The rivalry for the most gold medals at the Paris Olympics concluded in a tie between China and the United States, each earning 40 gold medals. Despite this, the United States led the overall medals table with an impressive total of 126, compared to China’s 91 medals. Leading up to the Paris Games, a virtual medal-table forecast by Nielsen’s Gracenote predicted the top five countries in overall medals to be the U.S. (112), China (86), Britain (63), France (60), and Australia (54).
Actual results saw the United States and China surpassing their predicted medal counts, with Japan unexpectedly securing third place with 20 golds out of 45 total medals. Australia, propelled by skateboard star Keegan Palmer, claimed fourth place with 18 golds out of 53 medals, while France settled for fifth place with 16 golds amongst their 64 total medals. Britain garnered more medals than in Tokyo but fell to seventh place overall behind the Netherlands.
China dominated the diving events, clinching all eight gold medals at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. The country also excelled in shooting, table tennis, and weightlifting, securing a total of 15 gold medals across these disciplines. On the other hand, the U.S. showcased its prowess on the track with standout performances by athletes like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles, and Gabrielle Thomas. Gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky were instrumental in securing eight gold medals for the American contingent.
France exceeded expectations by finishing with one more gold medal than their Atlanta performance in 1996. Notable achievements included rugby sevens gold led by Antoine Dupont and a standout performance by judo star Teddy Riner, who contributed to France’s impressive tally of 10 medals in judo. However, the French men’s handball team failed to medal, while their track and field team clinched only one late medal with Cyrena Samba-Mayela securing silver in the women’s 110 hurdles.
Other standout performances included Germany’s success in equestrian events, Canada’s nine gold medals highlighted by Summer McIntosh in swimming, and Novak Djokovic’s emotional gold medal win for Serbia in tennis. Algeria’s Imane Khelif and India’s Manu Bhaker also made history by securing gold and multiple medals, respectively, at the Paris Olympics.
