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Olympic medal count: A day of ups and downs for the US women

Tuesday, American women ran in the women's 100-meter hurdles, winning silver and bronze, and gymnast Aly Raisman walked away with gold and bronze medals. But other US women were left empty handed. 

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Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Gold medal-winner Sally Pearson (r.) of Australia, celebrates with American Kellie Wells who won the bronze in the women's 100-meter hurdles final during the London Games August 7.
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Brian Snyder/Reuters
Alexandra Raisman of the US competes in the women's gymnastics floor exercise final at the London Games. Raisman won the gold medal on floor exercise and the bronze on balance beam.
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Rich Clabaugh/Staff
  • By Laura Edwins Contributor

It was a day of good results for some American women, and a day of disappointment for others.

On the track, Americans Dawn Harper, Lolo Jones, and Kellie Wells went head to head in the women's 100-meter hurdles. But it was Aussie Sally Pearson who walked away with the gold. Pearson has dominated the hurdles all season, with increasingly quick times, and Tuesday was no exception. She ran a 12.35, setting a new Olympic Record.

Harper was right behind Pearson with a time of 12.37, to win the silver, and Wells won the bronze with a time of 12.48. Jones, the fan favorite, finished a disappointing fourth.

On the last day of women's gymnastics competition Aly Raisman walked away with two more medals, a gold in floor exercise, and a bronze on the balance beam. It was redemption for Raisman, who fell short of the bronze medal in the women's all around competition when a tie-breaking calculation by the judges put Russian Aliya Mustafina in third place.

Though teammate Gabby Douglas, the gold medal all around winner, fell on the beam, Raisman stayed steady. She finished with a score of 15.066, behind China's Deng Linlin, who won the gold with an outstanding score of 15.600 and Sui Lu, also from China, who walked away with as score of 15.500 and the silver medal. 

On the floor Raisman put to rest any lingering rumors that she may not have been as strong as Jordyn Wieber. Raismann wowed with a near-perfect routine and a score of 15.600, far ahead of silver medalist Catalina Ponor from Romania, and Mustafina who took the bronze. Wieber struggled and finished in seventh place.

With her two medals on Tuesday, Raisman goes home to Needham, Mass., as the most decorated American gymnast at the London Games.

Sarah Hammer, from California, also medalled Tuesday in the women's omnium, a six-part bicycle race. Hammer took the silver, finishing behind Britain's Laura Trott.

The US held steady in second place for total medal count, with 70, 30 of them gold. China has 73 total medals, 34 of them gold. Great Britain and Russia are tied for third in total medal count, each with 48, though Great Britain has 22 gold medals to Russia's 10.

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