Australia's lucky gold streak

The gold drought has been finally broken after the nation claimed four of the sought after medals in less than 48 hours at the London Games.

The Olympic-style gold rush began with sailor Tom Slingsby after he proved his nautical expertise in the sailing regatta on August 7 to bring home gold.

The 27-year-old from the New South Wales central coast secured his victory in Weymouth Bay, cheered on by thousands of fans, including hundreds of Australians eager to see some gold at last.

"Words just can't describe how I feel right now," the athlete said after his victory.

Following on from Slingsby's win, 49er skiff sailors Iain Jensen and Nathan Outteridge proved their skills to enjoy golden success in the men's class regatta.

Basking in their triumphant glory, Jensen and Outteridge said the Kiwis put up a good fight in the close race - finishing with silver.

"To get two golds on the same day - it's amazing," Outteridge said of Australia's medal streak.

And continuing with the trend, Sally Pearson jumped hurdles to bring in the country's third gold in less than 24 hours.

Picked as the favourite to win, Pearson was undoubtedly under a considerable amount of pressure to bring home the coveted medal in the women's 100 meter hurdles race.

And the 25-year-old didn't disappoint. Pearson won the race in a nail-biting photo finish, which had to be referred to officials to decide the winner.

The Australian beat her American rival Dawn Harper by two hundredths of a second.

Collapsing in tears, Pearson's triumphant win was an emotional one, felt by Australians around the globe.

"Thank you," she repeated after being announced the winner.

"This is everything and more than I've ever….I feel like I'm walking on a cloud."

Pearson said she drew on the support of her countrymen to help her realise her dream.

"I think of it as support, not pressure," she explained.

"People want me to win. I want to win. That's support."

Anna Meares also claimed another gold for Australia in the women's sprint at the velodrome - beating Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton. 

The four gold medals have propelled Australia to number 11 on the official medal tally, with five gold, 12 silver and nine bronze medals - outstripping our Kiwi rivals at long last.

New Zealand so far have claimed three gold, two silver and five bronze, with the rugby-adoring nation in 17th spot.