Of 205 countries that took part in the London Olympics that ended Sunday , 79 won at least one medal. The U.S. reclaimed top spot with a total of 104 (46 gold, 29 silver and 29 bronze), and China, which topped the medals table in Beijing four years ago, came second with 88 (38 gold).

Almost half or 37 of the 79 were from Europe. Host U.K. ranked third, and Russia, Germany, France and Italy made it into top 10 in the total medal tally.

AFP described the two Koreas and China as a "big winners in London." China is established itself as one of the world's top two sports powerhouses along with the U.S., and South Korea was the only other Asian country in the top 10, distinguishing itself in archery (three gold, one silver), shooting (three gold, two silver), fencing (two gold, one silver, three bronze), and judo (two gold, one bronze). It ranked fifth in terms of gold medals with 13 and ninth in terms of the total number of medals (28).

Meanwhile, North Korea achieved the best results in two decades, ranking 20th with four gold medals in weight lifting and judo.