Continuing a trend of dominance, US claimed victory at the leaderboard of the Paris Olympic games once again. This feat was achieved amongst more than 10,000 athletes participating in 32 different sports over a fortnight of intense competition. The decisive triumph came with the concluding event of the Games.
Going into the final Sunday, the US was trailing just one gold medal behind China, with 38 to their 39. The US, however, had strong prospects in the women’s basketball finale, having already grabbed the title in every Olympic Games since 1996. Additionally, the US anticipated potential victories in events like track cycling, wrestling and volleyball. China, on the other hand, had opportunities of extensions in its medal tally through weightlifting.
China’s Li Wenwen accomplished her part, earning a gold in female heavy-weight category, +81kg, as the Americans had to make do with silver medals in both women’s volleyball and wrestling, earned by their team and Kennedy Blades respectively. In cycling, the reigning Olympic champion from the US, Jennifer Valente, did not disappoint her nation in the Omnium. She struck gold, reducing the deficit to just one gold medal behind China, the final event, women’s basketball, yet to unfold.
As the decisive moment came closer, the American contingent remained confident due to their impressive 60-game winning sequence in the Olympics, striving for their seventh sequential title. An exciting match ending in the final moments against France resulted in the US levelling the 40 golds tally with China. However, a greater total count of 126 medals against China’s 91 ensured the US stood atop.
Securing the third spot after the thrilling US-China contest was Japan with a total of 20 golds, a position it retained from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Australia celebrated a record medal haul, clinching the fourth spot with 18 golds. The host nation, France, ended well in the fifth position boasting 16 golds, which was their best achievement since winning in 1900, remarkably, also in Paris.
Ireland managed to set a new record in their history by securing four golds and consequently standing on the 19th rank in the medal tally, a significant improvement from the 64th position they held 24 years ago in Sydney. The accomplishment places Ireland amongst only three nations with a population less than six million, including New Zealand and Norway, to rank within the top 20. When examining the number of golds relative to the population size, Ireland is positioned sixth, following Dominica, Saint Lucia, and New Zealand.
Team GB experienced fluctuating fortunes, ending the Games at their lowest standing of seventh since 2004. Despite this, the total medal count for Britain stood at a commendable 65, achieving the third-highest overall medal accumulation, and surpassing their haul from Tokyo by one medal.
Looking towards the future Games in four years, slated to be hosted by Los Angeles, all eyes will be on the US to head the medal table. The track record of nations performing well when playing host, coupled with America’s historical dominance in the Summer Olympics, drives the anticipation for the US to leave a significant imprint come the next games. – Guardian