2012 Olympics Results: Winners and Losers from Day 13

Heading into the final weekend of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Day 13's action gave us plenty to discuss at the water cooler.

Would Jamaica's Usain Bolt pull the double-whammy in the men's 100- and 200-meter dashes?

There was also drama for the U.S., as the women's soccer and water polo teams were each battling for gold. And history was made in the boxing ring by a 17-year-old American.

With that, let's check out the winners and losers from Thursday's events.

Winner: Usain Bolt, Jamaica

Well, folks, Usain Bolt has done it again.

In Beijing he went gold for the 100 and 200 meters and Bolt equaled his finish in London.

No, his times were not world records, but all that matters are those gold medals. Bolt had already won the 100 with a time of 9.63 seconds, and the 200 was up next for Jamaica's Cool Runnings.

Taking the 200 with a time of 19.32 seconds, the race wasn't even close. He slightly let up with roughly 20-ish meters to go after quickly building a big lead, and the rest is history.

Loser: Jamaican Men's 4x400-Meter Relay Team

Unfortunately, not all was perfect for Jamaica. After making the 4x400 relay final in the 2008 Summer Olympics and finishing eighth, 2012 was even more disappointing.

This time around, Jamaica failed to finish the preliminary race. As noted by Neil Maidment of Reuters via the Chicago Tribune,:"Jamaica's bid for the men's 4x400 meter relay gold was cut short by injury on Thursday when Jermaine Gonzales pulled up in qualifying."

This comes as a major disappointment, because Usain Bolt was anticipated to potentially run a leg for Jamaica in the event: "Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, had said on Wednesday there was a slim chance he might have run in the final for Jamaica."

At least we still got to see Bolt win his specialized events.

Winner: Women's Boxing

Women's boxing made its Olympic debut this year and, my, was it exciting.

In the flyweight division, three-time world champion Ren Cancan of China was emphatically defeated by Great Britain's Nicola Adams, 16-7. Olympic gold was the only medal missing from Cancan's repertoire, and Adams' upset only enhances the London Games for the hosts.

The second bout came in the form of Ireland's Katie Taylor, who already has four amateur world golds and five European amateur titles. Well, the Irishwoman edged out her Russian opponent Sofya Ochigava, 10-8, for the lightweight gold.

Another Russian, Nadezda Torlopova, was in the final bout against USA's Claressa Shields for the middleweight title. Although she's just 17 years old, Shields won the gold with a decisive 19-12 victory and is cemented with Taylor and Adams as the first women to win boxing gold at the Summer Olympics.

If there's a turning point in women's boxing, August 9, 2012 is that day.

Loser: Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan

Japan is the best country by a wide margin in women's freestyle wrestling.

Since women's wrestling was added to the Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games, Japan has been a medal recipient in every weight class each time. So heading into London, the expectations to finish 4-for-4, and 12-for-12 overall, in the medal count seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Heading into the second day of women's freestyle, Saori Yoshida made the country 11-for-11 in winning the 55-kg weight class on Day 12. Unfortunately, Kyoko Hamaguchi was the weakest link, as she lost her first match to Guzel Manyurova of Kazahkstan in the second round in the 72-kg bracket.

A former five-time world champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Hamaguchi ends Japan's podium streak in women's freestyle wrestling.

Winner: Norway Women's Handball Team

Norway's women's handball team won its first Olympic gold medal in 2008.

They proceeded to win the 2011 World Championships and had much pressure to repeat as Olympic champs in London. Well, the Norwegians are headed to the women's team handball gold-medal game with a 31-25 win over a tough South Korean team.

South Korea had medaled at the 2008 Beijing Games, so it was expected they make a run for gold. Norway, however, was not to be denied.

Down 1-0 from the get-go, Norway quickly tied the game and South Korea never led again. As the game progressed, the defense really stepped up and Norway gradually pulled away.

Loser: Japan's Women's Teams

Thursday was an extremely rough day for the Japanese women.

They first had an opportunity to make the indoor volleyball final but were swept by Brazil 3-0, and now need a win over South Korea for the bronze.

Then the American women's soccer squad squeaked by Japan, 2-1, for the gold medal. Just a year earlier the Japanese had defeated the U.S. for the 2011 FIFA World Cup title and were looking to pull off the international double-whammy.

Missing on two golden opportunities has to be quite demoralizing.

Winner: Manteo Mitchell, USA

Had it not been for Manteo Mitchell's mental toughness, the USA would not have been in the men's 4x400-meter relay final.

According to CBS Sports and the Associated Press:

"

Manteo Mitchell felt the pop in his leg and knew it wasn't good. "It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half," he said.

He finished the lap and limped to the side to watch the Americans finish the race and qualify easily for the final. A few hours later, doctors confirmed what he suspected: He had run the last 200 meters with a broken left fibula.

"

And with the Americans having another opportunity to take gold in the 4x400 relay, you can give much thanks to Mitchell's willingness in putting the team before himself.

Winner: USA Women's Water Polo

Team USA has finally gotten it done in women's water polo.

As the only country to have earned an Olympic medal every summer since it joined the Games 12 years ago, the U.S. had yet to take gold.

The 2012 final against Spain was America's third shot at the first-place spot and coach Adam Krikorian's squad won 8-5. In a defensive battle in which the U.S. found themselves down 2-1 at one point in the second quarter, the Americans went on a 7-0 run to go up 8-2.

America never looked back and, as expected, the third try was quite charming.

Loser: Diana Lopez, USA

Diana Lopez (pictured in blue) took bronze for the United States in Taekwondo in 2008 and, with her brother also serving as her coach, she was definitely expected to once again be in medal contention in London. The Lopez family is definitely royalty circles in U.S. Taekwondo circles.

At the 2012 Games, though, Lopez lost her first match 1-0 that went a grueling four rounds against China's Hou Yuzhuo. Yuzhuo ended up taking silver.

So in her repechage match, Lopez needed a win against Finland's Suvi Mikkonen. Unfortunately, Lopez fell once again, this time 9-4, and was knocked out without winning a fight.

For her sake, let's hope Lopez can utilize this as motivation for 2016. She has the talent and experience, it's just a matter of getting it done.

Winner: Pandelela Pamg, Malaysia

As if a game of inches only applied to team sports, it also is relevant in diving.

By 0.1 points did Malaysia's Pandelela Pamg take the bronze medal in the women's 10-meter platform over Melissa Wu of Australia.

It was quite the performance from a diver who has accomplished so much. From an article by Beth Harris of the Associated Press via the San Francisco Gate, Pamg stated:

"

Diving is not as famous as other sports. I hope this will inspire other youth to take up this sport and support the Malaysian team.

I'm very proud and very honored to win the first medal for Malaysia. I hope Malaysians are proud of me.

"

For a country that's virtually unknown in the Olympics outside of badminton, Pamg's result undoubtedly goes a long way for her compatriots.

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