The US Olympic contingent had been on top of the overall medal count for most of the Tokyo Olympics. But the country's performance was considered unsatisfactory, particularly in athletics, and China led the count of gold medals until the final day of competitions.
Entering Sunday morning, the US trailed China 36-38 in number of gold medals won. However, the US women's teams won the gold medals in basketball and volleyball and Jennifer Valente won the women’s omnium in track cycling. This took the US gold tally to 39 medals, one more than China.
China lost out on gold medal chances in rhythmic gymnastics, where it came in fourth, and women's middleweight boxing, where it won silver.
In terms of total medals, the US has won 39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze medals, for a total tally of 113 medals. China won 38 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze medals, for a total tally of 88 medals. Japan edged Great Britain (fourth) and Republic of China (fifth) for third place on account of winning 27 gold medals in comparison to Great Britain’s 22 and Taiwan’s 20 gold medals. Japan won 58 medals in total, while Great Britain won 65 and Taiwan won 71 medals.
Despite coming out on top at the Tokyo Olympics, the US medal haul paled in comparison to the country's performance at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The US won 121 medal at Rio, including 46 gold medals. The Tokyo Olympics was the first time in decades a US athlete did not win an individual gold medal in track events.
China had been pursuing the goal of topping the goal medal tally, a feat it had only achieved in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The New York Times explained China's strategy for the Olympics, noting, "To establish itself as a sports superpower, China’s government years ago developed an official ‘gold medal strategy’ that depended on thousands of full-time sports schools, with coaches scouting young talent in villages and cities alike. In addition to traditional strongholds like table tennis and badminton, Chinese officials deliberately targeted sports that were underfunded in the West, such as women’s sports, or less high-profile pursuits with many medals on offer from multiple weight divisions or event categories.”
The New York Times noted China's approach paid dividends at Tokyo. At Tokyo, "China scored golds in the sports it has dominated in the past, such as weight lifting, diving, gymnastics and table tennis. But it also claimed victories in canoeing, cycling, rowing and athletics, and underscored its growing strength in swimming. The majority of China’s gold medals came from women or from mixed team events," The New York Times reported.
