LONDON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Highlights from Thursday's action at the Olympics:
-- The Olympic records for gold and total medals owned by Michael Phelps grew with his victory in the 200-meter individual medley. Phelps has 16 gold medals and 20 overall. The victory was particularly significant for him since he became the first swimmer in history to win the same event in three consecutive Olympics.
-- It was a big night overall in the pool for the Americans, who won three gold medals and five in total. Rebecca Soni set her second world record in as many days while earning gold in the 200-meter breaststroke. She also won that event in Beijing. And Tyler Clary upset Ryan Lochte to win the 200-meter backstroke. Lochte finished third in that race and, a half hour later, finished second to Phelps in the individual medley.
-- China had an off day by its standards, winning one gold medal and four overall. The Chinese have 18 golds to this point in the Games, the same number as the Americans, and 34 total, three fewer than the number posted by the United States.
-- As the action was coming to a close Thursday, the U.S. men's basketball team was just warming up. The Americans defeated Nigeria by an incredible 156-73 in the highest scoring game in Olympic basketball history. Carmelo Anthony made 10 3-pointers and scored 37 points. The United States made 30 of its 37 shots from 2-point range.
-- Officiating has played a big role in recent days, with the biggest decision being the expulsion of eight women from the badminton tournament. A boxing referee was sent home Thursday because he failed to stop a bout in which a fighter from Azerbaijan was knocked down six times by his Japanese opponent. The boxer from Japan was declared the winner, but the decision came 24 hours after the fact.
-- Officials also made a difficult decision in the women's cycling team sprint race, where China appeared to have defeated Germany. There are strict rules about when one member of a team can pass another so as to change who is creating the slipstream in the high-speed race. China did not adhere to those rules and its gold medal was changed to silver with Germany being declared the winner.
-- The Americans won six gold medals overall Thursday, including their first ever in judo (by Kayla Harrison), the third in the row in women's all-around gymnastics (by Gabby Douglas) and one in rowing by a crew that has not lost internationally in seven years (the women's eights).
-- Chris Hoy won the fifth gold medal of his cycling career for Britain in the men's team sprint, but twin brothers Pavel and Peter Hochschorner of Slovakia were unable to win their fourth consecutive title in the canoe slalom race. They had to settle for a bronze.
