U.S., China Neck-And Neck In Olympic Medals Race
LONDON (CBS SPORTS) - The red, white and blue is painting the Olympics gold, silver and bronze.
Nearly midway through the London Games, the United States is locked in a tight battle with China in the ultimate Olympic competition -- the race for No. 1 in the medals.
While many had predicted China would top both categories, the Americans should go into the second week with realistic chances of finishing with the most gold and most total medals.
Behind the two powerhouses, the battle for the next few spots has thrown up some surprises, with South Korea surging into the top four and Russia and Australia lagging behind expectations.
The U.S. has won the overall medal count at the last four Summer Games, but China has gained ground.
China grabbed the most golds at its home Olympics four years ago in Beijing with 51, while the United States was a distant second with 36. The Americans won the overall count with 110 medals, 10 more than the Chinese.
Going into Saturday night's events, the United States was leading China 24-23 in gold medals, while the Chinese were ahead 50-48 in the overall.
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