His way: Cumulative television ratings for the Sydney Olympics came in at 13.8, the lowest for any Olympics since 1968. Still, NBC, which has broadcast rights through 2008, is apparently satisfied with its presentation formula: athlete biographies, in-depth personal stories, and tape-delayed events. Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports, explained, "The majority of people that watch the Olympics are there for the passion, striving, sacrifice you don't see in our pro sports."

The Russian Olympic team, brought to you by . . . : Vitaly Smirnov, head of the Russian Olympics Committee, told Izvestia that Russia was falling behind in its provision for international sport, pointing out that U.S. athletes had access to sponsorship money. Smirnov might have noted that some former communist-bloc nations do, too; before the Games, Texaco agreed to underwrite the Bulgarian and Uzbekistan Olympic teams. Russia finished second in the medal count, behind the U.S. but ahead of China.

Men's Marathon Updates: For updates on the Men's Olympic Marathon at every 5-K point, drop by the men's marathon event page beginning at 1 a.m. (U.S. East coast time) Sunday morning.

What's in a name? 1500m gold medalist Noah Ngeny is also a new father, with a daughter born the day before he won gold. Like three-time Boston Marathon champion Cosmas Ndeti, who named his son Boston, Ngeny named his daughter for the city of his triumph: Sydney.

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