USA beats China for gold in Paris 2024 Olympics final event, tops medal table | Paris 2024 Olympic Games

In addition, it has changedAfter more than two weeks of intense competition in 32 sports involving more than 10,000 athletes, the United States finished the Paris Olympics atop the medal table once again, even though it needed to win the final event of the Games to do so.

The United States entered Sunday’s competition with 38 gold medals, one behind China’s 39, although it was the favorite to win women’s basketball, an event the U.S. has won at every Olympics since 1996. The U.S. also had chances to win gold in track cycling, wrestling and volleyball, while China could add to its tally in weightlifting.

Li Wenwen did her part for China, winning the gold in the women’s over-81kg weightlifting, while the US women’s volleyball team and wrestler Kennedy Blades had to settle for silver. But the US had a reigning Olympic champion, Jennifer Valenti, in the omnium, and she pulled away to leave the US one gold behind China heading into the final event of the Games, women’s basketball. Nobody was worried about the result, though: the US was riding a 60-game winning streak at the Olympics and seeking its eighth consecutive title. Then it beat France in the dying seconds of a thrilling match, leaving the US and China tied on 40 gold medals each, with the Americans moving into first place in total medals won, 126 to 91.

Japan finished third with 20 gold medals, the same position it held at Tokyo 2021. Australia, which had its best-ever medal tally, finished fourth with 18 golds. Host France finished fifth with 16 golds, its best result since topping the table in 1900, when Paris also hosted the Games.

The Games were mixed for Team GB, who finished seventh, their lowest finish since 2004. However, they may want to consult the medal table in the US media, where countries are usually ranked by total medals rather than gold. Under this method, Great Britain’s total of 65 medals is good for third place in the table. It is also one more medal than they won in Tokyo.

The United States is expected to top the medal table in four years’ time, when Los Angeles hosts the Games. Countries typically do well in the medal table when they host the Games on home soil, and the United States, which has traditionally dominated the Summer Olympics, will be particularly keen to make an impact. The Winter Olympics are a different story: the last time the United States topped the medal table was in 1932. Norway, with a population of less than 6 million, has been the top contender at the last two Winter Olympics.