Ryan Lochte won the first gold medal for the United States in the 2012 London Olympics, dominating the 400 meter Individual Medley finals with a time of 4:05.18. That was more than three seconds ahead of Brazil's Thiago Pereira, who took the silver in at 4:08.86
The Canandaigua, NY native was considered the heavy favorite in today's final after winning every major championship in the event since 2009 World Championships. The United States Olympic trials in the 400m IM were one of the more anticipated races leading up to the Olympics, with Lochte easily dispatching Phelps by .89 of a second earlier this year.
Michael Phelps, the two-time defending gold medalist in the event, finished just out of the medal stand in fourth place (4:09.28) after he was the last to qualify in the preliminaries earlier on Saturday. Kosuke Hagino of Japan took the bronze (4:08.94).
For a complete medal breakdown, visit Sports Illustrated's Medal Tracker.
Stick with this StoryStream for more updates on local athletes at the 2012 Olympics. For full coverage of the London Games, head over to SB Nation's Olympics hub.