Closing ceremony wraps Tokyo 2020 after Team USA tops medal table
By Ben Church
The final medals are being awarded in the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, wrapping two weeks of competition overshadowed by Covid-19.
Team USA won more gold medals — and more medals overall — than any other country in the Games.
A total of 626 athletes competed for the USA at the Tokyo 2020 games, clinching 39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze medals for a grand total of 113 medals in 28 different sports. Overall, 257 members of Team USA won a medal, including 164 women and 93 men.
China and Japan, the host-country, were closest to matching the American gold-medal haul, winning 38 and 27 medals, respectively. The battle for most gold medals came down to the final day of competition, as Team USA’s wins in women’s volleyball and women’s basketball pushed the country to the top of the chart.
In the total medal count, China finished in second with 88 medals, followed by the Russian Olympic Committee with 71 medals.
Team USA has now won the most medals at the Summer Olympics for seven consecutive Games, dating back to 1996.
Swimmer Caeleb Dressel won five gold medals, making him the winningest athlete of any nation at these Games.
“We kept our team safe and we’re coming home successful,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. “The Tokyo 2020 Games have been remarkable in so many ways and I’m filled with gratitude and pride.”
“The athletes of Team USA honored themselves, their communities, their families, and all of us with their excellent performances in Tokyo,” said Rick Adams, USOPC chief of sport performance and Team USA chef de mission.
A record 94 nations won medals at the Tokyo 2020 games, including Turkmenistan, San Marino and Burkina Faso — all of which claimed their first Olympic medals ever.
Japan, Italy, Netherlands, Brazil, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Turkey also set new records for most medals secured at a single Olympic Games.
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CNN’s Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
