Medal Count 2021 Olympics: Updated Standings, Highlights After Day 12

As has been the case throughout most of the Tokyo Olympics, as of the completion of Day 12 events, the United States owns the most medals outright, with 79 but is second to China in gold medals. China has 70 total medals but 32 golds, compared to the United States' 25 gold. 

As you might expect, the sport that has most contributed to the United States' medal haul is swimming. Thirty of America's 79 medals have come from Team USA swimmers, including many of the golds; Caeleb Dressel alone is responsible for three individual gold medals in swimming, and Katie Ledecky another two. 

The United States has also been successful in athletics (track and field), which accounts for another 16 overall medals. That includes three gold medals, one of which we'll discuss in more detail below, as American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record. 

Let's take a look at the top 10 medal standings after Day 12 and then break down some of the big storylines from the day. Note that the ROC, the Russian Olympic Committee, is the name Russian athletes must compete under as part of the sanctions the nation faces because of its systemic doping program.

Tokyo Olympic Medal Standings Following Day 10

1. China: 32 gold, 70 total 

2. United States: 25 gold, 79 total 

3. Japan: 21 gold, 40 total 

4. Great Britain: 15 gold, 48 total 

5. Australia: 15 gold, 36 total

6. ROC: 14 gold, 53 total 

7. Germany: 8 gold, 32 total

8. France: 6 gold, 25 total

9. Italy: 6 gold, 30 total

10. Netherlands: 6 gold, 23 total 

Complete standings are available at Olympics.com.

American Sprinter Sydney McLaughlin Shatters World Record, Wins Gold in Women's 400-Meter Hurdles

Heading into these Olympics, one of the most highly anticipated battles was always going to be between American hurdlers Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad. 

The track and field athletes represent one team, Team USA, but when it comes to the individual events, the Americans are some of each other's biggest competition. That has been the case for McLaughlin and Muhammad, the latter of whom was the reigning 400-meter hurdles gold medalist. 

McLaughlin broke her own world record of 51.90, which she set at the Olympic trials on June 26, with her time of 51.46 seconds.

Muhammad also bested McLaughlin's previous mark with her 51.58. It just wasn't enough to best McLaughlin for Olympic gold. 

With her victory, McLaughlin becomes the youngest champion in 400-meter hurdle history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. 

Women's Park Skateboarders Charm World With Support, Camaraderie

Ben Curtis/Associated Press

For the uninitiated, the women's park skateboarding final on Wednesday in Japan may have been a strange sight in competitive sport. As the women competed against one another, going from 20 in the prelims down to eight in the final, their results sometimes bounced another skater out of the running for either a finals spot or a medal. 

But after each of those runs, it was a common sight to see the competitors embrace one another. And that's the ethos of skateboarding—especially park skateboarding, and especially among the women—overall that the world was introduced to in the Olympics. 

In the final, Japan nearly swept the podium; 19-year-old Sakura Yosozumi had gold-medal position locked down with her best run score of 60.09, and fellow Japanese skateboarder Kokona Hiraki was primed for silver.

Great Britain's Sky Brown landed a terrific third run to ascend into bronze-medal position, but Japan's Misugu Okamoto (pictured above), the No. 1-ranked women's park skater in the world, still had one run left. When she fell in the middle of her run attempting a kickflip Indy, it solidified the podium positions—and completely crushed Okamoto, who lay on her back on the course, hands on her helmet.

But immediately, Australia's Poppy Olsen and the United States' Bryce Wettstein, who finished fifth and sixth, respectively, hoisted Okamoto on their shoulders and carried her off the course. Okamoto's distraught expression changed to laughter, and the world fell in love with an inspirational group of female skateboarders who, at the end of the day, understand what it's all about. 

Canadian Sprinter Andre De Grasse Wins First Gold Medal

With Usain Bolt having hung up the cleats in 2017, it opened the door to Canadian rival Andre De Grasse to—finally—earn an Olympic gold medal. 

A smile De Grasse and Bolt shared in the men's 200-meter semifinal in the 2016 Rio Games went viral, but on Wednesday in Japan, De Grasse was smiling for an entirely different reason.

The Canadian set a new national record with his time of 19.62 to win gold. American sprinter Kenny Bednarek took silver with a personal best of 19.68, followed by reigning world champion Noah Lyles taking bronze with a time of 19.74.

Lyles, who has beaten De Grasse each time he's faced him in the 200 meters, was the gold-medal favorite in the event.

De Grasse becomes the first Canadian to win 200-meter gold at the Olympics since Percy Williams last did it in 1928.