The United States' gold medal haul on Thursday helped Team USA pass China in the medal count at the 2012 London Olympics. Penn grad Susan Francia was part of the gold medal winning rowing team in the women's eight competition.
The U.S. also won gold in five other events as well as winning one silver medal and one bronze medal on Thursday. The women's half heavyweight Judo gold medal won by Kayla Harrison was the first win for any U.S. man or woman in the event. The eight overall medals on the day led the Olympics. With China winning just one gold medal on Thursday, the U.S. and China are now tied in that category with 18 apiece.
Here is the current top five of the Olympic medal standings:
United States, 37 (18 gold, 9 silver, 10 bronze)
China, 34 (18, 11, 5)
Japan, 19 (2, 6, 11)
Germany, 17 (4, 8, 5)
Russia, 17 (3, 6, 8)
Check out Sports Illustrated to see the full medal count standings.
Stick with this StoryStream for more coverage of the 2012 London Olympics. For complete coverage of the Olympic Games, head over to SB Nation's Olympics hub.