The United States once again topped the medal count as The 2012 London Olympic Games came to a close.
In Beijing they did the same thing, but the host nation 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 with strong performances in the less publicized events.
The U.S. got its winning medal count 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 in track and field.
Allyson Felix won three gold medals, Sanya Richards-Ross finally captured her first gold in the 400-meters and Ashton Eaton became the world’s best athlete in the decathlon.
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.
And all eyes were on women’s gymnastics as Gabby Douglas became the first African American woman to capture all-around gold – and she helped her team capture its first gold medal since the 1996 games in Atlanta.
