2012 Olympics Medal Count: America Looks To Pounce In Pool

After only two days of competition, China and the United States have already separated themselves from the pack in the medal count, although it was fun for the brief period of time where both US and Kazakhstan had a pair of gold medals. That trend looks to continue, as Day Three's 12 medal events once again feature competitions where those two countries excel.

On Day Three, America will once again attempt to make its presence felt in the pool, where it has earned eight of 11 medals. The U.S. has a legitimate shot at gold in all four swimming finals Monday: Ryan Lochte looks for a second gold in the 200m freestyle, Matt Grevers is the favorite in the 100m backstroke, MIssy Franklin has a distinct shot at winning the women's 100m backstroke, and Breeja Larson and Rebecca Soni are both candidates to take the 100m breaststroke. America also has a good chance of bringing home gold in the men's team gymnastics event after taking first place through the first day of competition. Those events could give the United States a decent chance at catching the Chinese total in the gold medals category.

However, as you might expect, China will have a strong day as well. Of the eight non-swimming medals being awarded tomorrow, SI.com's Brian Cazeneuve predicted Chinese gold in men's 10m synchronized diving and women's individual epee, as well as silver in two other events. So they'll likely pace the United States for another day.

Here's a more complete look at the medal count:

1. China, 12 (6 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)
2. United States, 11 (3, 5, 3)
3. Italy, 7 (2, 3, 2)
4. South Korea, 5 (2, 1, 2)
5. France, 4 (2, 1, 1)

Other notables: North Korea is sixth with two golds and one bronze, Great Britain 16th with one silver and one bronze, and for your daily update on Moldova's medal count, they have just the one bronze.

You can find a complete medal tracker over at SI.com.

For complete coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, visit SB Nation's Summer Olympics hub.