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Paul Ryding

In one of the closest run contests of the entire Tokyo 2020 Games, Team USA pipped fierce rivals China in the gold medal race on Sunday.
China, who had led the medal table for 11 straight days, were pipped at the post by the USA when Chinese athletes failed to win a gold medal on the final day. Team USA finished with 39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze medals, against China’s 38 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze.
How China’s diving darling strove for Tokyo gold to help ill mother
“We are thrilled by the performance of Team USA – and couldn’t be more proud of the way they carried themselves,” said Susanne Lyons, chair of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “These Games are one for the history books.”
The Chinese delegation hailed the result as the “best achievement in an overseas Olympics”, equalling the 2012 London Olympics.

Three gold medals for the US on the final day of the Games – from the women’s basketball team, the women’s volleyball team and an unlikely victory for track cyclist Jennifer Valente in the omnium – tipped the balance for the USA, which had finished top of the medal table in five of the last six Games.
The only time China reigned supreme was at their home Games in Beijing in 2008 when they fielded a largest ever delegation of 639 athletes.
China had an opportunity to add to its gold count on the final day – women’s middleweight boxer Li Qian was well beaten in the gold medal bout by Great Britain’s Lauren Price – but China will rue falling short in events they were perhaps expected to win.

Despite near total domination in the diving pool, again, China fell short in the synchronised 10-metre platform discipline, the only gold medal they did not take in diving.
China’s Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen were stunned by the British duo of Tom Daley and Matty Lee, who produced the performance of a lifetime to land a blow on the dominant Chinese. Cao later went on to claim 10m platform individual gold, with Daley taking bronze behind another Chinese diver, Yang Jian.
In table tennis, where China had won every available gold since the 2008 Games, the mixed doubles team of Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen fell agonisingly short against the host pairing of Jun Mizutani and Mimi Ito. Xu went on to claim gold in the men’s team event as China finished with four of the five golds.


Rio 2016 gold medallists China were nailed-on favourites to claim gold in women’s volleyball, but failed to advance past the group stage.
Team China may also have expected to net more gold in boxing, judo and taekwondo, events were they traditionally bag some gold.
Still, they can be well pleased when reflecting on its overall effort in Tokyo, where they were not tipped to top the medal table.
Tears in Tokyo as China end Lang Ping era with win
China’s aim going into the delayed Games were to arrest an alarming slide in its overall fortunes since 2008, in which it slipped back to second in 2012, finishing 12 gold medals behind the USA, and then third in the medal table in 2016, behind Great Britain – who took one gold more than China.
The IOC ranks the medal table placings on gold medals as opposed to overall number of medals won, a metric the USA often uses to determine the medal standings. In the event of a gold medal tie, silver medals are counted and then bronze.

China’s haul included some surprise new Olympic champions in sports where it was not predicted to challenge for gold.
Analysts have been hard at work attempting to get to the bottom of the unexpected success. It is thought that a lack of international competition in the past 18 months threw up a series of strange results, which might go some way to explaining some of the triumphs.
There was success on top of the water for China in addition to a great deal of success in it.

In its first Games with legendary British Olympian Steve Redgrave helming its rowing team as the high performance director, China scooped its first rowing gold medal (as well as two bronze medals) in the women’s quadruple skulls, and in world record time.
Upon his appointment in 2019, Redgrave had said he was targeting one gold medal for his charges in Tokyo, a prediction that turned out to be prescient, as part of a “stepping stone” to two golds for China’s rowers at Paris 2024.
China also overperformed at the shooting range delivering four gold medals out of the 10 on offer. Yang Qian’s gold medal triumph on the opening day of the Games set the tone for what was to come from Team China.
Meanwhile, hosts Japan had its best Olympic haul with 27 golds, bagging 58 medals in total.


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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo Olympics: China’s gold medal haul hailed despite USA stealing bragging rights

Team USA pose for a photo after beating hosts Japan to win the women’s basketball gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Britain's Lauren Price (facing camera) and China's Li Qian compete in the women's middleweight boxing final at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

epa09377926 Team China celebrates a bronze medal after competing in the Rowing Women's Eight Final A of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo, Japan, 30 July 2021. EPA-EFE/JEON HEON-KYUN

07 August 2021, Japan, Tokyo: China's Cao Yuan competes in the Men's 10m Platform final of the high diving competitions at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, as part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa

(From L) Chen Yunxia, Zhang Ling, Lyu Yang and Cui Xiaotong of China's rowing team celebrate after winning the women's quadruple sculls at the Tokyo Olympics on July 28, 2021, at Sea Forest Waterway in the capital. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Tokyo Olympics: Ma Long’s golds hailed as he hints at Paris 2024

China’s Ma Long celebrates after beating Germany’s Timo Boll for gold in the table tennis men’s team final between at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: Xinhua

TOPSHOT - China's Ma Long serves to Germany's Timo Boll during their men's team final table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on August 6, 2021. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

epa09400991 Gold medalists Ma Long (L), Xu Xin (2nd-R), Zhendong Fan (R) and head coach Qin Zhijian of China pose after their victory in the Table Tennis men's team cold medal match against Germany during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium arena in Tokyo, Japan, 06 August 2021. EPA-EFE/MAST IRHAM

Tokyo Olympics: Li Qian boxing loss to Britain’s Lauren Price ends China’s gold medal count at 38

Li Qian of China celebrates her win against Zenfira Magomedalieva of the Russian Olympic Committee in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games boxing women’s middleweight semi-final. Photo: Reuters

08 August 2021, Japan, Tokyo: Great Britain's Lauren Price (Red) and China's Qian Li (Blue) in action during the Women's Middle (69-75kg) Boxing Final Bout at the Kokugikan Arena during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa

08 August 2021, Japan, Tokyo: Great BriTain's Lauren Price (Red) celebrates defeating China's Qian Li (Blue) in the Women's Middle (69-75kg) Boxing Final Bout at the Kokugikan Arena during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa

How Quan Hongchan, China’s 14-year-old diving darling, strove for Tokyo Olympics gold to support her ill mother

Quan Hongchan and her coach celebrate. Photo: Reuters

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Diving - Women's 10m Platform - Final - Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan - August 5, 2021. Quan Hongchan of China in action REUTERS/Molly Darlington SEARCH "OLYMPICS DAY 14" FOR TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS EDITOR'S CHOICE, SEARCH "REUTERS OLYMPICS TOPIX" FOR ALL EDITOR'S CHOICE PICTURES.TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Diving - Women's 10m Platform - Final - Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan - August 5, 2021. Quan Hongchan of China reacts after a dive REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Diving - Women's 10m Platform - Final - Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan - August 5, 2021. Quan Hongchan of China in action REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Diving - Women's 10m Platform - Medal Ceremony - Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan - August 5, 2021. Gold medallist Quan Hongchan of China and silver medallist Chen Yuxi of China pose with the Chinese national flag REUTERS/Marko Djurica

TOPSHOT - China's Quan Hongchan competes in the women's 10m platform diving final event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on August 5, 2021. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

epa09397066 Hongchan Quan of China on her way winning in the Women's 10m Platform Diving Final during the Diving events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Japan, 05 August 2021. EPA-EFE/PATRICK B. KRAEMER

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Diving - Women's 10m Platform - Final - Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Tokyo, Japan - August 5, 2021. Quan Hongchan of China celebrates with her coach REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Quan Hongchan looks on from the platform ahead of a dive during the 10m platform final at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Reuters

Tokyo Olympics: Su Bingtian’s China sprinters miss out on 4x100m relay medal

China’s Su Bingtian after the men’s 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Tokyo Olympics: Chinese 14-year-old Quan Hongchan produces three perfect-10 dives, wins gold in 10m platform final

China's Quan Hongchan competes in the women's 10m platform diving final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: AFP

(210805) -- TOKYO, Aug. 5, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Quan Hongchan of China poses for photos during the awarding ceremony for the women's 10m platform final of diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

(210805) -- TOKYO, Aug. 5, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Quan Hongchan of China competes during the women's 10m platform final of diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Xu)

(210805) -- TOKYO, Aug. 5, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Chen Yuxi of China poses for photos during the awarding ceremony for the women's 10m platform final of diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

(210805) -- TOKYO, Aug. 5, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Quan Hongchan (top) of China reacts after winning the women's 10m platform final of diving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

Sport

China


China equals the 2012 London haul of 38 gold medals and its ‘best achievement in an overseas Olympics’
USA wins three golds on final day of competition as China draws a rare blank



China equals the London 2012 haul of 38 gold medals and its ‘best achievement in an overseas Olympics’.


Tokyo Olympics: China’s gold medal haul hailed despite USA stealing bragging rights

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} China equals the 2012 London haul of 38 gold medals and its ‘best achievement in an overseas Olympics’ USA wins three golds on final day of competition as China draws a rare blank

China equals the 2012 London haul of 38 gold medals and its ‘best achievement in an overseas Olympics’

USA wins three golds on final day of competition as China draws a rare blank