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Opening Ceremony fireworks kept up athletes trying to sleep

A number of athletes, including Michael Phelps and Serena Williams, didn't march in Friday night's Opening Ceremony due to concerns that they would have stayed up too late at the show that ended past 12:30 a.m. at Olympic Stadium. With events slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, that didn't leave a lot of time for sleep.

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That forced some athletes to make it an early night in order to prepare for morning competition. Natalia Sheppard, a British fencer, was among them. But as she found out, even the the best laid plans can't avoid showstopping fireworks displays.

Sheppard said that the booming fireworks that came at the finale of Danny Boyle's Opening Ceremony woke her up in the middle of the night.

"I watched a bit of the opening ceremony however the fireworks woke me up. I couldn't believe how loud they were. I shut the door and opened my curtains and the whole sky was alight. It was incredible. I grabbed my phone to take a picture but by the time I got there, it had stopped, so I just have a picture of smoke!"

The British fencer lost her second-round match on Saturday afternoon.

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