It meant the United States triumphed as the greatest nation on the medal table at the Paris Olympics by the closest of margins on the final day of events ahead of chief rival China. The decisive moment came in the women's basketball final, where the USA held mighty close to edge host France for a 67-66 win.
Theirs was not only a basketball but a win that guaranteed the gold for the team and the USA's fourth straight Games leading the Olympic medal standings.
The figure for the United States rounded up to 126 medals; 40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze. Meanwhile, even as China did equally well in almost all the sports, its figures read 91 medals, 40 golds. The overall medal tally gave the United States a clear win.
Tension between the two countries remained tight throughout the games. The first drop of the medal, in reality, came off the weightlifting, but China took an early lead and maintained it through diving and artistic swimming.
The United States then, in an equal measure, put in much highlight in athletics and, at the end, scored 14 gold, 11 silver, and 9 bronze. The United States led in swimming, with 28 gold, and 8 of the 28 were gold.
Japan also outperformed their own expectations, finishing third with 45 medals, 20 of which were gold, which was an improvement of six medals from 27 gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
More from fourth-placed Australia with 18 golds, and France clamped down the last spot in the top five with 16 golds, certainly assuring a good show on their home turf. Host country France took the fifth position, with 16 gold medals; a very respectable performance on their home soil. Great Britain, which had harbored aspirations of a top-three finish, finished the Games in seventh place with 14 gold medals.
India was not among the top contenders, yet it made a mark in the global spectacle standing at 71 with six, five bronze, and one silver. This total might change after the appeal lodged by wrestler Vinesh Phogat to overturn her disqualification in the women's 50kg wrestling final is resolved. Phogat was disqualified for being 100g over the weight limit at the weigh-in.
Pakistan has also finished in 62nd place, their first Olympic gold in 44 years, courtesy of Arshad Nadeem's victory in the men's javelin final—something historic for the country.
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