise, Yohan Blake beat Usain Bolt in the 200 meters at Jamaican Olympic trials Sunday, finishing in 19.80 seconds to edge the world-record holder by 0.03.

"Usain always gives me a lot of encouragement and tells me to keep coming to this race," Blake said.

There were times when Cesare Prandelli pondered resigning as Italy's coach after this European Championship.

But after seeing his players reduced to tears following a 4-0 rout by Spain in Sunday's final, Prandelli can't bear the thought of leaving them anymore.

Spain trounced Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final on Sunday, retaining its title and extending its reign as the best team in world football.

Goals from David Silva and Jordi Alba in the first half gave Spain a convincing lead. Fernando Torres and fellow substitute Juan Mata added goals in the last six minutes.

Veteran former Dutch international midfielder Clarence Seedorf has signed a two-year deal with Botafogo, the Brazilian top-flight side have confirmed.

Rio de Janeiro-based Botafogo announced the capture of Seedorf, 36, as "the biggest signing of a foreign player ever made by a Brazilian club."