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Summer Olympics 2012 Recap: Team USA Adds 5 Medals On Day 1 Of Games

Day one of the 2012 London Summer Games came and went on Saturday, as Team USA kicked things off rather nicely with five total medals to take third place overall. The Americans picked up their first gold of the event from Ryan Lochte in the men's swimming 400 meter individual medley, as fan favorite Michael Phelps, the world record holder in the 400m, finished fourth.

The men's archery team fell to Italy in the finals to walk away with a silver, while 400 meter individual medley women's swimmer Elizabeth Beisel followed Lochte's lead and also put forth a strong effort en route to her own silver medal. The women's 4x100 freestyle relay team of Natalie Coughlin, Lia Neal, Allison Schmitt, Missy Franklin and Jessica Hardy also took bronze, marking the 12th career medal in Coughlin's illustrious Olympic career.

Team USA's final bronze medal was earned by Peter Vanderkaay in the 400 meter freestyle event, which helped to cap off a strong opening day for American swimmers. In addition to the medalists, Team USA's women's soccer squad also took the field on Saturday for a key 3-0 victory over Columbia.

For a full listing of Saturday's events, go here. For a complete tally of the medals acquired by each country, use SI.com's Medal Tracker.

For more coverage of local athletes at the 2012 Olympics, stay with this StoryStream. For more coverage of the London Games, head over to SB Nation's Olympic hub.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.