Olympic Medal Count 2012: Underdog Countries That Already Have a Medal

Olympic medals are already being awarded to the usual international suspects in their respective events. On the first day of the London Games, some underdog countries have taken home medals as well.

Here are some countries who aren't household names that are already taking home hardware in the earliest stage of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Kazakhstan: Gold Medal in Men's Road Cycling

Alexander Vinokourov nearly retired prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics and almost didn't compete in London at all. Thankfully for his home country, Vinokourov thought better of it, and it paid off.

Beating an incredibly talented British squad, Vinokourov took home an unexpected gold medal for Kazakhstan. The country has only earned one previous medal (silver) in a cycling event throughout its history in the Summer Olympics.

While you normally wouldn't think of this country as a major competitor in any Olympic event, Vinokourov might have helped change that perception with his early success.

Uzbekistan: Bronze Medal in Men's Judo

Uzbekistan has always been a strong competitor in the judo event, but as a whole, it isn't known as an Olympic powerhouse by any means.

Rishod Sobirov beat Sofiane Milous of France to take the bronze medal, bringing his country its first piece of hardware in the London Games.

Its always great to see a lesser-known country achieve success in the international event, and Uzbekistan's early success is easy to cheer for.

Hungary: Bronze Medal in Women's Judo

Eva Csernoviczki wasn't expected to take home a medal in the 2012 Games, but she defied the odds to do just that.

To make it more difficult, Belgium's Charline van Snick strangled Csernoviczki unconscious, ending the Hungarian's hopes of winning gold.

But that didn't stop her. Csernoviczki would recover and go on to defeat China's Wu Shugen, and then the world's No. 1, Japan's Tomoko Fukumi, en route to the bronze medal.

Serbia: Bronze Medal in 10-Meter Air Pistol

Before the 2012 Summer Games, no Serbian male shooter had ever won a medal in the Olympics.

Andrija Zlatic changed all that by winning a bronze medal in the event. For the first time in Olympic history, the Serbs are on the map in the air-pistol competition.

Their unexpected victory in shooting makes for a great story this country will never forget.