After more than two weeks of intense competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the United States once again claimed the top spot on the medal table, edging past China in a thrilling finale. The Games, featuring over 10,000 athletes across 32 sports, concluded with the U.S. achieving victory in the final event to secure their position.

As the final day of the Olympics began, the U.S. had accumulated 38 gold medals, trailing behind China’s 39. However, the American team was optimistic about their prospects in women's basketball, a discipline they have dominated since 1996. The U.S. also had opportunities in track cycling, wrestling, and volleyball, while China eyed further success in weightlifting.

China's Li Wenwen clinched gold in the women's +81kg weightlifting category, while the USA’s women’s volleyball team and wrestler Kennedy Blades each earned silver medals. Jennifer Valente, the reigning Olympic champion, secured gold in track cycling's omnium, bringing the U.S. within one gold of China. The closing event, women's basketball, held high stakes but little suspense for the Americans, who boasted a 60-game Olympic winning streak. In a nail-biting finale, the U.S. defeated France, drawing level with China at 40 gold medals each but surpassing them with a greater count of silver medals, 44 to 27.

Japan secured third place with 20 gold medals, mirroring their performance at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Australia celebrated their best-ever medal haul, finishing fourth with 18 golds, while host nation France achieved 16 golds, marking their finest result since the 1900 Paris Games.

The Games presented mixed outcomes for Team Great Britain, which finished seventh, its lowest rank since 2004. Nevertheless, the British team might find solace in the American media's alternative medal ranking, which considers total medals rather than gold. By this measure, Great Britain’s 65 medals place them third overall, surpassing their count from Tokyo.

Final Medal Count:

USA: 40 golds (126 total medals)
China: 40 golds (91 total medals)
Japan: 20 golds
Australia: 18 golds
France: 16 golds
Netherlands: 15 golds
Great Britain: 14 golds
The Paris 2024 Olympics concluded with an unforgettable demonstration of athletic prowess and national pride, as the U.S. narrowly surpassed China to emerge victorious in a spectacular show of competition and sportsmanship.