Abilene's Paige McPherson added to the United States' growing lead in the overall medal race on Friday, as the 21-year-old took home the bronze medal in taekwondo with an 8-3 victory over Slovenia's Franca Anic. After the match was tied 3-all following the first period, McPherson scored five unanswered points in the final two periods in a dominant closing performance.

Earlier in the day McPherson beat Andrea St. Bernard of Grenada to reach the bronze medal match with a crushing 15-2 win. McPherson lost her opener to Nur Tatar of Turkey 6-1, sending her to the bronze qualification.

McPherson scored a notable victory in her first match Thursday, eliminating the defending world champion, Great Britain's Sarah Stevenson, who won bronze in the 2008 games.

For a complete breakdown of the current medal count by country, visit Sports Illustrated's medal count tracker.

For the latest on the 2012 Olympic Games, check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub.