Topline
China and the U.S. tied for the most gold medals at the Paris Olympics with the contest coming right down to one of the final events, the women’s basketball gold medal match, which was won in a nail-biter by the U.S.
USA’s A’ja Wilson shoots in the women’s Gold Medal basketball match between France and the USA … [+]
Key Facts
The U.S. tied with 40 gold medals but finished with far more total medals (126), including 34 in athletics (which includes track and field events) and 28 in swimming.
China ended the Paris Olympics with 40 gold medals and 91 total medals, 12 won in swimming, 11 in diving, 10 from shooting and nine from artistic gymnastics.
China’s most dominant sport in terms of gold medals was diving, in which it won eight gold medals, while the U.S. dominated in athletics, winning 14 golds.
Japan had the third highest count of gold medals with 20, followed by Australia with 18 and France with 16, as of 11 a.m. EDT.
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Does Most Of The World Rank Countries By Gold Medals Or Total Medals?
While U.S. media like NBC and The New York Times tend to rank countries by total medal count, the rest of the world largely ranks by total gold medals—and many criticize the U.S. for its method that heavily favors itself. Earlier this Olympics, The New York Times was mocked on social media and in at least one foreign news outlet for having the U.S. at the top of its medal count early on, despite other countries having more gold. Though the official Olympic website automatically sorts by highest gold medals, the International Olympic Committee does not formally rank countries by any medal count and previously said it will not weigh in on which way is preferred.
Surprising Fact
The last time the U.S. did not win the most gold medals was 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, when home country China took home 48 golds, beating the U.S.’s count of 36. The total medal count was closer that year, as well, with the U.S. winning 112 total and China winning 100.
Big Number
83. That’s how many gold medals the U.S. won in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, setting the record for the most gold medals a country has ever won in one Olympics, though it was during a boycott by the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc countries.
Tangent
To secure its 40th gold medal and tie China, the U.S. had to beat France in women’s basketball. The game, which saw the teams tied at the half but the U.S. ultimately win 67-66, was closer than many expected from the dominant U.S. women’s team, which won its eighth straight gold medal.
Chief Critic
Some are likely to blame the U.S. not winning the overall gold count on the country’s underwhelming performance in the pool. Just eight of the U.S.’s 28 swimming medals were gold, while 13 were silver and seven were bronze. Of the eight gold medals, just two were from the men and just one of those was an individual gold. The last time the U.S. men won just one individual swimming medal was in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics, USA Today reported, and before that it was in 1932 in Los Angeles. Despite the overall less-than-anticipated performance, the U.S. still won more gold medals in the pool than any other country, beating Australia 8-7, and Katie Ledecky made history in the pool, winning two more golds and becoming the second most decorated U.S. Olympian of all time.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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