Posted on 08/12/2012 6:23:58 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The 2012 London Olympic Games have officially come to a close and, once again, the U.S. sits atop the medal count.
In Beijing they did the same thing, but the host nation China made it interesting. America topped the Chinese by 10 in the overall medal count, but China earned 15 more gold medals than America—China had 51 and the U.S. had 36.
However, in London, the U.S. reemerged as the dominant athletic country.
The United States earned 104 medals, 15 more than any other country—China was second with 87. Plus, the Americans took back their lead in golds, winning 46 of those, eight more than the second ranked Chinese.
Team USA did this by winning medals in a mix of its traditional strengths and by winning surprising medals in lesser-known events.
The U.S. got its medal total kick started with a predictably strong performance in the pool.
Swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin all earned multiple medals. Plus, fresh faces emerged from the water such as 100-meter freestyle winner Nathan Adrian and 15-year-old Katie Ledecky, who earned gold in the 800-meter free.
America also continued its superiority on the track.
Allyson Felix won three gold medals, Sanya Richards-Ross finally captured her gold in the 400-meters and Ashton Eaton won the decathlon.
In total the Americans won 29 medals on the track, only one short of their lofty pre-London goal of 30. But as Scott Blackmon of the U.S. Olympic Committee told the AP, nobody’s going home disappointed.
America also took home gold in men’s and women’s basketball, took gold and silver in women’s beach volleyball and the U.S. women's soccer team grabbed the nation’s attention with its thrilling gold medal run.
However, it wasn't just about the big sports, plenty of Americans were successful in the smaller sports.
David Boudia upset the favored Chinese divers to take gold in the men's 10-meter platform. Kayla Harrison took home America's first ever gold in Judo. Jake Varner and Jordan Burroughs both took home the gold in wrestling for the U.S. over the last few days of competition.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of athletes contributed to America's outstanding medal haul, whether they competed as a team or individually.
One thing is for sure, though. There is no question about America's standing as the foremost country at the Olympics.
China put that status into question in 2008, but this time around, the U.S. showed that it was up to the challenge.
Now, it's on to Rio. And once again, the U.S. will do its best to hold off a number of hard-charging nations that could outshine America's medal glory.
Only four more years, till we get to see.
Looks like the IOC will need to add more badminton and table tennis to the Olympic program, to help the Chinese catch up some more.
LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The United States led the Olympic
medal standings after the final day of the London Games on
Sunday.
Results Table
Rank* Country G S B Total
1. U.S. 46 29 29 104
2. China 38 27 22 87
3. Britain 29 17 19 65
4. Russia 24 25 33 82
5. South Korea 13 8 7 28
6. Germany 11 19 14 44
7. France 11 11 12 34
8. Italy 8 9 11 28
9. Hungary 8 4 5 17
10. Australia 7 16 12 35
11. Japan 7 14 17 38
12. Kazakhstan 7 1 5 13
13. Netherlands 6 6 8 20
14. Ukraine 6 5 9 20
15. Cuba 5 3 6 14
16. New Zealand 5 3 5 13
17. Iran 4 5 3 12
18. Jamaica 4 4 4 12
19. Czech Republic 4 3 3 10
20. North Korea 4 0 2 6
21. Spain 3 10 4 17
22. Brazil 3 5 9 17
23. Belarus 3 5 5 13
24. South Africa 3 2 1 6
25. Ethiopia 3 1 3 7
26. Croatia 3 1 2 6
27. Romania 2 5 2 9
28. Kenya 2 4 5 11
29. Denmark 2 4 3 9
30. Azerbaijan 2 2 6 10
30=. Poland 2 2 6 10
32. Turkey 2 2 1 5
33. Switzerland 2 2 0 4
34. Lithuania 2 1 2 5
35. Norway 2 1 1 4
36. Canada 1 5 12 18
37. Sweden 1 4 3 8
38. Colombia 1 3 4 8
39. Georgia 1 3 3 7
39=. Mexico 1 3 3 7
41. Ireland 1 1 3 5
42. Serbia 1 1 2 4
42=. Argentina 1 1 2 4
42=. Slovenia 1 1 2 4
45. Tunisia 1 1 1 3
46. Dominican Republic 1 1 0 2
47. Trinidad and Tobago 1 0 3 4
47=. Uzbekistan 1 0 3 4
49. Latvia 1 0 1 2
50. Algeria 1 0 0 1
50=. Bahamas 1 0 0 1
50=. Grenada 1 0 0 1
50=. Uganda 1 0 0 1
50=. Venezuela 1 0 0 1
55. India 0 2 4 6
56. Mongolia 0 2 3 5
57. Thailand 0 2 1 3
58. Egypt 0 2 0 2
59. Slovakia 0 1 3 4
60. Armenia 0 1 2 3
60=. Belgium 0 1 2 3
60=. Finland 0 1 2 3
63. Bulgaria 0 1 1 2
63=. Estonia 0 1 1 2
63=. Indonesia 0 1 1 2
63=. Malaysia 0 1 1 2
63=. Puerto Rico 0 1 1 2
63=. Taiwan 0 1 1 2
69. Botswana 0 1 0 1
69=. Cyprus 0 1 0 1
69=. Gabon 0 1 0 1
69=. Guatemala 0 1 0 1
69=. Montenegro 0 1 0 1
69=. Portugal 0 1 0 1
75. Greece 0 0 2 2
75=. Moldova 0 0 2 2
75=. Qatar 0 0 2 2
75=. Singapore 0 0 2 2
79. Afghanistan 0 0 1 1
79=. Bahrain 0 0 1 1
79=. Hong Kong 0 0 1 1
79=. Saudi Arabia 0 0 1 1
79=. Kuwait 0 0 1 1
79=. Morocco 0 0 1 1
79=. Tajikistan 0 0 1 1
Total 302 304 356 962
G = Gold
S = Silver
B = Bronze
(*Rank by Gold)
()
I did not see an American boxing champion.
Lot of East Europeans.
The result of the increased popularity of MMA?
China needs agility and skill competitions rather than pure athetlic competitions to catch up.
It was a good Olympics to watch. I think NBC did a good job with the coverage but I would have liked to have seen more of the world’s athletes in the individual competitions. It was heavily focused on the U.S.
Last night Tom Brokaw did a long documentary on Churchill and England from 1940 to 1945. It was a very good documentary but it took a lot of time from the events.
I sure do miss the days of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The thrill of victory and the agony of (that guy falling during the ski event) defeat.
Kazakhstan ???
Im impressed how high they ranked.
That pic looks very USA. Who came up with the ugly medals ceremony uniforms. Gray?
That’s all fine and dandy but what about track and field events? Who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the decathalon?
I'd wager the total would increase significantly if you were to count those as American-won as well.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 930 | 730 | 638 | 2,298 |
| 2 | USSR (URS) (1952-1988) | 395 | 319 | 296 | 1,010 |
| 3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 207 | 255 | 253 | 715 |
| 4 | France (FRA) | 191 | 212 | 233 | 636 |
| 5 | Italy (ITA) | 190 | 158 | 174 | 522 |
| 6 | Germany (GER) (1896-1952 & 1992-present) | 163 | 163 | 203 | 529 |
| 7 | China (CHN) | 163 | 117 | 106 | 386 |
| 8 | Hungary (HUN) | 159 | 140 | 159 | 458 |
| 9 | East Germany (GDR) (1968-1988) | 153 | 129 | 127 | 409 |
| 10 | Sweden (SWE) | 142 | 160 | 173 | 475 |
| 11 | Australia (AUS) | 131 | 137 | 164 | 432 |
| 12 | Japan (JPN) | 123 | 112 | 125 | 360 |
| 13 | Russia (RUS) (1996-present) | 108 | 97 | 110 | 315 |
| 14 | Finland (FIN) | 101 | 83 | 115 | 299 |
| 15 | Romania (ROM) | 86 | 89 | 116 | 291 |
| 16 | Netherlands (NED) | 71 | 79 | 96 | 246 |
| 17 | South Korea (KOR) | 68 | 74 | 73 | 215 |
| 18 | Cuba (CUB) | 67 | 64 | 63 | 194 |
| 19 | Poland (POL) | 62 | 80 | 118 | 261 |
| 20 | Canada (CAN) | 58 | 94 | 108 | 260 |
| 21 | West Germany (FRG) (1968-1988) | 56 | 67 | 81 | 204 |
| 22 | Norway (NOR) | 54 | 48 | 43 | 145 |
| 23 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 51 | 84 | 77 | 212 |
| 24 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) (1920-1992) | 49 | 49 | 45 | 143 |
| 25 | Switzerland (SUI) | 45 | 70 | 65 | 180 |
| 26 | Unified Team (EUN) [2] | 45 | 38 | 29 | 112 |
| 27 | Denmark (DEN) | 41 | 63 | 66 | 170 |
| 28 | Belgium (BEL) | 37 | 51 | 51 | 139 |
| 29 | Turkey (TUR) | 37 | 23 | 22 | 82 |
| 30 | New Zealand (NZL) | 36 | 15 | 35 | 86 |
| 31 | Spain (ESP) | 34 | 49 | 30 | 113 |
| 32 | Greece (GRE) | 30 | 42 | 36 | 108 |
| 33 | United Team of Germany (EUA) (1956-1964) | 28 | 54 | 36 | 118 |
| 34 | Yugoslavia (YUG) (1920-2000 except 1992) | 28 | 31 | 31 | 90 |
| 35 | Ukraine (UKR) (1996-present) | 28 | 22 | 46 | 96 |
| 36 | Kenya (KEN) | 22 | 29 | 24 | 75 |
| 37 | Brazil (BRA) | 20 | 25 | 46 | 91 |
| 38 | South Africa (RSA) | 20 | 24 | 26 | 70 |
| 39 | Austria (AUT) | 18 | 33 | 35 | 86 |
| 40 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 18 | 6 | 14 | 38 |
| 41 | Argentina (ARG) | 17 | 23 | 26 | 66 |
| 42 | Jamaica (JAM) | 13 | 24 | 16 | 53 |
| 43 | Mexico (MEX) | 12 | 18 | 25 | 55 |
| 44 | Iran (IRI) | 11 | 15 | 22 | 48 |
| 45 | Belarus (BLR) (1996-present) | 10 | 20 | 36 | 66 |
| 46 | North Korea (PRK) | 10 | 12 | 19 | 41 |
| 47 | Czech Republic (CZE) (1996-present) | 10 | 12 | 11 | 33 |
| 48 | Kazakhstan (KAZ) (1996-present) | 9 | 16 | 14 | 39 |
| 49 | Estonia (EST) (1996-present) | 9 | 8 | 14 | 31 |
| 50 | India (IND) | 8 | 4 | 7 | 20 |
| 51 | Ireland (IRL) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| 52 | Mixed team (ZZX) (1896-1904) | 8 | 5 | 4 | 17 |
| 53 | Slovakia (SVK) (1996-present) | 7 | 8 | 5 | 20 |
| 54 | Egypt (EGY) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| 55 | Thailand (THA) | 7 | 4 | 10 | 21 |
| 56 | Indonesia (INA) | 6 | 9 | 10 | 25 |
| 57 | Morocco (MAR) | 6 | 5 | 10 | 21 |
| 58 | Georgia (GEO) (1996-present) | 5 | 2 | 11 | 18 |
| 59 | Portugal (POR) | 4 | 7 | 11 | 22 |
| 60 | Uzbekistan (UZB) (1996-present) | 4 | 5 | 8 | 17 |
| 61 | Lithuania (LTU) (1992-present) | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 62 | Azerbaijan (AZE) (1996-present) | 4 | 3 | 9 | 16 |
| 63 | Algeria (ALG) | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| 64 | Croatia (CRO) (1992-present) | 3 | 6 | 8 | 17 |
| 65 | Slovenia (SLO) (1992-present) | 3 | 5 | 7 | 15 |
| 66 | Australasia (ANZ) (1908-1912) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| 67 | Zimbabwe (ZIM) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 68 | Bahamas (BAH) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Pakistan (PAK) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | |
| 70 | Cameroon (CMR) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 71 | Latvia (LAT) (1992-present) | 2 | 11 | 4 | 17 |
| 72 | Nigeria (NGR) | 2 | 9 | 12 | 23 |
| 73 | Mongolia (MGL) | 2 | 7 | 10 | 19 |
| 74 | Chile (CHI) | 2 | 7 | 4 | 13 |
| 75 | Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 2 | 6 | 11 | 19 |
| 76 | Uruguay (URU) | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 77 | Tunisia (TUN) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 78 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 79 | Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 |
| 80 | Russian Empire (RUL) (1900-1912) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 81 | Colombia (COL) | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| 82 | Uganda (UGA) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 83 | Peru (PER) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 84 | Venezuela (VEN) | 1 | 2 | 8 | 11 |
| 85 | Armenia (ARM) (1996-present) | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| 86 | Israel (ISR) | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 87 | Costa Rica (CRC) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 88 | Syria (SYR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 89 | Luxembourg (LUX) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Ecuador (ECU) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Hong Kong (HKG) (1952-present) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 92 | Panama (PAN) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 93 | Mozambique (MOZ) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Suriname (SUR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 95 | Burundi (BDI) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bahrain (BRN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 98 | Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 99 | Philippines (PHI) | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| 100 | Moldova (MDA) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 101 | Iceland (ISL) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Lebanon (LIB) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Malaysia (MAS) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 104 | Serbia Montenegro (SCG) (2004) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Singapore (SIN) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Tanzania (TAN) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Vietnam (VIE) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 108 | Puerto Rico (PUR) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 109 | Bohemia (BOH) (1900-1912) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ghana (GHA) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 111 | Independent Olympic Participant (IOP) (1992) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) (1996-present) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Serbia (SRB) (2008-present) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 114 | Haiti (HAI) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Saudi Arabia (KSA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sri Lanka (SRI) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Tajikistan (TJK) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Zambia (ZAM) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 119 | Côte d'Ivoire (CIV) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands Antilles (AHO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Paraguay (PAR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Senegal (SEN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sudan (SUD) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tonga (TGA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Virgin Islands (ISV) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 126 | British West Indies (BWI) (1960) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 122 | Afghanistan (AFG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Bermuda (BER) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Djibouti (DJI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Eritrea (ERI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Guyana (GUY) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Iraq (IRQ) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Kuwait (KUW) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Macedonia (MKD) (1996-present) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mauritius (MRI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Niger (NIG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Togo (TOG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals | 4505 | 4473 | 4773 | 13751 |
How can women have abs like that and not be on steroids?
Boxing,wrestling,weight lifting. And mostly ethnic Russians doing the actual winning.
“The United States earned 104 medals, 15 more than any other country—China was second with 87.”
0bama math? 104 minus 15 tallies to 89, not 87...
Not to diminish a great medal count, but how much of this dominance is simply the result of the U.S. competing in a lot of events where few other countries even field serious competitors? I mean, how does anyone keep a straight face on the medal stand after winning a medal in beach volleyball?
Just think how we would do if baseball, softball, and other shooting sports were in it. Paintball competitive teams would be a hoot to watch. Take out all the synchronized crap. And ping pong. And Equesterian. That medal should go to the horse. Get rid of the ninny sports.
???
closing ceremony on right now
it’s like a bad half time show
really bad
I’m embarrassed for all of western ‘culture’
Just so they don’t do away with Synchronized High Platform Ping Pong.
> Olympics 2012: Medal Count Proves US Is Still World’s Most
> Dominant Athletic Country
When is Obama going to apologize to the world for this?
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