Fourth-Place Medal

U.S. tallies convincing win in gold, overall medal counts

By Jason Owens | Fourth-Place Medal – Mon 13 Aug, 2012

4x400 champs (Getty Images)

The United States took over the medal count from China last Wednesday and never looked back.

With some help from hoops, the track and the ladies, the Yanks finished with 46 golds and 104 total medals to easily outdistance second-place China, which tallied 38 golds and 87 total medals. The U.S finished with 29 silvers and 29 bronze to top the list in the second- and third-place columns as well. Women made the biggest impact, claiming 29 of the 46 U.S. gold medals, which would be good enough for a second-place tie in the gold-medal count with Britain if they competed on their own.

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Russia finished third in the total count with 24 gold and 82 total medals, while the host Brits put up an impressive tally of 29 golds and 65 total medals.

Some of the key U.S. medals down the stretch came on the basketball court, where LeBron James led the men's hoops team to a second straight gold with a tight win over Spain on Sunday, while Geno Auriemma's  team claimed an unprecedented fifth straight women's basketball gold medal in dominant fashion over France on Saturday.

In the ring, teenage phenom Claressa Shields salvaged a sad performance from USA boxing with a convincing gold-medal win over Russia's Nadezda Torlopova on Thursday.

[ Photos: Best images from London 2012 ]

The U.S. women continued their impressive medal haul on the track as well, with a seemingly easy win in the 4x400 relay on Saturday, led by Allyson Felix, who claimed her third gold medal of the Games. Nobody else was close to the 3:16.87 wining time. Felix was joined by Sanya Richards-Ross, Francena McCorory and DeeDee Trotter on the gold medal stand.

And finally, the U.S. women's soccer team found redemption on the pitch with a 2-1 gold medal win over Japan, which topped the U.S. in last year's World Cup final.

It was an impressive close for the United States and a good show by the host Brits as the Olympics came to a close.  Up next, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

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