Olympic Standings 2012: Where USA and Top Medal Contenders Stand on Day Three
As the best athletes in the world fight for individual medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the top countries remained concerned about the overall medal count.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China finished with the most gold medals, but the United States had 10 more medals overall. This year, each team is trying to win both distinctions.
Through three days, these two international powers remain on top with Italy narrowly trailing behind.
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 |  |  | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | China Total: 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
 | United States Total: 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
 | Italy Total: 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
 | South Korea Total: 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
 | Japan Total: 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Day 3 Recap
China lost the gold medal match in women's archery, but the diving team made up for it with a gold of their own. The synchronized diving team defeated the U.S. contingent to continue its domination of the sport.
The Americans missed out on a chance to win another gold medal when the 4x100m relay swimming team lost a late lead to take the silver. This was the reverse result of the 2008 Olympics, where a late rally won the race by the narrowest of margins for the U.S.
Diana Vollmer helped get the swimming on track by earning a gold medal in the 100m butterfly.
China and U.S.A also split gold medals in shooting, as Wenjun Guo took the top spot in the 10m Air Pistol competition, while Kim Rhode set a world record in skeet.
Day 4 Preview
While the two top countries have different specializations, the two will go head to head in the men's gymnastics team competition. China is the favorite to win, but Americans Danell Leyva and John Orozco believe they can pull the upset.
The U.S. can catch up in the medal count with a good showing in swimming, the country's most successful sport. Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin, Matt Grevers and Rebecca Soni should all be favored to win their respective events on the day.
For China, medals in men's synchronized diving, women's epee, weightlifting and judo are also on the line today as the country attempts to continue its dominance on the international level.
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