USA leads medal count after earning 6 more gold medals

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 - The U.S. women's eight rowing team won gold, continuing a dominating run that includes two golds and a silver over the last eight years. Led by coxswain Mary Whipple, who keeps her team focused, the team hasn't lost a race in eight years. They beat Canada, the silver medalists, by more than a second.


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Kayla Harrison gave the United States its first judo gold medal in Olympic history, taking the 78-kilogram title at the London Games. Harrison defeated Britain's Gemma Gibbons in a final she dominated from the start, getting a stronger grip on Gibbons and managing to throw her twice.


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USA's Gabby Douglas won women's gymnastics all-around gold by delivering another near-flawless four events, all while crushing the confidence and infuriating the will of the rest of the field, most notably the two determined Russians she shared the podium with, Victoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina, both of whom trained at a higher level for a longer period of their life.


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American swimmer Rebecca Soni broke the women's 200m breaststroke world record for the second time in two days as she won Olympic gold for the second straight Games. Using her trademark late kick, Soni won gold in 2min & 19.59 seconds, improving the record of 2:20.00 she posted in the semi-finals yesterday. She became the first Beijing swimming gold medallist to successfully defend a title in London.


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Tyler Clary won the gold medal in the Olympic men's swimming 200m backstroke, denying U.S. teammate Ryan Lochte a repeat victory. Clary overhauled Lochte on the final lap to win in an Olympic record of 1min & 53.41 seconds with Ryosuke Irie of Japan taking silver in 1:53.78. Lochte, the world and Olympic champion who had led at every turn, settled for bronze in 1:53.94.


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Michael Phelps made more Olympic history, winning gold in the men's 200m individual medley to become the first man to win the same individual swimming event at three straight Games. Phelps, denied trebles in London in the 400m medley and 200m butterfly, delivered a vintage performance to win in 1 minute & 54.27seconds to collect his 20th career Olympic medal -- and his 16th gold. Fellow American Ryan Lochte, the world champion and world record-holder, took silver in 1:54.90 and Laszlo Cseh of Hungary earned bronze in 1:56.22.