text: Olympic silver medalist Bryshon Nellum will carry the U.S. flag at Sunday's closing ceremony of the London Olympics. 
   
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   United States' Bryshon Nellum runs beside Saudi Arabia's Yousef Ahmed Masrahi during a men's 400-meter heat in the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Saturday, Aug.... (Associated Press) 
   
   USA's Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, Tony McQuay and Angelo Taylor celebrate their silver medal in the men's 4x400-meter during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London,... (Associated Press) 
   
   Nellum was told by doctors that he might never be an elite athlete again after he was shot in the legs while leaving a restaurant near the campus of Southern California in 2008. Four years later, he's an Olympic medalist. 
   
   Nellum was part of the men's 4x400-meter relay team, which finished second to the Bahamas on Friday night. He also competed in the 400-meter dash in London, making the semifinal round. 
   
   Nellum says he's "humbled by this incredible privilege." 
   
   U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun says Nellum's courage "embodies the Olympic spirit." 
   
   Nellum was selected flagbearer by other members of the U.S. Olympic team in London. ||||| With a surge of medals in track and field, the United States has sprinted ahead of China and is poised to finish atop the medals table at the London Olympics _ maybe with the most golds ever collected by the Americans on foreign soil. 
   
   United States' Ashton Eaton gestures from the podium after being presented with a gold medal in the men's decathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday,... (Associated Press) 
   
   Members of the team from China reacts as they see their score during the synchronized swimming team free routine final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,... (Associated Press) 
   
   United States' Will Claye, silver, Italy's Fabrizio Donato, bronze, and United States' gold medal winner Christian Taylor, from left, celebrate after the men's triple jump final during the athletics in... (Associated Press) 
   
   United States' Ashton Eaton listens to the U.S. national anthem after being presented with a gold medal in the men's decathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics,... (Associated Press) 
   
   Heading into the final weekend of competition, the U.S. leads both the gold and overall medals races after trailing the Chinese most of the games. 
   
   The Americans pulled further ahead Friday. At the end of the day's events, the U.S. led China 94 to 81 in total medals and 41 to 37 in golds. 
   
   Bill Mallon, a veteran American medals prognosticator, believes the U.S. will win the overall race by 12 to 15 medals and the gold count by three to five. 
   
   Four more golds would equal the highest U.S. total on foreign territory in Olympic history _ 45 at both the 1968 Mexico City Games and the 1924 Paris Games. 
   
   The gold haul in London is already the best for the United States since it won 44 in 1996 in Atlanta. Its highest gold count was 83 at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, which were boycotted by the Soviet Union. 
   
   The late U.S. charge in London has been spurred by the track and field team, with 26 medals, including eight golds, through Friday. 
   
   The Americans picked up four medals Thursday night with 1-2 finishes by Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee in the decathlon and by Christian Taylor and Will Claye in the triple jump. They grabbed two more Friday night _ gold in the women's 4x100-meter relay and silver in the men's 4x400 relay. 
   
   Away from the track, wrestler Jordan Burroughs won gold in the men's 74-kilogram freestyle. 
   
   The success could validate the projection of 30 medals by USA Track & Field, the national governing body for the sport, which had been widely maligned as too ambitious. 
   
   With two more relays and a few other chances coming up, the United States could exceed 30 medals _ even after being shut out in the men's 200 and 400 meters, two events where the Americans usually excel. 
   
   "A lot of people thought 30 medals was crazy," said Steve Roush, the U.S. Olympic Committee's former chief of sports performance, who served on USA Track & Field's "Project 30" panel. 
   
   He added: "It was the big question mark coming in. It turns out we are going to be right there. If there is a surprise, it's just how well the U.S. has done in track and field." 
   
   Though closely tracked by Olympic teams, fans and the media, the medals race is an unofficial competition. The International Olympic Committee doesn't even recognize the medal count. 
   
   The U.S. Olympic Committee has also been reluctant to talk up the medals chase _ until the end of the games, anyway. It stresses that its job is to enable as many Americans as possible to stand on the podium and represent the country. 
   
   "We are fortunate to have had success in both team and individual sports," spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. "The Olympic Games is a competition between athletes, not nations. With that said, we are very proud of our American athletes in London." 
   
   China beat the U.S. in gold medals, 51 to 36, on home soil at the 2008 Beijing Games, while the Americans prevailed 110 to 100 overall. 
   
   Many thought China would sweep both lists in London. And the Chinese started strong, racking up medals in their traditional sports of badminton, table tennis and diving. But medal chances are drying up in the final days, and China can't compete with the U.S. in track and field. 
   
   "China's big challenge is in swimming and track and field," Roush said. "There are so many medals at stake." 
   
   This is still China's best gold medal showing outside Beijing, better than the 32 it collected at the 2004 Athens Games. But there is a clear sense of disappointment back home. 
   
   The Communist Party's official Guangming Daily newspaper complained of unfair judging. Several papers cited the result in the men's gymnastics rings event, in which Chen Yibing settled for silver behind Brazil's Arthur Zanetti. 
   
   "We need to shout out loud: London Olympics, under the Olympic rings, please view all participants equally," the paper said. 
   
   In interviews with Chinese newspapers, the country's deputy sports minister, Cai Zhenhua, has also accused judges of discriminating against Chinese athletes. 
   
   "We need to solve the problem now or risk more judges adopting a biased view," Cai said. 
   
   Britain, meanwhile, is assured of finishing third in gold medals, benefiting from a home-country boost that has produced its best medal performance in more than a century _ 25 golds and 57 overall. 
   
   Not since the 1908 London Olympics has Britain racked up medals at this pace. Back then, only 22 nations showed up, compared with 204 today. 
   
   Britain, heavily promoting its athletes as Team GB, has excelled particularly in rowing and track cycling, thanks in large part to generous funding from the national lottery and the government-backed U.K. Sport body. U.K. Sport allocated $470 million for sports federations and athletes ahead of the London Games. 
   
   "GB cycling is a model of what can be done, and the rowing is phenomenal," Roush said. "It's been a combination of home-field advantage and U.K. Sport support." 
   
   Britain's rise has come at the expense of once-powerful Russia, which will finish out of the top three in golds for the first time since before the Soviet Union began competing at the Olympics. 
   
   In 1912, the Russian team had no golds and five total. The Soviet Union began competing at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Since then, the Soviet or Russian team has finished in the top three in golds every time _ until now. 
   
   The Russians had only 15 golds through Friday, compared with 23 in Beijing. They have won plenty of silver and bronze and are third in the overall count with 62, but that's not good enough for a country that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 
   
   "The Russians are rebuilding," Roush said. "The old Soviet system produced such strong talent and coaches, but the coaches and athletes are starting to retire." 
   
   Perhaps the biggest surprise has been South Korea. The country of 50 million people _ roughly the population of California, Washington and Oregon put together _ has charged into fourth place with 13 golds, asserting itself as an Asian power. 
   
   The South Koreans have invested heavily in Olympic sports, coaches and training and will do even more as they prepare to host the 2018 Winter Games in the city of Pyeongchang. 
   
   Japan has performed strongly, with 35 medals, but has failed to turn them into gold, picking up only five. 
   
   Australia and Germany have been among the biggest disappointments. The Australians had hoped to finish in the top five in both golds and total medals, but are lagging that pace with only seven and 31. Germany, which had a target of 28 golds and 86 medals, has only 10 golds and 42 total. 
   
   ___ 
   
   Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report. 
   
   ___ 
   
   Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap. ||||| The United States continued its surge up the Olympic medal rankings Friday with a record-breaking victory in the women's 4x100-meter relay. 
   
   Ethiopia's Meseret Defar holds up a picture to her face after she won gold in the women's 5000-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug.... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2004, file photo, Tyler Hamilton holds up his gold medal after the men's road individual time trial of the 2004 Olympic Games in the outskirts of Athens. The IOC is set to formally... (Associated Press) 
   
   United States' women's 4 x100-meter relay team members, from left, Carmelita Jeter, Bianca Knight, Tianna Madison and Allyson Felix, celebrate their gold medal win during the athletics in the Olympic... (Associated Press) 
   
   Ethiopia's Meseret Defar reacts as she crosses the finish line to win the 5000-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja... (Associated Press) 
   
   Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's 200-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt... (Associated Press) 
   
   Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba, right, and Ethiopia's Meseret Defar compete in a women's 5000-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012.... (Associated Press) 
   
   Turkey's Asli Cakir Alptekin celebrates her gold medal in the women's 1500-meter during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. Bulut won the silver... (Associated Press) 
   
   Venezuela's Omart Longart, left, and South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, center, wait for the batons during the men's 4x400-meter relay final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer... (Associated Press) 
   
   The crowd cheered wildly as Carmelita Jeter crossed the line as the clock marked 40.82 seconds _ well below East Germany's 41.37 record from 1985. Teammates Tianna Madison, 200-meter champion Allyson Felix and Bianca Knight gave the U.S. a big lead heading into the anchor leg by 100 silver medalist Jeter. 
   
   "I was already pointing at the clock, saying 'there it is!'" Jeter said after the race. "There was a cloud hanging over us with people saying 'they cannot do this, they are going to drop the stick,' but we did it." 
   
   Heading into the final weekend of the London Games, the U.S. tops both the gold and overall medals races after trailing the Chinese for most of it. 
   
   It was yet another remarkable night in the main Olympic stadium as double amputee Oscar Pistorius of South Africa ran his last race of these Olympics in the men's 4x400-meter final. The U.S. just missed that gold, however, which went to the Bahamas. Pistorius _ the first amputee runner in track and field to compete at the Olympics _ received the South African baton in last place and was last crossing the line. 
   
   The man known as "Blade Runner" because of his prosthetic carbon fiber blades came close to not running at all Friday after a Kenyan runner on Thursday knocked over South Africa's Ofentse Mogawane on the final bend in the second leg of the race. 
   
   But the judges later ruled that the Kenyan runner had cut across Mogawane, causing the collision, and advanced the South African team to the final anyway. 
   
   In other track finals, an Olympic record was set as France's Renaud Lavillenie won the pole vault gold medal with a games mark of 5.97 meters. 
   
   In the women's 5,000 meters, Meseret Defar beat fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba to win the gold. Defar, the 2004 Olympic champion, overtook Dibaba in the final stretch and took the gold medal in 15 minutes, 4.25 seconds. 
   
   Later, Asli Cakir Alptekin of Turkey also crossed the line ahead of her teammate Gamze Bulut to win the gold medal in women's 1,500-meters. European champion Alptekin, who served a two-year suspension for doping after the 2004 world junior championships, won the gold medal in 4 minutes, 10.23 seconds. 
   
   Russia's Tatyana Lysenko earned a gold in women's hammer throw. 
   
   Away from the track, the Netherlands had a 2-0 win over world champion Argentina to hold on to their women's Olympic field hockey title. In the bronze medal match, Britain won its first women's field hockey medal in 20 years with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand. 
   
   Earlier Friday, Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page of Australia held off their British rivals to win the men's 470 class, the country's third on the English Channel at Weymouth, ensuring that the Australians will finish with more sailing golds than Britain. 
   
   "I suppose I am an old man now," the 40-year-old Page said. "I have been campaigning in 470s for 15 years. To go out like this is incredible." 
   
   Sailing is just about the only place where Australia is excelling, particularly over the host country. After surprisingly winning just one gold medal in the swimming pool _ in a women's relay _ the games were an early disappointment for a team hoping to finish in the top five in the gold medal race. 
   
   They won't achieve that, but gold medals to 100-meter hurdler Sally Pearson and cyclist Anna Meares, along with the triple gold performance from its sailors in the past five days have taken some of the sting out of what has been an under-par games for Australia. 
   
   Most depressingly for Australia, its seven gold medals overall have been dwarfed by the 25 _ and counting _ won by their traditional and often bitter sporting rivals from Britain. 
   
   In a later race at Weymouth, Australia's trans-Tasman neighbor New Zealand won gold in the women's 470 class. Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie clinched the Kiwis' second sailing medal and fourth overall. 
   
   Maris Strombergs of Latvia won his second straight Olympic gold medal in BMX, taking the lead out of the starting gate and never relinquishing it. Strombergs won the inaugural competition at the Beijing Games, but has struggled with injuries the past of couple years. 
   
   Carlos Mario Oquendo Zabala made it a good afternoon for Colombia with his bronze. His teammate Mariana Pajon _ the flag bearer for Colombia in the opening ceremony _ won gold in the women's race earlier in the day. 
   
   Squel Stein of Brazil crashed heavily during the semifinals of the race and was carried off the course on a stretcher. 
   
   At a murky Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park, Ous Mellouli showed his versatility in the water, winning the 10-kilometer open water race less than a week after taking bronze in the 1,500 in the Aquatic Centre pool, the first swimmer to achieve that feat at the same Olympics. 
   
   It was the second gold of Mellouli's Olympic career, having won the 1,500 at the 2008 Beijing Games. 
   
   He overcame shoulder and elbow injuries before the games, plus a virus two days ago. Now, he's considering retirement. 
   
   "Only those close to me know how much I struggled to get here today," Mellouli said. "I don't think there's a better way to go out than this. I can just leave it all behind and have no regrets." 
   
   Russia won the synchronized swimming team final, giving the country its fourth consecutive gold medal in the event. China and Spain took the other podium spots, leaving Japan without a medal in synchro swimming for the first time since the sport was added to the Olympics in 1984. 
   
   ____ 
   
   AP sports writer Dennis Passa contributed to this story.
target: – One more for the gold, and seemingly nothing can prevent it. This US men's basketball team might not slow down until it's standing at the center of the medals platform again. Kevin Durant scored 19 points, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony added 18 apiece, and the US powered its way back to the gold-medal game by beating Argentina 109-83 today. The Americans play Spain on Sunday in the title game. Also today: The US scored a record-breaking victory in the women's 4x100-meter relay. The crowd cheered wildly as Carmelita Jeter crossed the line as the clock marked 40.82 seconds—well below East Germany's 41.37 record from 1985. Teammates Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, and Bianca Knight gave the US a big lead heading into the anchor leg. Olympic silver medalist Bryshon Nellum was picked to carry the US flag at Sunday's closing ceremony. With a surge of medals in track and field, the United States has sprinted ahead of China and is poised to finish atop the medals table—maybe with the most golds ever collected by the Americans on foreign soil. The US led China 94 to 81 in total medals and 41 to 37 in golds. It needs four more golds to tie the mark.