The gold medal race between the United States and China came down to the final event of the Paris Olympics. And after 16 days of competition, the U.S. and China will share the title for most golds in 2024.
The United States and China will both end the Paris Olympics with 40 gold medals each. The U.S. won the total medal count with 126 (40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze). China came in second in the total medal race with 91 (40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze).
The U.S. has been battling with China for the lead in gold medals at the Paris Olympics over the last several days. The U.S. entered the final day of competition one gold medal behind China (38 to 39).
China was able to take an early gold medal on Sunday as Li Wenwen won the top medal in women’s +81kg weightlifting. The United States followed up with a gold of its own as Jennifer Valente defended her women’s omnium title in cycling track.
With the United States down by one gold medal to China, it would all come down to the women’s basketball final and a chance to tie China for the most gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
In a really close game throughout, the U.S. women’s basketball team was able to fight through to a 67-66 win and a gold medal, the team’s record eighth straight. The medals at the women’s basketball game are regularly the final ones awarded at each Summer Olympics.
The United States won a total of five medals on Sunday, including the gold in women’s basketball, a gold in women’s omnium (cycling track), a silver in women’s freestyle 76kg (wrestling), a team silver in women’s volleyball, and a bronze in men’s water polo.
The United States’ bronze total decreased by one on Sunday after the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique and the IOC announced Jordan Chiles’ medal in the women’s floor final would go to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu after a ruling by an international arbitration court.
In Tokyo three years ago, the United States came out on top in the gold medal race, besting China 39 to 38 gold. The U.S. had a total 113 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The U.S. was more dominant in Rio in 2016, when it had 46 gold medals to Great Britain’s 27 and China’s 26.
The USA’s Paris total of 126 medals was the third highest total for the United States and the most the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, when the U.S. won 174 medals. A good sign heading into 2028 in Los Angeles?
What was the final medal count for the 2024 Olympics in Paris?
What medals did the USA win on Day 16?
- 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
