The United States is once again the top dog in the medal count at the 2012 Olympic Games in London -- in a manner of speaking. The Unites States' 81 overall medals put them ahead of China, which has 77 total medals, but the 36 gold medals held by China outpaces the 34 gold medals held by the U.S. as Thursday's events get underway.
There are, of course, some huge events yet to finish up, like men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, women's water polo and men's decathlon. There is still plenty of time for the Unites States to walk away with the lead in both columns.
Here is what the medal count leaderboard looked like heading into Thursday's events.
1. United States - 81 (34, 22, 25)
2. China - 77 (36, 22, 19)
3. Russia - 52 (11, 19, 22)
4. Great Britain - 48 (22, 13, 13)
5. Germany - 32 (7, 15, 10)
For the latest on the 2012 Olympics, check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub.
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