There’s just something about London.

This summer marked the third time the Olympics had been held in London, the others being in 1908 and 1948. And just like in 1948, the United States ended the tournament with the most gold medals to go along with the most overall.

The U.S. finished with the most overall medals for the fifth straight year with 104. China was the closest runner up with 88. Our nation also finished with the most gold medals with 46 compared to China’s 38, something they failed to accomplish at the 2008 Olympics when China finished with the most gold.

There were numerous highlights for the U.S. at this year’s Olympics as the country won gold in 13 of the 16 events they competed in.

Michael Phelps solidified his status as the most successful Olympian ever, our men’s basketball team continued to lay claim to their own generational dominance, and the women’s soccer team put themselves back on top of their sport’s world.

Phelps, who had previously stated that this would be his last Olympics, pushed his career total to 22 when he won gold in the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay, 200 meter individual medley, 100 meter butterfly, and the 4 x 100 meter medley relay. The Baltimore native also took silver in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay and the 200 meter butterfly.

Our men’s basketball team made sure everyone knew they were not satisfied solely with taking the gold at the 2008 games as they rolled through the competition again this year. The team, led by NBA MVP LeBron James and scoring leader Kevin Durant, finished the tournament undefeated, taking on the other competing countries’ best players. Durant led the team in scoring in their 107-100 win over the Paul Gasol-led Spanish team in the finals with 30 points.

Finally, in what was quite possibly the most dramatic gold medal victory, the United States women’s soccer team pushed past rival Canada in thrilling fashion to set up a World Cup final rematch against Japan.

Except this time, the red, white, and blue came out on top.

Carli Lloyd put the US up 2-0 with goals in the 8^th and 54^th minute, respectively. Japan’s Yuki Ogimi scored in the 63^rd but the stars and stripes did not allow another goal as they regained the title of best women’s soccer team in the world.

As the 2012 Summer Olympics came to a close, another win for the United States was put on the books. Our country has no signs of stopping its athletic advantage over other competing countries, and we are already preparing for Rio de Janeiro in 2016.