2012 Olympics: Nation Power Rankings, Day 3 Edition

Day 3 of the 2012 Summer Olympics brought another round of medals in the pool, diving events and judo. It was also the first time medals were awarded for gymnastics, with the men's team finals. 

While a medal is a medal in the tracker, power rankings recognize certain medals carry a bit more weight. Nothing against badminton, at least not in this article, but it simply doesn't carry the same prestige as some of the team sports and other events.

There are also adjustments for how athletes handle expectations. Teams that exceed expectations will be handily rewarded, while those that choke...well, it won't be pretty.

A complete medal count for the whole of Olympics action is available on the Bleacher Report medal tracker. For updates on Monday's medals and today's power rankings in London, start the slideshow.

10: Thailand, Mexico, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mongolia

These countries all picked up their first medal of the 2012 Summer Olympics today. For that, they get to share the 10th-place slot.

9. Romania

A gold medal in shooting (10-meter air rifle) was a good start to an interesting day for Romania.

In a judo gold-medal match, Corina Caprioriu was disqualified for an illegal move in overtime, but she still won silver (above left).

The rifle gold went to Alin George Moldoveanu, who was the first-ever Romanian in the 10-meter air rifle. The victory was the country's first gold in any shooting event since 1988.

8. Russia

Mansur Isaev picked up a gold medal in judo to lead the Russian effort.

The women's teams were strong across the board, with victories in basketball, indoor volleyball and water polo.

Watch for Russia to vault toward the top of tomorrow's rankings if its women's gymnastics team comes through in the team finals. 

7. Ukraine

Ukraine picked up a pair of medals: a gold in fencing and bronze in weightlifting.

But the best reason for putting Ukraine in these rankings is that its men's gymnastics team won the team bronze, for about 20 minutes. That bronze ended up with Great Britain after Japan appealed a judge's ruling and vaulted it from fourth to second, leaving Ukraine out of luck.

Considering how well the Ukrainian gymnasts handled it, they deserve a medal for sportsmanship.

6. France

A day after overtaking the Americans in the 4x100-meter freestyle, France added another gold medal in the pool.  Yannick Agnel won the men's 200 free, pushing Ryan Lochte off the podium.

The French also added a pair of bronze medals in Judo and a big win over Australia in women's basketball. 

5. Lithuania

While this may seem high for a team with just one medal, this was Lithuania's first ever in swimming. It was only its 17th medal all-time in the Summer Games.

Moreover, it was from an unknown 15-year-old who dominated the world's best swimmers.

Ruta Meilutyte barely out-touched Rebecca Soni to win gold in the 100-meter breaststroke and earned a top-five ranking for the day. 

4. United States

Similar to the result in gymnastics, the United States finished off the podium in today's power rankings. 

I'm familiar with the arguments against the U.S. finishing this low. It had the most medals on the day and looked dominant in women's volleyball, beating the defending gold-medal team from Brazil, 3-1. It also obliterated Angola in women's basketball.

The U.S. took gold and silver in the men's 100-meter backstroke, added a gold in the women's 100 backstroke and silver in the woman's 100 breaststroke. 

It even secured a bronze medal in judo and a second diving medal in two days.

In addition to all that, the U.S. has set itself up for several more medals in swim finals tomorrow.

Yes, all those were great accomplishments.

But coming in as a favorite in one of the Games' premier events, America choked. I respect the effort the young men gave trying to fight back in gymnastics, but as soon as their turn on the pommel horse was over, many of us knew it would cost them a medal.

It was an inexcusable breakdown, but I feel for the young men that will shoulder disappointing their team.

In the pool, Ryan Lochte looked gassed over the final 50 meters of another freestyle race, allowing two swimmers to pass him in the final lap of the 200 free; he finished fourth.

This could have been the biggest day yet for the American team. Instead, it was the most humbling.

3. Great Britain

Yes, Great Britain only managed one medal on the day, and it was bronze at that. However, the strides it has made in the sport are amazing.

Its men's gymnastic team only had two competitors qualify for the Beijing Games. They ended with a bronze medal in one apparatus, but that was the nation's first gymnastics medal in over 75 years.

In four years, it has progressed from virtually unknown to Olympic medalists. On a day when other teams choked, Great Britain showed poise. 

It isn't as though Great Britain had any experience to draw from for the men's final—its last appearance in the event was 88 years ago.

For that, I give them a tip of the hat and the bronze-medal positioning in today's power rankings.

2. Japan

Although it took some pleading and effort, Japan jumped from fourth to the silver medal in the team event in men's gymnastics.

That effort also propelled the country from fourth to second in the all-important Bleacher Report daily power rankings.

Japan originally finished in fourth place, but won an appeal on its final performance of the day on the pommel horse. The decision to change the score pushed Great Britain to a bronze and moved Ukraine off the podium.

The Brits also picked up their first gold medal in judo in women's lightweight, along with a silver in the men's lightweight class.

Finally, they turned in three bronze-medal performances in the pool.

1. China

China rebounded from a disappointing showing in the men's gymnastics qualification round and posted a dominant performance when it really mattered.

China grabbed another gold medal on the 10-meter platform, with the men following the women's gold medal in synchronized diving.

It also had a dominating performance in the pool, including Ye Shiwen setting an Olympic record in the semifinals of the 200-meter individual medley. She will swim for a gold medal on Tuesday.

China didn't have the most medals on the day, but it secured the most gold, including the coveted men's team result in gymnastics. That is more than enough to keep the top spot in today's power rankings.