At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the United States blew every other country out of the water by winning a total of 126 gold, silver, and bronze medals. It wasn’t particularly a surprise, especially since Russia did not compete this year, being under international sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.
Going into the Games, the Los Angeles Times made some predictions about who would win some of the key competitions. We’re bringing you an update on which country came out on top. As with all Olympic news, this information can be inspirational and informative for athletes at any level of ability, sports fans, investors, and corporate sponsors.
What Difference Does It Make?
At an individual level, the national medal count makes no difference. Each athlete who wins gold, silver, or bronze can take pride in the hard work it took to get to that point, regardless of the number of medals their compatriots took home. But the Olympics have historically been an arena for (hopefully) friendly competition between nations.
The Olympics are also an exercise in soft power for countries, though. The unspoken agenda here is to show that a country’s social system produces the healthiest, most talented, and athletically formidable people in the world. For most countries, including Russia and China, achieving world-class athletic prowess requires government funding, but for the United States, it’s entirely a private-sector affair. Thus, ideologically, the Olympics are used as an illustration of the triumph of Western capitalism. And that not-so-subtle message stands out in particularly sharp relief when the main rivals of the U.S. at the Olympics and in the world are socialistic.
The 2024 Final Medal Count
The only time the U.S. has lost the gold medal count to China was in 2008—when the Games were held in Beijing (hmm…). In Paris, the United States surpassed China in total Olympic medal count, 126-91, but in terms of gold medals, it went right down to the wire. But in the final event, women’s basketball between Team USA and France, the Americans got their 40th gold and tied China. Here are the final medal counts between the two rivals:
- US: 40 gold, 44 silver, 42 bronze, total: 126
- China: 40 gold, 27 silver, 24 bronze – total 91
Next up, we’re checking in on the predictions of some key events that the L.A. Times predicted for one side or the other to see how they turned out.
Artistic Swimming
- Prediction: China
- Winner: China
This was China’s first Olympic gold in artistic swimming, and they won big, with a combined final score in technical, free, and acrobatic routines of 996.1389. They finished a full 81 points ahead of the U.S. Team USA took silver. Above, Gold Medalists of Team People’s Republic of China (C), Silver Medalists of Team United States (L) and Bronze Medalists of Team Spain (R) pose on the podium to celebrate their wins.
Boxing
- Prediction: China
- Winner: China
Li Qian (pictured) took gold for China in the women’s 75kg final, having previously won a silver medal in Tokyo 2020 and third place bronze in Rio in 2016. She is the only female boxer to win medals at three consecutive Olympics. Clearly, she’s getting better every four years, so who knows what she will bring to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028?
Breaking
- Prediction: Neither
- Winner: Neither
In breaking, a new Olympic sport, neither the U.S. nor China was favored to take gold. Canada claimed the B-Boy gold and Japan the B-Girl. America’s Victor Montalvo (B-Boy Victor, pictured above) took bronze for B-Boy and China’s Liu Qingyi (“671”) took the same place for the B-Girl competition.
Canoe Sprint
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: China
The L.A. Times gave the medal edge to the U.S. going into the canoe sprint events, but Team USA took home a single silver while China claimed two first-place golds. Above, China’s Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya celebrate winning gold in the Women’s Canoe Double 500m Final.
Cycling Track
- Prediction: Uncertain
- Winner: U.S.
Neither side had a clear advantage going into the track cycling events but in the end, the U.S. took 2 golds and China didn’t win a place on the podium. Pictured, Jennifer Valente of Team United States celebrates with her gold medal on the podium after the Women’s Omnium.
- Prediction: China
- Winner: China
China swept all 8 gold medals in diving at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. The last sweep in this event was when the United States took four golds at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Diving is a sport the U.S. once owned. China began competing in Olympic diving only in the 1980s, but since 2000, the country has won an astounding 46 out of 56 gold medals awarded in the sport. The photo shows gold Medalist Xie Siyi and Silver Medalist Wang Zongyuan of China after the Diving medal ceremony for the Men’s 3m Springboard Final.
Golf
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: Both
In golf, Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. (pictured) took the gold for Men’s Individual Stroke Play. Women’s Individual Stroke Play went to Xiyu Janet Lin of China.
Speed Climbing
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: Neither
Neither country won first place in climbing, but both brought home silver medals. The U.S. took silver in Women’s Boulder & Lead. China had two second-place wins, for Women’s Sport Climbing and Men’s Speed Climbing, won by Wu Peng, pictured above celebrating his victory in the semifinals.
Soccer
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: U.S.
As expected, the U.S. women’s team beat Brazil to take the gold in soccer, enjoying a victory celebration above. The 2024 Olympics were notable for the strong performance of women’s teams in many sports. China did not take a medal in either men’s or women’s soccer this year.
Track and Field
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: U.S.
The United States had a great advantage over China in track and field events, having historically won 344 medals in this category. The U.S. won another 34 in Paris: 14 golds, 11 silvers, and 9 bronzes. A standout was Ryan Crouser, wh0 won the gold for a a shot put throw of 75 feet, 1.75 in. China took one gold in the Women’s 20km Race Walk, a silver in Women’s Discus Throw, and bronzes in Women’s Shot Put and Women’s Hammer Throw.
Volleyball
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: U.S.
The U.S. Women’s Volleyball team (above) went to Paris ranked third in the world for their sport. However, Italy defeated them to take home the gold in the final match, leaving Team USA with the silver. The U.S. men also earned a podium spot with a third-place bronze win over Italy. China did not medal in any volleyball matches.
Weightlifting
- Prediction: China
- Winner: China
As expected, China ruled weightlifting, grabbing 5 gold medals. China’s Wenwen Li (pictured above) gave a particularly breathtaking performance, winning gold in the Women’s +81kg competition. The United States took home a gold and a bronze in weightlifting, but Bulgaria did the same. This made the two countries tied for second place after China in the medal count for this category.
Wrestling
- Prediction: U.S.
- Winner: U.S.
America cleaned up at the 2024 Olympiad with 7 weightlifting medals: 2 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze. This placed the U.S. in third position in the medal count for the event, with Japan coming in first with 11 medals and Iran second with 8. China didn’t medal in wrestling at the 2024 Games. Amit Elor of Team United States, shown celebrating winning the Wrestling Women’s Freestyle 68kg Gold Medal match, was a media favorite.
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