On the final day of the 2024 Summer Olympics, the United States and China finished tied in the gold medal rankings. Although Team USA led the overall medal count with 126 medals in Paris, they trailed China by one gold medal going into the last event. China had 40 gold medals, while the US had 39.
The decisive event was the women’s basketball gold medal game between Team USA and France. In a dramatic finish, Team USA won the game, tying with China for gold medals at 40 each.
Despite the tie in gold medals, Team USA dominated the overall medal standings, with 126 medals (gold, silver, and bronze) compared to China’s 91.
On the final day, the US had several opportunities to surpass China in gold medals. They competed in women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s freestyle wrestling in the 76kg weight class, women’s weightlifting in the 81kg weight class, and the women’s omnium in track cycling.
China secured its 40th gold medal on Sunday when Li Wenwen defended her Olympic title in women’s weightlifting in the 81kg weight class.
However, the US women’s volleyball team could not repeat its gold medal win from Tokyo, losing to Italy, who secured their first-ever medal in the sport.
