Number of medals Follow

China’s gold rush aligns with the country’s — and much of the world’s — preferred measure of Olympics dominance: The gold-medal count. And the U.S. can claim that it is on top at these Games, because it leads in total medals. If this holds up, the medal count will have a split title for just the fourth time in history. Ironically, it was the U.S. that led in golds but not medals — its preferred measure — in each of those three earlier Olympics (in 1896, 1912 and 1964).