How did Canada do in London?

How well did Canada's athletes do at the London 2012 Games? Well, it depends on how you measure success.

Gymnasts Karen Cockburn, left, and gold medallist Rosie MacLennan, ride on the shoulders of Canadian teammates during Sunday's closing ceremony in London. (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)Canada won the same number of medals, 18, that it won in Beijing in 2008. But the distribution of those medals is quite different.

Canadian Olympians won three gold medals, nine silver and six bronze at the Beijing Games. In London, it was one gold, five silver and 12 bronze.

The last time Canada won fewer than three gold medals at a Summer Olympics was Montreal, when the host team didn't win any of the events.

By total medals, Canada placed thirteenth in the world, just shy of the Own the Podium campaign's goal of a top 12 finish. By number of gold medals, though, Canada finished 36th.

Neither of these ranking systems is entirely satisfying, though. One counts bronze and silver medals as equal to gold, while the other gives them barely any value at all.

For decades sports journalists have ranked countries by assigning points to the different medals. The Guardian has listed countries by giving three points for a gold medal, two for silver and one for bronze. On that list, Canada sits in the 19th spot.

How do you think Canada did at the London Games? Were these Olympics successful for Canadian athletes? Let us know what you think.



(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)