Olympic Medal Count 2012: Day 11 Events USA Must Succeed in to Remain Near Top

As expected, China and the United States are currently one and two in the 2012 London Games medal count, with the Chinese holding a one-medal advantage over the Americans at 64-63.

The medal race is a tricky process, as some focus on the overall amount, while others put more emphasis on the gold medals.

Whichever way you look at it, the parity between the athletes from these two countries makes for quite the race at the back end of these Olympics.

The United States finished with 110 total medals in Beijing, 10 more than the Chinese. However, China accumulated 15 more gold medals than their rivals.

If the Americans want to match the show that they put on in 2008, they'll need to capitalize on some golden opportunities on Day 11.

Here are three such opportunities.

Beach Volleyball

The United States has the perfect chance to grab the upper-hand in the race for beach volleyball gold on Tuesday in London.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are slated to face off against the Chinese powerhouse duo of Xue Chen and Zheng Xi in the semifinals of the beach volleyball tournament.

Not only can May-Treanor and Walsh win their third straight Olympic gold medal, but they can also help to prevent a Chinese team from winning a medal.

Jen Kessy and April Ross are also one of the last four teams in the competition, and have match against Juliana Silva and Larissa Franca in their quest to dethrone their American counterparts.

If both United States teams can win their respective matches, and the Chinese pair loses in the bronze medal match, the Americans would close some ground in the overall race.

Men's High Jump

The men's high jump final boasts a field of 14 competitors, three of which are American and none of which are Chinese.

It would be colossal feat, but the United States could pick up three medals on China if the trio of Erik Kynard, Jesse Williams and Jamie Nieto can sweep the podium.

Kynard and Williams were two of the many competitors to clear the 2.29-meter mark in qualifying, while Nieto jumped over a respectable 2.26 meters.

Williams figures to be the best shot at the gold medal, as he has the second-highest personal best in the final field, just 0.01 meters lower than Russia's Andrey Silnov.

Women's Gymnastics

United States women's gymnastics returns on Day 11, showcasing the balance beam and floor exercise to the world.

Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman will be on the beam for the Americans, while Linlin Deng and Lu Sui will look to add to China's medal count.

Sui posted the best qualifying scores, so the two American women will need to put on near-perfect performance to win the gold.

Jordyn Wieber and Raisman will represent the United States on the floor exercise. Raisman is the favorite in the event, as she posted the best score in qualifying.

Wieber looks for redemption after missing out on the individual all-around final, but it will be tough for her to beat out her teammate.

Here are the top five countries in the overall medal count.

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Overall
China	31	19	14	64
United States	29	15	19	63
Great Britain	18	11	11	40
Korea	11	5	6	22
France	8	9	9	26

Here is a link to the overall medal table.