On August 10, after fourteen days of athletic competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the medal count for Team USA jumped to its biggest lead since the beginning of the Summer Games. The United States now leads the medal count by thirteen, after winning four medals on Friday. In other Olympic news, the USA men's basketball team escaped a narrow 7-point halftime lead to beat Argentina by a final score of 109-83, meaning Team USA advances to the final game of the 2012 Olympics in London.
On day fourteen, the United States jumped to its biggest lead against powerhouse China in the total medal count on August 10. China won just one medal on Friday, while Team USA stood on the podium four times. Since the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics two weeks ago, the United States has won 94 total medals and 41 gold. China has claimed 81 total medals and 37 gold ones. Friday was another good day for Team USA Olympians.
On August 10, the United States won the following Olympic medals:
- Gold in men's freestyle wrestling (Burroughs)
- Gold in women's 4x100 track relay
- Silver in men's 4x400 track relay
- Silver in women's taekwondo
Rival China won one silver medal in women's synchronized swimming.
Host country Great Britain had a good day on day fourteen and won two silver medals in men's sailing and women's sailing, plus two bronze medals in field hockey and men's taekwondo.
Below are the top medal winners at the 2012 London Olympics, as of the end of day on August 10. "G" stands for gold, "S" for silver, "B" for bronze, and "T" for total.
- United States: 41 (G) + 26 (S) + 27 (B) = 94 (T)
- China: 37 (G) + 25 (S) + 19 (B) = 81 (T)
- Russia: 15 (G) + 21 (S) + 27 (B) = 63 (T)
- Great Britain: 25 (G) + 15 (S) + 17 (B) = 57 (T)
- Germany: 10 (G) + 18 (S) + 14 (B) = 42 (T)
- Japan: 5 (G) + 14 (S) + 16 (B) = 35 (T)
- Australia: 7 (G) + 14 (S) + 10 (B) = 31 (T)
- France: 9 (G) + 9 (S) + 12 (B) = 30 (T)
- South Korea: 13 (G) + 7 (S) = 7 (B) = 27 (T)
- Italy: 7 (G) + 6 (S) + 8 (B) = 21 (T)
- Netherlands: 6 (G) + 5 (S) + 8 (B) = 19 (T)
- Canada: 1 (G) + 5 (S) + 11 (B) = 17 (T)
- Hungary: 8 (G) + 4 (S) + 3 (B) = 15 (T)
- Spain: 2 (G) + 8 (S) + 3 (B) = 13 (T)
- Ukraine: 3 (G) + 1 (S) + 9 (B) = 13 (T)
- Brazil: 2 (G) + 2 (S) + 8 (B) = 12 (T)
- New Zealand: 4 (G) + 3 (S) + 5 (B) = 12 (T)
- Belarus: 3 (G) + 3 (S) + 4 (B) = 10 (T)
- Cuba: 3 (G) + 3 (S) + 4 (B) = 10 (T)
- Islamic Republic of Iran: 4 (G) + 5 (S) + 1 (B) = 10 (T)
- Jamaica: 3 (G) + 4 (S) + 3 (B) = 10 (T)
- Kazakhstan: 6 (G) + 0 (S) + 4 (B) = 10 (T)
- Poland: 2 (G) + 2 (S) + 6 (B) = 10 (T)
After fourteen days of competition, the total medal count for all countries stands at 255 gold, 257 silver, and 313 bronze medals, for a total of 825, as of the end of day on August 10.
In other Olympics news from Friday, it was a very good day for the USA men's basketball team. During Friday's semi-final match-up against Argentina, the first half was very competitive and ended with just a seven-point lead for Team USA. However, the NBA stars came to life in the second half, hitting Argentina with wave after wave of 3-pointers and daring dunk shots. In the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony hit three 3-pointers in just 42 seconds. When the final buzzer sounded, Team USA outscored Argentina by 26 points.
The United States advances to the final game in their quest for another Olympic gold medal. Opponent Spain is a bit beat up and hasn't played its best in the 2012 Olympics. Team USA has not lost a game in international competition since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a string of 24 consecutive wins, including 15 in the Olympics. Spain and the United States faced off in the final game in Beijing, with Team USA winning by a score of 118-107. Spain has high hopes to reverse the outcome in London and win gold this time around.
LeBron James met with the press after Team USA's semi-final win and talked about Sunday's upcoming final against Spain. "I think it's only right. Everyone said that this is the game they wanted to see. We look forward to it. We're happy as a team to be back in this position," he stated on Friday. Kevin Love told reporters, "It's been a fun ride, but we want to compete on Sunday." Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Team USA will have a challenge against Spain because of the sheer size of their players, but added, "They'll have a challenge with us too."
Below are the superstar players on the 2012 men's basketball Team USA.
- Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers)
- Anthony Carmelo (New York Knicks)
- Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks)
- Anthony Davis (New Orleans Hornets)
- Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)
- LeBron James (Miami Heat)
- Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Chris Paul (LA Clippers)
- Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets)
The final men's basketball game of the 2012 Olympics, which pits the United States against Spain, will air live at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 12 on NBC.
Olympic competition continues on day fifteen. The NBC prime time highlights on Saturday, August 11 include six finals in track and field (men's 4x100m relay, 500m and javelin; plus women's 4x400m relay, 800m and high jump), plus the men's platform diving final and the women's volleyball gold medal game.
For a complete list of Summer Olympics televised events, go to NBColympics.com and enter your zip code for area-specific information.
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