Great Britain Gets the Best Medal Finish They Could Hope For
The Olympics' host country always wants to put on the best possible showing in the medal standings. The spotlight is on them, both at home and internationally, to do the best they can on their home turf. Great Britain came in third, and that's really the best they could hope for.
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BBC Olympics Correspondant James Pearce tweeted the good news Sunday morning. After Russian wrestlers were knocked out of medal contention on Sunday morning, Great Britain was officially in the clear. They had locked up third place behind the juggernauts, China and the U.S.
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Only four countries were able to win over 20 gold medals: China, the U.S., Great Britain and Russia. And while Russia has more overall medals than Britain, the host country has five more golds. Because of the way things are weighted that means Britain finishes third in the standings. Great Britain's population is about half of Russia's, with the U.S. and China coming in well beyond theirs. For them to finish third, at home, is fantastic news.
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Congrats, blokes!