USA narrowly ahead again

China not first after all! Turnaround in the medals table

LeBron James and Anthony Davis thrilled the basketball fans(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Not China after all! The USA just managed to retain its status as the most successful summer nation at the Olympic Games. Only thanks to its success in the women's basketball final, the last decision of Paris 2024, is the US team number one in the medal table for the fourth time in a row.

Like the USA, China has won 40 gold medals, but US athletes have also won 44 silver and 42 bronze medals, while China has 27 silver and 24 bronze.

China went into the final day as the leading nation with 39:38 gold medals and pulled away to 40:38. However, the last two chances to win an Olympic medal brought the USA two more gold medals through Jennifer Valente in the omnium track cycling and the women's basketball team, who defeated France 67-66 in the final.

Zheng Qinwen won the Olympic tennis tournament.(Bild: Associated Press)

It is a parallel to Tokyo 2021, when China was also still in the lead on the final day before the US women's basketball and volleyball teams and Valente in the omnium catapulted the USA into first place with 39-38 gold medals. The last time the USA was not number one in the medal tally was at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, when hosts China were clearly ahead with 48 to 36 gold medals.

Third place in Paris went to Japan (20-12-13), as at the home Games three years ago. Behind Australia (18-19-16), France was the best European country in fifth place. With 16 gold, 26 silver and 22 bronze medals, the home games brought France's athletes a historic success and the biggest haul since the two world wars. France thus surpassed the 15 gold medals won in Atlanta 1996.

Host nation France strong as a bear
The last time the "Grande Nation" collected more than this year was 124 years ago. In 1900, also in Paris, there were 102 medals, including 27 golds - albeit under completely different conditions, as only French athletes competed in numerous sports.

Austria finished the Paris Games in 36th place in the medal table with two gold and three bronze medals, making the 2024 Summer Games the sixth best in ÖOC history.