A couple of days ago I picked Dutch gymnast Epke Zonderland as a “hot jock.” Now, we have been granted permission to run some photos of Zonderland taken by Dutch photographer Ewoud Broeksma, who has extensive galleries of athletes on his site. Photos after the jump.

This Dutch gymnast caught our eye during the men’s high bar final, where he did a daring routine but finished seventh after he slipped off the bar. More Epke after the jump.

It was “focus on females” as the network honed into synchronized swimming, more gymnastics and the individual dressage finals. While the frenzied Phelps medal race was on, the Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven has been quietly pursuing her third Olympic gold. This is a huge achievement in dressage, where you can’t pile up medals the way you can in swimming.  In all Olympic history, no individual rider has collected more than two golds.  Van Grunsven and Germany’s Isabell Werth, the two grandes dames, have been dueling for years.

The Summer Olympics just keep getting bigger. There are 302 gold medals up for grabs in Beijing. That’s a gold medal every 47 minutes for the sixteen-day span of the games. Doesn’t sound so special when it’s put that way, does it? But is that BMX gold medal really as significant as the historic one Michael Phelps won last night? No, and there are good reasons why. Follow the jump for an in-depth analysis of the most valuable gold medals and the sports that don’t even deserve to be in the Olympics.

I do not know the origin of this photo, but it had to be taken sometime after the U.S. men won the team bronze medal in gymnastics. Thanks to a reader. Full shot after jump.

Yang is the Chinese gymnastics stud with the huge biceps and an all-around gold medal. But what’s up with the dog? Pics after jump.

A friend of mine derisively calls the American women’s girls gymnastics team “America’s Sweethearts”.  That is, when he’s not derisively calling them “The Pixies”. Watching the team finals competition the other night on NBC, I got increasingly creeped out by the whole thing.

We praise these young athletes when they succeed, so we might as well call it like it is when they don’t. Last night, with the Chinese women’s gymnastics team’s lead slipping to just 1.00 point with just the floor exercise remaining, American gymnast Alicia Sacramone completely choked, falling on her butt and stepping out of bounds. Her score was a miserable 14.125 and the Americans’ hope for gold was over. This followed Sacramone’s fall off the balance beam. Her mistakes in these two events were the difference between gold and silver. Choke.

While it seems most Americans will end up remembering these Olympics for Michael Phelps, so far the lasting image to me is of gymnast Jonathan Horton. Last night he was the unquestionable leader of the U.S. men’s gymnastics team, keeping his teammates focused and, most important, believing in themselves. Plus, in event after event, he was nearly flawless, hitting every landing and earning most of the team’s top scores.

When the U.S. men’s gymnastics team lost Paul and Morgam Hamm to injury, it seemed that any chance for a team medal went with them. But athletes given little chance have a way of rising to the occasion and it was true of the Americans, who won an unexpected bronze medal behind Jonathan Horton (left) and Jason Spring (right).

All-around gold medalist from 2004 Paul Hamm bowed out last month with an injury; I guess the family that tumbles together stays together. Brother Morgan (left) said a tearful good-bye to his team today as bone spurs in his leg forced him to withdraw from the team. Team USA just lost another gay-friendly athlete.

“This has been an extremely hard decision for me to make. I’ve given everything I can to be ready to compete at this Olympic Games,” Hamm said. “It’s best for me to step down and have another athlete fill my position. This is something for me that’s very tough because it’s end of my career, and it’s not the way I had planned it.”

U.S. gymnast Paul Hamm (with Morgan, half of the Hamm brothers) won’t be going to the Olympics to defend his all-around gold medal, thanks to a broken right hand and a rotator cuff injury. It’s always a shame to see nice guys - and in this case a gay-friendly athlete - unable to go in a big competition. The Hamms talked with me four years ago after their medal-winning performances. Paul said he would welcome an openly gay teammate:

“I would think of them the same way I think of all my teammates,” Paul said. He added that someone’s sexuality shouldn’t be a consideration for his teammates. “They should be thought of as athletes.”

I’ve got to think Paul is particularly disappointed, given the controversy (by no fault of his own) that erupted after he won the gold in 2004, and calls for him to give up his medal.