U.S. PresidentBarack Obamaon Saturday paid tribute to the U.S. Olympians who are attending London Supper Summer Olympics and Paralympics for their hard work and sacrifice.

Taking a break from the busy campaigning for reelection, Obama said he has watched as many Olympic events as possible. "We could not be prouder of the men and women representing our country in London, in both the Olympics and in the Paralympics," he said in the weekly radio and Internet address.

Obama said he was "a little jealous" of his wife, First Lady Michelle, who led the American delegation to London for the opening ceremony for the London Summer Olympics on July 27.

He said that he has watched the Olympic contests on swimming, women's soccer, and the women's gymnastics in which the U.S. team recaptured the team gold. So far the U.S. tops the chart with a total of 24 gold medals, only one ahead of China.

"It's not the medal count alone that inspires us -- most of our athletes won't claim a medal at all. It's the character of the men and women who compete for those medals. It's their hard work and sacrifice ... It's their dogged perseverance and unyielding determination, through disappointment and triumph alike, " Obama said.

The president praised the American Olympians for displaying the "American spirit," which means "if we work hard, we can achieve our dreams."