PARIS, Aug 12 — The United States topped the medals table at the Paris Olympics with 40 golds after the final title was decided on Sunday, finishing above China only by virtue of their 44 silvers.
China, who were the last team apart from the US to top the standings when they did it on home soil at the 2008 Beijing Games, also won 40 golds but managed only 27 silvers.
The US women's basketball team secured their country's pre-eminence by edging host nation France in a breathless finish to win the final gold of the Games. The US also won most total medals with 126 to China's 91.
Chinese athletes strengthened their dominance in diving and table tennis with clean sweeps of all the titles on offer, adding two golds on the badminton court, five on the weightlifting platform and five at the shooting range.
Breakthroughs were made with first gold medals in artistic swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, women's boxing and in singles tennis.
France won 16 golds to finish fifth on the table and their total tally of 64 medals was their best for more than a century.
— Reuters
