Team USA tipped to win medal race

MANILA, Philippines —  As the Paris Olympics are set to open this week, the United States goes in as the favorite to win the most medals. China is unlikely to overtake the US in the overall medal haul, but has a chance to win more gold medals than the Americans.

Though the Games highlight great individual athletes, they are also a surrogate for geopolitical influence and national pride.

The United States is projected to win 112 medals overall – 39 gold, 32 silver, and 41 bronze. China is forecast to win 86 overall – 34 gold, 27 silver, and 25 bronze.

This forecast is by Nielsen’s Gracenot e Sports, which supplies statistical analysis for sports leagues around the world. It also tracks major competitions involving Olympic sports leading up to the Games.

The United States and China finished 1-2 in both categories in 2021 in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee does not compile medal rankings. Gracenote has calculated its standings on overall medals won, although others focus the rankings on gold totals.

The forecast for the Americans on top is no surprise. This would be the eighth consecutive time the United States has won the most overall medals at the Summer Games. The Unified team topped the overall count in 1992 at Barcelona, composed of athletes from the former Soviet Union just after it broke up as a sovereign state.

The last Summer Olympics in which the United States did not top the gold-medal table was in 2008 in Beijing.