Gold Medal Count 2012: Most Memorable Victories from Day 11 in London

China is setting the standard for overall medals so far in London. That's due in large part to their 34 first-place finishes.

Here's what the overall top five currently looks like, according to nbcolympics.com:

Country				Total
China	34	21	18	73
United States	30	19	21	70
Great Britain	22	13	13	48
Russia	10	18	20	48
Japan	2	13	14	29

Focus on the first column of numbers. Silver and bronze awards are nice, but gold medals are what everyone's really after in the Olympics. China's athletes have won more than any other country.

Events on Tuesday helped some countries more than others. Memorable performances were delivered in several pivotal moments and medals were tacked onto country's overall tallies.

Let's take a look at the most memorable showings from Day 11 of the Summer Olympics.

Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor

Anytime you're going for your third consecutive gold medal you're going to receive attention. Walsh and May-Treanor staked their claim as the best beach volleyball duo of all-time in Beijing, and they've done nothing to take away from that notion in London.

The dynamic duo defeated China's Xi Zhang and Chen Xue, 22-20, in two consecutive sets, but they faced a deficit in each frame.

Walsh and May-Treanor were down 13-7 at one point in the first set and couldn't gain control in the second frame. Instead of withering under the enormous pressure, they rose to the occasion each time.

Success is the only possible outcome for these two icons, and they proved that again on Tuesday.

Sally Pearson

Pearson took silver in Beijing in the women's 100-meter hurdles, but she redeemed herself in London. Her 12.35 seconds run set an Olympic record and edged Dawn Harper by two-one hundredths of a second.

The Australian runner won this event at the 2011 World Championships, but this was more dramatic. It's the Olympics, and Harper pushed her to the limit.

She's one of the best female hurdlers in the world, and this gold medal solidifies that reputation. This is an exciting event, but close finishes like this make it even better.

Aly Raisman

Raisman put a fitting cap on her London experience with a gold medal in the women's floor exercise. She outperformed fellow American Jordyn Wieber once again en route to her individual triumph.

She already surprised us once in London. Raisman qualified for the women's individual all-around final, bumping Wieber from the final field. She has performed with artistic precision and confidence well beyond her years.

Raisman's 15.6 on her final floor routine earned her a memorable victory over second-place finisher Catalina Ponor.

Surprising stories are fun to track in Olympic competition, and Raisman's is one of the best. Her performance on Day 11 was a memorable conclusion to an amazing run.