Final Countdown: USA Takes Top Spot on the Olympics 2024 Medals Table
As the Paris Olympics 2024 wound to a close today, the United States Olympic team had to come from behind to claim the top spot on the Olympics 2024 medals table with a total of 126 medals made up of 40 gold, 44 silver and 42 bronze medals. Up till late afternoon on the last of the games, Sunday August 11th, China was leading with 40 gold medals. But the victory of the US Women basketball team over their French counterparts gave the United States their much coveted overall lead in the games, though tying on gold medals with China who also finished the games with a total of 40 gold medals.
China is placed second on the Olympics 2024 medals table with a total of 91 medals made up of 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals. Though China could be said to come second on the Olympics 2024 medals table, they performed better than the United States when the competition is placed on the number of athletes and game events that each country fielded athletes.
Top Spots on The Olympics 2024 Medals Table
The United States had a total of 594 Athletes while China had a total of 388; that is, 206 less than the US contingent. China competed in all sports except football and handball. The United States competed in all sports at the Paris Olympics 2024. Thus, with a lower number of Athletes and lesser number of events, China pulled the same number of gold as the United States and on the average winning a gold medal for every 2 medals won while the United States got a gold medal for every 3 games, a better performance from the Chinese Athletes. Overall, on a total medals to Athletes ratio basis, China also had a better Olympics performance with 23.45% success rate as against the United States’ 21.21% success rate.
Japan placed third on the Olympics 2024 medals table with a total of 45 medals made up of 20 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze medals. Australia came third with a total 53 medals made up of 18 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze medals, The host country, France, is placed fifth on the Olympics 2024 medals table with a total of 64 medals made up of 16 gold, 26 silver and 22 bronze medals.
Nigeria was a total disappointment as the country went from bad to the very worst. With a contingent of 85 Athletes, the country could not even win a single medal, not even a rustic one, no matter how bad. The team will be coming back home completely empty handed. The Paris Olympics 2024 is thus Nigeria’s worst Olympics outing since the 2016 Olympic games. The country won medals in the 2016 and 2020 games but now in 2024, it is ZERO medals.
The Race for the Top Spot on the Olympics 2024 Medals Table
The competition for the highest number of gold medals by nation at the 2024 Paris Olympics culminated in the final event of the Games. The United States secured a narrow victory over France, winning 67-66 in women’s basketball, which resulted in a tie with China, each country claiming 40 gold medals.
Both nations were closely matched as they entered Sunday’s events. China initially extended its lead on Saturday, showcasing a strong performance in the diving competitions, but the United States managed to narrow the gap later in the day by securing multiple gold medals in team and relay events. The Americans triumphed in both the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relays, in addition to winning gold in men’s basketball and women’s soccer.
China achieved its 40th and final gold medal on Sunday in women’s weightlifting. The United States faced setbacks in women’s volleyball and wrestling but celebrated its 39th gold through Jennifer Valente in women’s cycling. This set the stage for Team USA, which overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to clinch its eighth consecutive gold in women’s basketball.
First Time a Tie on the Olympics Medals Table
The Paris Olympics 2024 will go down in history as the first time in Olympics history that there is a tie on the most gold medals by countries. For the Paris Olympics 2024, it is the first time there has ever been a tie for most gold medals at the Summer Olympics with the United States and People Republic of China tied at 40 gold medals each on the Olympics 2024 Medals Table
For the United States team, their success extended well beyond the top tier of the podium and on the Olympics 2024 Medals Table. The total tally of 126 medals achieved by the US Olympics team is the most for the Americans in the Summer Olympics since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. And now, the next Summer Olympics is scheduled to hold in Los Angeles, USA, in 2028, in four years time.
