The gold medal race between the United States and China came down to the wire, culminating in an electrifying final event at the Paris Olympics. After an intense 16 days of pure athletic spectacle, the U.S. and China ended in a thrilling tie, each with 40 gold medals. Yes, you heard that right – both countries snagged the top spot for the most golds in 2024!
But wait, there’s more. While the battle for gold was a nail-biter, the United States clinched the total medal count with an impressive 126 medals, leaving China trailing with 91.
That’s 40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze for Team USA. And China? They took home 27 silver and 24 bronze medals alongside their 40 golds.
Picture this: The U.S. was just one gold medal shy of China’s count as they headed into the final day of competition (that’s 38 to 39, in case you were doing the math). Tension was palpable, my friends.
So, what went down? Let’s dig in.
China swiftly snagged an early gold on Sunday, courtesy of Li Wenwen’s fabulous performance in women’s +81kg weightlifting. Not one to be left behind, the U.S. countered with Jennifer Valente, who defended her women’s omnium title in cycling track. Oh, you thought she wouldn’t? Who are you kidding?
Now, with Team USA down by one glittering gold, it all boiled down to the women’s basketball final. Could they tie China for the most golds? Spoiler alert: They did. The U.S. women’s basketball team clinched a heart-stopping 67-66 victory, securing not just their eighth straight gold but also ensuring a shining tie for gold medals in Paris. That’s what you call clutch.
Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
The drama wasn’t just in the golds, folks. Sunday saw Team USA capture five medals in total, including those golds in women’s basketball and women’s omnium, a silver in women’s freestyle 76kg wrestling, a team silver in women’s volleyball, and a bronze in men’s water polo. Talk about a medal haul!
However, not every story has a perfect punchline…
The United States’ bronze total dipped by one on Sunday due to a twist in the plot. The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique and the IOC awarded Jordan Chiles’ women’s floor bronze to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu after an arbitration court ruling. You win some, you lose some, I guess.
Flashback to Tokyo three years ago: The U.S. managed to edge out China in the gold medal race with a 39 to 38 gold count, along with 113 total medals. And stepping back another three years to Rio 2016? The U.S. dominated with a whopping 46 golds, leaving Great Britain’s 27 and China’s 26 far in the dust.
Looking at the bigger picture, the USA’s Paris 2024 haul of 126 medals is their third-highest total ever and the most since the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where they bagged 174 medals. Seems like a good omen for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, don’t you think?
