The 2012 Summer Olympics medal count is something that we at SB Nation have constantly been keeping tabs on -- much like the rest of the world, probably -- but amid the focus on the top of the leaderboard, there seem to be times when other things get overlooked by those reporting on lovely London. Sure, China holds a small lead over Team USA when it comes to overall medals, but that certainly isn’t the only thing that matters.
2012 Olympics Medal Count: China Leads USA; 11-Way Tie For 39th Place
And yes, It’s definitely cool to know that American swimmer Allison Schmitt is tied with Australia’s Alicia Coutts for the most medals this summer with four apiece (though Schmitt has a 2-1 advantage in golds following Wednesday’s relay win), but what about Vavrinec Hradilek of the Czech Republic breaking through to get his country’s first medal of the summer? And in kayaking, no less!
In an effort to bring those stories to light, here are all 11 of the countries tied for 39th -- or last, if you prefer -- place in the medal count through Wednesday: Uzbekistan, Serbia, Singapore, Qatar, Mongolia, the Republic of Moldova, India, Greece, Belarus, Belgium and Azerbaijan. (While the Czech Republic has only Hradilek’s medal, they are ranked 29th because silver ranks higher than bronze.)
We all know it’s not always fun to cheer for the top teams, so remember to remember the aforementioned 39th-place teams when seeking an underdog to support in the weeks ahead. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even become a big fan of Azerbaijan (pro tip: fan and Azerbaijan kind of rhyme, so it was probably meant to happen).
For the visual learners -- and anyone still interested in keeping tabs on the top medal performances -- the below video should come in handy.
For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation’s London 2012 Olympics Hub.
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