The gold medal competition between the United States and China concluded in a dramatic fashion at the Paris Olympics, with both nations finishing with 40 gold medals each after 16 days of events.
While both countries claimed the top spot in golds, the U.S. led in the overall medal tally, achieving a total of 126 medals (40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze), while China secured a total of 91 medals (40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze).
The race for gold medals intensified as the final day approached. The U.S. started the last day trailing China, with 38 golds compared to China’s 39.
On the final day, China struck early, with Li Wenwen winning gold in the women’s +81kg weightlifting. The U.S. quickly followed suit when Jennifer Valente defended her title in the women’s omnium cycling event.
The decisive moment came down to the women’s basketball final, where the U.S. women’s basketball team faced off with a chance to tie China in golds. In a tightly contested match, the U.S. emerged victorious with a narrow 67-66 win, earning their eighth consecutive gold medal in this event.
On the last day, the United States amassed five medals, including the gold in women’s basketball and women’s omnium, a silver in women’s freestyle wrestling at 76kg, another silver in women’s volleyball, and a bronze in men’s water polo.
The U.S. did experience a slight decrease in their bronze medal count after an international ruling transferred Jordan Chiles’ bronze in the women’s floor final to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.
In the previous Tokyo Olympics held three years ago, the United States led the gold medal race, finishing with 39 golds, narrowly surpassing China. The U.S. had a total of 113 medals at those games. The U.S. performed even better in the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning 46 golds, compared to Great Britain’s 27 and China’s 26.
Overall, this year’s count of 126 medals marks one of the highest totals for the U.S., surpassed only by their record of 174 medals at the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles. This performance bodes well for the upcoming 2028 games in Los Angeles.
In summary, the USA’s final medal haul for the 2024 Paris Olympics included:
Gold – Women’s Basketball
Gold – Women’s Omnium (Cycling Track): Jennifer Valente
Silver – Women’s Freestyle 76kg (Wrestling): Alexis Kennedy Blades
Silver – Women’s Volleyball
Bronze – Men’s Water Polo