The United States led the medals table at the Paris Olympics with 40 golds, finishing ahead of China thanks to their 44 silver medals.
China, which last topped the standings in 2008 at the Beijing Games, also won 40 golds but secured only 27 silvers.
The U.S. 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 U.S. also won most total medals with 126 to China’s 91.
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.
Meanwhile, Paris drew the curtain on a Summer Games that brought dazzling sport to the heart of the French capital and restored the Olympics’ mojo, handing over the baton to Los Angeles at the Stade de France national stadium.
The ceremony’s star-studded line up signalled how Los Angeles will hope to lean into one of its key selling points: its multiculturalism and the razzle dazzle of Hollywood.
LA28 had musicians and native Californians Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, the U.S. rapper who has been contributing to NBC Primetime’s coverage of the Games at the closing ceremony.
“This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to LA,” LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman said.
