The United States topped the medal table at the London 2012 Olympic Games, while Mexico gave its best performance since hosting the games in 1968.
The United States accrued 104 medals, including 46 golds, beating China, winner of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, who came second with 88 medals, 38 of them gold. Host nation Great Britain came third, while Canada and Mexico finished 36th and 39th with 18 and seven medals respectively.
Having won five medals in diving and archery, Mexico won the final of the men’s soccer and a bronze in taekwondo on the penultimate day of the games, finishing with one gold, three silver and three bronze medals in total.It was the country’s second best medal tally in Olympic history, surpassed only by the 1968 games in Mexico City, when as host nation Mexico won three gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
Mexico’s final medal in London was won by Maria Espinoza, who was defending her taekwondo gold medal from the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Espinoza had to settle for a bronze medal this time around, after losing out to Serbia’s eventual champion Milica Mandic in the semifinal of the women’s 67+ kilogram competition on Saturday.
Of Mexico’s medalists, divers Ivan Garcia, German Sanchez, Alejandra Orozco and Laura Sanchez all hail from Guadalajara, while soccer player Marco Fabian is from Tecalitlan, Jalisco and plays for local club Chivas de Guadalajara.
These Tapatio athletes will be well rewarded for their endeavors by the local authorities. The Zapopan council will award 30,000 pesos to any members of Mexico’s Olympic contingent born or presently living in the municipality, while those from Guadalajara will receive 100,000 pesos for a gold medal, 75,000 for a silver, 50,000 for a bronze or 25,000 for simply taking part.