Olympics Recap

After a great final weekend and closing ceremony, the 2012 Olympics in London are finished. It was a great two weeks with plenty of memories to take away:

- US Dominance: China competing for a while, but the depth of athletes across the board helped push the US to once again dominate the Olympics. The talent is there in team sports like soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc. The talent is also there in individual events like swimming and track and field. Many of our wins were expected (basketball, women's soccer, beach volleyball, Phelps, Eaton, etc.). Others were not (Men's Diving, 3 tennis golds, Missy Franklin). Overall, it was a great fortnight for the "Red, White, and Blue."

- China's Emergence: China continues to emerge as a world power. They may have struggled in some team sports, but their individual talent is evident across the board. Not only are they winning events they always do (gymnastics, diving, ping pong), but they are emerging in other more athletic sports. They continue to challenge the US across the board as the best sports country on the planet.

- Great Britain's Success: We can all agree that London was a great host. From the facilities to the city itself, a good time was had by fans and players alike. In terms of performance, Great Britain can be proud. Although they were fourth in overall medals, they brought home the third most gold medals. Andy Murray even won on the lawns of Wimbledon. I think they can be proud of themselves for the two weeks they had as a nation.

- Looking ahead to Rio: Come 2016, there will be plenty of things to look forward to. We'll be in the post-Phelps era so what will things look like in the pool? Will Missy Franklin become the next US phenom in the water? On the track, can Usain Bolt three-peat? In tennis, can a mid-30's Federer even compete, let alone get his coveted gold? On the court, who will coach US basketball and will our stars play? As a whole, will China finally overtake the United States in the medal count? Golf is being added to the Olympics so will Tiger (at 40 years old) win in his first try, or will a young gun like Rory nab the gold? Plus, what new stars will emerge in the world of sports? What I do know is this... it can't get here soon enough!

Lastly, the chart below is the final medal count. It lists each country in order of finish.

Andrew

United States: 46 (G) + 29 (S) + 29 (B) = 104 (T)

China: 38 (G) + 27 (S) + 22 (B) = 87 (T)

Russia: 24 (G) + 25 (S) + 33 (B) = 82 (T)

Great Britain: 29 (G) + 17 (S) + 19 (B) = 65 (T)

Germany: 11 (G) + 19 (S) + 14 (B) = 44 (T)

Japan: 7 (G) + 14 (S) + 17 (B) = 38 (T)

Australia: 7 (G) + 16 (S) + 12 (B) = 35 (T)

France: 11 (G) + 11 (S) + 12 (B) = 34 (T)

South Korea: 13 (G) + 8 (S) = 7 (B) = 28 (T)

Italy: 8 (G) + 9 (S) + 11 (B) = 28 (T)

Netherlands: 6 (G) + 6 (S) + 8 (B) = 20 (T)

Ukraine: 5 (G) + 5 (S) + 9 (B) = 20 (T)

Canada: 1 (G) + 5 (S) + 12 (B) = 18 (T)

Hungary: 8 (G) + 4 (S) + 5 (B) = 17 (T)

Spain: 3 (G) + 10 (S) + 4 (B) = 17 (T)

Brazil: 3 (G) + 5 (S) + 9 (B) = 17 (T)

Cuba: 5 (G) + 3 (S) + 6 (B) = 14 (T)

Kazakhstan: 7 (G) + 1 (S) + 5 (B) = 13 (T)

New Zealand: 5 (G) + 3 (S) + 5 (B) = 13 (T)

Belarus: 3 (G) + 5 (S) + 5 (B) = 13 (T)

Islamic Republic of Iran: 4 (G) + 5 (S) + 3 (B) = 12 (T)

Jamaica: 4 (G) + 4 (S) + 4 (B) = 12 (T)

Kenya: 2 (G) + 4 (S) + 5 (B) = 11 (T)

Czech Republic: 4 (G) + 3 (S) + 3 (B) = 10 (T)

Azerbaijan: 2 (G) + 2 (S) + 6 (B) = 10 (T)

Poland: 2 (G) + 2 (S) + 6 (B) = 10 (T)