OLYMPIC GAMES
Which country is most likely to win more medals? US and China are battling to finish at the top in Paris
The United States and China continue fighting for first place in the overall standings at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
There are only three days left before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games end. However, there is still a long way to go to determine who will be at the top of the medal table.
Li Fabin’s impressive performance in the men’s 61kg weightlifting category resulted in China’s 23rd gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Now, they are one gold medal behind the United States, the leading country in the Paris 2024 medal table. What’s more, the Americans also sit first in the total medal table, with 89, and have a clear gap to the second-placed country, which curiously is also China with 62 medals.
The dispute between the two countries in the medal table is not something new since they have always finished in the top spots. For instance, in the last Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021, the United States also finished first with 39 gold medals (113 in total), while China finished second with 38 gold medals and 89 in total. If we want to look for the last time the US didn’t finish first in the medal table, we have to go back to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where China claimed first spot with 51 gold medals, compared to the 36 won by the Americans.
Although it seems there are few sports left, the truth is that we still have three amazing days of top-level competitions. But who is more likely to finish first in the medal table?
What’s left for the US and China at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
Despite losing the men’s volleyball tournament semifinal against Poland and winning the silver medal in the skateboarding park final, the US still has more opportunities to win gold medals, especially in athletics. However, Chinese athletes still in competition are strong contenders for medals in combat and team sports.
Athletics
This is probably the United States’ best option to move away from China in the Paris 2024 medal table. The Americans can boast of having three athletes in the women’s 400m hurdles final, one of them being Sydney McLaughlin, ranked #1 in the world in that discipline. The Americans also have good options in the men’s 200m, where Noah Lyles, winner of the men’s 100m gold medal, will compete.
In addition, Chase Jackson and Tara Davis-Woodhall, ranked #1 in the women’s shot and long jump, will also be present at the Olympics. What’s more, both the women’s and men’s US teams in the 4 x 100m relay appear to have podium potential. Some other sports in athletics where the USA participants are the men’s triple and high jump, women’s 400m, men’s 800m, women’s 4 x 400m relay, and men’s 5000m.
This will not be China’s strong point despite also having athletes in athletics events. Their best cards are Jiayuan Song in the shot put, and the men’s 4 x 100m relay, where they had a 38.25 time, placing behind the US.
Team Sports
Things are more balanced here. First, the US is the clear favorite to win the gold medal in the men’s basketball tournament, with players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jason Tatum, Devin Booker, and Stephen Curry being on Steve Kerr’s squad. On top of that, the USWNST qualified for the women’s soccer tournament final after beating Germany 1-0 in extra time. Other team sports where the Americans have good podium chances are:
- The men’s and women’s water polo tournaments.
- The women’s volleyball and basketball tournaments.
- The men’s beach volleyball competition.
But the Chinese have some very good opportunities to equal the US. Starting with table tennis, China will take part in then men’s and women’s team semifinals. Other good options for China to win the gold medal are in artistic swimming, where they actually claimed the first place, and the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around, with the US present in the latter.
Combat Sports
China takes the advantage here, where they already have two athletes competing in boxing finals: Yu Wu in the women’s 50 kg category and
Liu Yang in the women’s 66 kg category. What’s more, Qing Guo will try to give another gold medal to China in the category of women’s taekwondo 49 kg. China also has athletes competing in taekwondo men’s 57 kg and 68kg categories.
The athletes representing the US in wrestling competitions are Spencer Richard Lee in men’s freestyle 57 kg and Aaron Brooks in men’s freestyle 86 kg categories. What’s more, CJ Nickolas is competing in the men’s taekwondo 80 kg tournament.
Other Sports
As for weightlifting competitions, China has more representatives in the women’s 49kg and 59 kg divisions and the men’s 73kg and 102 kg divisions. For the US, Jourdan De la Cruz will also be present in the 49 kg competition, while Olivia Reeves will represent the Americans in the women’s 71 kg division.
In golf, Lilia Vu (US) and Lin Xiyu (China) are in the top spots after day 1 of competition and will be looking to get onto the podium in the coming days. In break dance men’s and women’s categories, both countries can still win a medal, and the same goes with sport climbing.
In the few remaining water sports, China still wants to show its superiority with athletes competing in the men’s and women’s 3m springboard and the men’s 10m platform. Other sports in which the US and China have Olympians competing for medals are canoe singles and doubles, keirin (cycling), and marathon swimming.