The battle for gold medals between the United States and China concluded at the Paris Olympics, with both nations finishing with an impressive 40 golds each after 16 days of competition. However, the U.S. secured the overall medal count, totaling 126 medals, which included 40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze. China followed in second place with a total of 91 medals, comprised of 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze.
The competition for gold medals intensified in the final days, with the U.S. trailing by one gold as they entered the last day of events (38 to 39). On the final Sunday, China took an early lead with Li Wenwen winning gold in the women’s +81kg weightlifting category. But the U.S. quickly responded, with Jennifer Valente successfully defending her title in the women’s omnium cycling event.
With the U.S. down by one gold, the fate of the gold medal tally rested on the outcome of the women’s basketball final, where the U.S. team triumphed in a nail-biting match, defeating their opponent 67-66 and securing their record eighth consecutive gold medal in this category. Traditionally, the women’s basketball gold medals are awarded at the end of the Summer Olympics.
Overall, on the final day, the United States garnered five medals: gold in women’s basketball, gold in women’s omnium cycling, silver in women’s freestyle wrestling (76kg), a silver in women’s volleyball, and a bronze in men’s water polo. However, the U.S. saw its bronze count reduced by one after the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique and the IOC decided to award Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal from the women’s floor final to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu following a ruling by an international arbitration court.
In Tokyo three years prior, the United States had topped the gold medal standings by eclipsing China 39 to 38, completing their Olympics with a total of 113 medals. The U.S. had a stronger performance in Rio 2016, achieving 46 golds compared to Great Britain’s 27 and China’s 26.
The total of 126 medals secured by Team USA in Paris marks the third highest in its Olympic history, trailing only behind the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where they amassed 174 medals. This strong performance bodes well for the U.S. team’s prospects as they look ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The final medal tally for the 2024 Paris Olympics was as follows:
Gold – Basketball – Women’s
Gold – Cycling Track – Women’s Omnium: Jennifer Valente
Silver – Wrestling – Women’s Freestyle 76kg: Alexis Kennedy Blades
Silver – Volleyball – Women’s
Bronze – Water Polo – Men’s