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There was a lot of controversy surrounding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as there were many who felt that International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) should have cancelled the games in light of the COVID-19 situation in the country.
The IOC and JOC decided to make a bold decision and proceed to host the 2020 Olympics which went off pretty well under the circumstances. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics came to a close on August 08 and there were some tense moments in the final events.
America has topped the Olympic medal list for decades but was in danger of losing the top spot to China at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the first time outside of China since Barcelona 1992.
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China had 38 gold medals while USA had 36 gold medals going into the final day. The two countries have witnessed political tensions in recent years and there was definitely an underlying tension to see if China would dominate the US at the Olympics.
Team USA had a great last day and ended up winning three gold medals while China could not add any more gold to their tally. The USA once again finished on top of the gold medal list with 39 medals while China finished with 38. The US also dominated the total medal tally finishing with 39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze to bring their total medal tally to 113.
China came in second place but was well behind the US in terms of the total medals. China finished with 38 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze to finish with 88 medals in total. Hosts Japan finished in third place on the medal list with 27 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze, bringing their total medal tally to 58.
Group Sports Boost USA
China got off to a good start at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while the US had a rather slow start. What helped them finish strong and take the first place in gold medals was a strong showing by the Americans in group sports.
The US basketball teams who are considered the best in the world delivered on the last day as both teams finished first and took home gold, despite a few doubts before the tournament. The US women’s volleyball team had a tough challenge before them playing Brazil in the finals but they surprised the Brazilians to win 2-1 and take home gold.
