2012 Summer Olympic medal count: China tops amid Ye Shiwen doping claims
China has bagged 9 gold and tops 2012 Summer Olympic medal count. Meanwhile Ye Shiwen doping claims are not going to affect anything
People’s Republic of China has an unchallenged dominance at the London Olympics with 9 gold, 5 silver, and 3 bronze medals, taking the total medal count to 17. The USA has so far equaled China’s might in the total medal count, but with the gold count at just 5.
Before the start of the games, little did it seem China would trample the chances of the United States to dominate the Olympics. But now that the figures are on the board, the current gold-rush proves that Beijing wasn’t just a home advantage to the Chinese; winning competitions through sustained efforts and discipline is part of their raw determination.
China tops the charts, but there’s a contrast. Instead of being applauded, there’s a lot of suspicion over the record-breaking performance of Chinese athletes.
China grabbed its first gold on day one. Sun Yang, 20, clinched the yellow metal in men’s swimming and also set an Olympic record in the 400-metre freestyle.
Ye Shiwen, 16, also put up an unbelievable performance in swimming on Saturday by not only clinching the gold in the 400-metre individual medley, but she also set a new world record. Ye recorded a split time of 58.68 seconds in the final 100-metre of freestyle. She was quicker than Ryan Lochte (USA), who has won the men’s 400-metre individual medley.
Already nick-named the teenage torpedo, Ye’s performance was perhaps China’s most extraordinary at the London Olympics, but that hasn’t been without controversy. Her eye-popping performance has raised several questions, but she has directly denied the doping allegations.
Ignoring the allegations, China will continue to dominate the London Olympics with Ye’s record-breaking performance. China has the ability to grab all eight golds in diving and may dominate shooting, badminton, weight lifting, gymnastics, and table tennis.
China had a far from perfect start in the qualifying round of men’s gymnastics. But then on Monday, China won the second straight gold, making everyone dumbfounded.
The IOC and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) eye abrupt improvement in performance with suspicion and given China’s history, there’s little doubt the agencies won’t keep track of the athletes’ on and off-field activities. In the 1990s, 40 Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances and they were subsequently banned.
Many Chinese experts attribute the improved performance to traditional Chinese herbs which are anabolic substances, but definitely not anabolic steroids. Both the anti-doping agencies will have a tough time detecting the presence of the herbs. IOC may have its way even if it fails in detecting anything illegal in the Chinese athletes – by coming with a new rule that prohibits the use of unknown anabolic substances.
China attributes its success to a scientific method that helps identifying perfect athletes at a very early age. The performance-enhancement allegations saw angry responses on Twitter.
Ljungqvist, the IOC medical commission, too said that it was not right to condemn a competitor without evidence just because she has performed extraordinarily.
China might lack the style and elegance of other competing nations, but the brute strength that Chinese athletes have displayed is something unheard of so far.
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