by Renee Israel
While UK punters are enjoying the tremendous betting range on multiple sports
thanks to the London Olympic Games, betting is also hectic on the score for the
most gold medals by the end of the competition.
At present, the USA and China are neck to neck in the race, with Team US at a
minute advantage after a spectacular performance on Saturday.
Many predicted that China will walk away with the most medals by the end of
the competition, but at the end of week one, the current stand is the US leading
by one medal over China's 53 overall, and one more gold medal than China's 25.
The UK is currently placed at third spot, with 14 gold medals and 29 overall,
after picking up six golds on Saturday.
US Traditional Olympic Medal Winner
In the past four Summer Olympics, the United States has been the country to
walk away with the most medals, but China has definitely gained ground in the
past few years to show that it is a powerhouse to be reckoned with.
During the Beijing Games four years ago, China won 51 gold medals, compared
to the US's 36, although Team US won 10 more medals than China's 100 overall.
A spokesman for the US Olympic Committee, Patrick Sandusky said: "We are a
little bit behind where we were in Beijing but we are still having really good
performances."
"It's gone back and forth the last three or four days," he said about the
total medal count. "We may go up at night, China may go up in the morning, but
obviously China is still very strong."
Medal Predictions by US Olympic Committee
From the start of the Games, the US Olympic Committee has been reluctant to
predict how many medals Team US will come home with.
However, Sandusky said that the team's "goal coming into the games was
certainly to finish top of the medal count and we are having good progress."
He warned however, "we are not taking anything for granted", saying that the
Games are only halfway through.
It stands to reason that the US will continue to do well going into week two,
as it traditionally dominates track and field events, of which there will be
many this week.
There are some, however, who believe that China will surprise the US and come
in with more medals by the end of the Games.
Former 2 x 1,500 meter champ, Sebastian Coe, who runs the London Games
organising committee said that he believed that China would beat the US in the
medals race at the end of the day.
"It is going to be a China-USA fight for No. 1," he said on Saturday.
Odds for the country to win the most gold medals by the end of the
Olympics currently offered at Irish bookmaker Paddy Power:
US - 3/10
China - 9/4
Great Britain - 66/1
