USA edges above China in final Olympics medals table after women’s basketball gold as Paris Games officially draws to a close
The United States tops the medal table at the Paris Olympics with 40 gold medals after the overall victory was decided on Sunday. Only China finished above them with 44 silver medals.
China, the last team besides the US to top the rankings when they did so on home soil at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also won 40 golds but only 27 silvers.
The Americans also won 42 bronze medals, while China won 24.
The U.S. women’s basketball team secured their country’s dominance by beating host nation France in a breathtaking finish to win the final gold of the Games. The U.S. also won the most medals with 126, compared to China’s 91.
France won 16 golds to finish fifth in the rankings and their total of 64 medals was their best in more than a century. The host nation finished fourth in total medals.
The United States finished atop the overall medal table at the end of the Olympic Games in Paris
Great Britain finished in third place with 14 gold, 22 silver and 29 bronze medals, for a total of 65 medals.
Japan managed to win 20 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze medals, placing them sixth with a total of 45 medals.
Australia put in an impressive performance and will bring down 18 gold medals, while they also collected 19 silver and 16 bronze medals to finish fifth with 53.
The top 10 consisted of 34 medals (15 gold, 7 silver, 12 bronze) for the Netherlands, 33 (12, 13, 8) for Germany and 32 (13, 9, 20) for South Korea.
The American stars shine in Paris, where Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles and Rai Benjamin won gold in their respective disciplines.
The women’s basketball team closed out the show with a narrow victory over France on Sunday
LeBron James won the MVP award after the men’s basketball team defeated the host country for gold
Simone Biles won three gold medals and one silver medal in various gymnastics events
Swimmer Katie Ledecky was a key contributor to the United States’ 40 gold medals in Paris
Furthermore, the men’s basketball team, featuring LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the NBA’s best players, provided a preview for their female counterparts, beating France in the final 98-87.
A’ja Wilson and co. closed the show by defeating a resilient French team in a four-quarter battle 67-66.
The Americans won their eighth consecutive gold in women’s basketball thanks to Wilson’s 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.
“The dynasty we’ve built here at USAB is unbelievable. I’m so proud and blessed to be a part of it, but God was at work today,” Wilson said after the game. “I’m so proud of the resilience my team showed, we could have blown it a few times, but we pulled it off.”