PARIS, France — Heading into the final day of competition, China narrowly led the United States in the battle over having the most gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While the overall medal total title will be going to the U.S. for the eighth consecutive Summer Games, the gold medal fight is still very much up for grabs with just a few events left.
Ahead of Day 16, China led the U.S. in gold medals 39 to 38. There was actually a chance the two countries could've been even. American Shelby McEwen and Hamish Kerr of New Zealand could have decided to tie in high jump and both get a gold medal on Saturday, but instead they went to a jump-off. McEwen wound up with silver.
When was the last time the U.S. didn't win the most gold medals at the Olympics?
The last Summer Olympics in which the United States did not top the gold-medal table was in 2008 in Beijing.
During the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, the United States and China finished 1-2 in both medal categories.
This year's gold medal contest could come down to the very last event - women's basketball, where the Americans are trying to become the first team — in any sport — to win eight consecutive Olympic gold medals, breaking a tie with the U.S. men’s program that won seven in a row from 1936-68.
The United States' medal dominance at the Summer Games hasn't translated over to the Winter Olympics. In Beijing, the U.S. had the fifth-most medals overall and the third-most gold. During those Games, Norway had the most total and gold medals, followed by the Russian Olympic Committee.
The Vancouver 2010 Games were the last time the U.S. had the most medals at a Winter Olympics.
Where are the next Olympics?
Once the Olympic flame is extinguished, the focus turns to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy - officially dubbed Milano-Cortina - starting on Feb. 6, 2026.
During the last Winter Games, several European skiers shared their concerns about how the Milan-Cortina Olympics are being organized.
The 2026 Games will be the most widespread Olympics ever, with venues spread out over nearly 10,000 square miles across a vast swath of northern Italy — from the regions of Lombardy and Veneto to the provinces of Trento and Bolzano.
Where are the next Summer Olympics?
In four years, the Summer Games returns to the United States as Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics.
The last time the U.S. hosted the Olympics was the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
The last Summer Olympics in the U.S. was the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia.