U.S. Dominates Medal Count at the Paris Olympics
As the curtain falls on the Paris Olympics, the United States has emerged as the leader in the total medal count, finishing tied with China for the most gold medals. Entering the final day of competition, China held a narrow lead over the U.S. However, this lead was neutralized as the Americans secured gold medals in critical events, including Jennifer Valente’s victory in women’s cycling and a thrilling win over France in the women’s basketball final.
Both the U.S. and China concluded the Games with an impressive tally of 40 gold medals each—marking a historic first where two nations have tied in gold medal totals at the Summer Games. Notably, the last instance of a tie occurred during the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz, where Norway and Sweden both claimed four golds.
In terms of overall performance, Team USA led the medal standings with a grand total of 126 medals, while China secured second place with 91 medals. Other nations in the top five include Great Britain (65), host nation France (64), and Australia (53). This count marks the third-highest Olympic medal total for the United States and the largest since the 1984 Summer Games held in Los Angeles.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States of America | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 |
| People’s Republic of China | 40 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
| Great Britain | 14 | 22 | 29 | 65 |
| France | 16 | 26 | 22 | 64 |
| Australia | 18 | 19 | 16 | 53 |
| Japan | 20 | 12 | 13 | 45 |
| Italy | 12 | 13 | 15 | 40 |
| Netherlands | 15 | 7 | 12 | 34 |
| Germany | 12 | 13 | 8 | 33 |
| Republic of Korea | 13 | 9 | 10 | 32 |
You can see the full medal count here.
Required Reading
- Paris Olympics 2024 live updates: The latest on the final day of the Games
- Can America keep winning the Olympics? The key is in the future of college sports
- Team USA wins nail-biter vs. France to secure 8th consecutive gold in women’s basketball
- Bob Costas, Al Michaels make guest appearances on NBC’s Olympic coverage at Paris Games
- Team USA’s closing ceremony racing outfits, critiqued by a firesuit design expert
(Photo of the U.S. women’s national team’s Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith: Tnani Badreddine / DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
