France may have lost out on the 2012 Olympics to Britain, but the country's top athletes are winning at the medal table.

Seven years after London beat out Paris for these summer games, France has surged to fourth in the medal count after Thursday's events. France has won six golds and 16 overall medals. Britain has five golds and 15 medals.

The French have used success in the pool as a springboard. Three of their six golds have come in swimming.

"We're very proud because these athletes have also sent the message that French sport is high-performing and that France knows how to win," said Christian Donze, technical director of France's swimming federation.

The momentum could continue on Friday when France's five-time world champion Teddy Riner is favored in judo's heavyweight class.

— Graham Dunbar — Twitter http://twitter.com/gdunbarap

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EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.