Sports: China, USA in a Collision Course for Supremacy in the London Games
With still four days left in the 2012 Summer Olympics calendar, 2008 winner
China and perennial winner United States are at it again when it comes to the
overall lead and the eventual quadrennial games champion title that boasts of
it.
As of yesterday, August 8, the ‘Great Wall’ of China remains on top of the heap in the London Games with a decent 34-21-18 gold-silver-bronze medal harvest followed by the US’ 30-19-21 output.
At far third is Great Britain, the Olympic hosts, with a 22-13-13 medal accomplishment followed by South Korea (12-5-6), Russia (10-18-20), France (8-9-11), Italy (7-6-4), Germany (6-14-7), Kazakhstan (6-0-1) and the Netherlands (5-3-6).
The dreaded US swimming team racked up 30 medals in the said competition, 16 of those were gold medals led by Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin. Phelps earned his 22nd Olympic medal in London and was subsequently awarded by FINA as the most decorated Olympian of all time.
In athletics, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt continued his dominance in the 100-meters by winning the said centerpiece event in another Olympic record of 9.63 seconds to win the coveted gold medal anew ahead of countryman Yohan Blake (9.75) and the US’ Justin Gatlin (9.79).
But in the distaff side, another Jamaican in Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ruled the event by a hairline over silver-medal winner Carmelita Jeter of the United States. Fraser-Pryce clocked 10.75 seconds in winning the gold, Jeter checked in at 10.78 while Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown won the bronze (10.81).
As of yesterday, Great Britain had a 3-1-1 gold-silver-bronze output in athletics followed by the US (2-5-5), Russia (2-1-4), Jamaica (2-1-1) and Ethiopia (2-0-2). In the women’s 10, 000 meters, Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba outclassed her two Kenyan opponents to win the gold medal in 30 minutes and 20.75 seconds.
South Korea topped the shooting competition with three golds and two silvers while the US came in at second with a 3-0-1 medal output followed by Italy’s 2-gold, 3-silver medal finish. China, however, had the most number of medals in shooting at seven (2-2-3).
In weightlifting where several records were broken, China won five golds and two silvers, Kazakhstan romped off with four gold medals of their own and North Korea (The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) made leader Kim Jong-un proud by winning three god medals and a solitary bronze.
As for the wrestling competition, Iran took home three gold medals while Russia had a 2-1-2 medal output with Cuba and South Korea taking a gold medal each. Judo saw Russia winning three gold medals plus a silver and a bronze while France earned two golds and five bronzes to push the South Koreans in third place with only two gold medals and a bronze to boot.
In men’s basketball, the US and Australia will meet in the quarters with the successful team facing the Brazil-Argentina winner in the semis. In the other half, it will be Russia versus Lithuania and France testing Spain’s mettle.
But in women’s competition, it will be the US going up against Australia and Russia meeting France in the semifinals. The winners will then battle each other for the gold medal. In the 2008 Beijing Games, China won the overall crown (51-21-28) over the US (36-38-36) and Russia (23-21-29).
