Olympic Medal Count 2012: London Games Bring out the Best in Great Britain

The 2012 London Games have been a great showing for some of the top countries around the globe, but the host country—Great Britain–has been exceptional and certainly better than they were only four years ago in Beijing.

Let's take a look at where Great Britain stands at this point in the games. The full results can be found here.

Olympic Medal Tracker
	United States Total: 102	44	29	29
	China Total: 87	38	27	22
	Russia Total: 78	21	25	32
	Great Britain Total: 62	28	15	19
	Germany Total: 44	11	19	14

While I'm sure most Brits would have loved to be at the top of the medal chart, there is no shame in not doing so this year. What's most important is how much Great Britain has improved since the last Olympics.

In Beijing back in 2008, Great Britain scored 47 medals in total, only 19 of which were of the gold variety. As far as silver and bronze medals were concerned, Great Britain notched 13 and 15, respectively.

But 2012 has been a different story, as the Brits have been far superior than the 2008 version.

In London, Great Britain has scored 62 medals in total—and an impressive 28 of them were gold. That gold count was good enough for the third most in the Games, behind China and the top gold medal scorer, the United States.

As for silver and Bronze, the Brits also increased their totals from 2008 with 15 and 19, respectively.

The comparison can and should be made when looking at the Brits' last Olympics. There's a clear difference in how well Great Britain did overall; and that can be attributed to better athletes, but more so, a home-field advantage.

Any event Great Britain was in, their fellow countrymen were there to cheer them on. That is a huge edge over their competitors; and that type of support can often give athletes momentum, allowing them to push themselves even when there might be nothing left in the tank.

The crowd cheering on Andy Murray's gold medal run was incredible and no doubt boosted his energy in his winning match against Roger Federer. That was a perfect example of just how supportive the hometown crowds were.

Whatever you'd like to attribute their 2012 success to, it doesn't really matter. Great Britain had a fantastic showing in the 2012 London Games, and it appears this country is ready to take the next step in dethroning the Americans in the 2016 Games.