One better than Tokyo and two more than predicted but medal table cannot hide GB’s huge gold drop

Great Britain won two bronze medals on the final day of Paris 2024 to surpass their haul from the previous Olympics in Tokyo, with at least one of their athletes having reached the podium on every day of the Games.

After a medal-table battle that went down to the wire, several trends can be identified from the final positions and a key question answered…

Has Team GB had a successful Games?

In short, yes. Having won 64 medals in Tokyo, 67 in Rio 2016 – Britain’s most since 1908 – and 65 at London 2012, finishing in the top four on the medals table each time, Team GB’s 65-strong haul in Paris is a success of sorts.

But it isn’t all good news. Team GB are down on the number of golds compared to previous Games, with this year’s set enough to place them only seventh behind the United States, China, Japan, France, Australia and the Netherlands. By considering Britain’s performance purely in terms of golds, as the medal table does, they have experienced something of a slump. The 14 they won in Paris is their fewest since Athens 2004, down on 22 in Tokyo, 27 in Rio, 29 in London and 19 in Beijing.

The true marker of Team GB’s success goes beyond the medal table, however. In an age where there is increasing focus on athletes’ mental health and wellbeing, Team GB has relaxed its “win at all costs” mentality in recent years, which may be one reason behind its gold shortfall.

GB make history with daily success

More British athletes than ever secured medals across more sports than ever before, but perhaps the best first at Paris was that Team GB secured at least one medal on every day of the Games for the first time.

The medals were shared out evenly, with 33 won across the first eight days days of the Olympics and 32 through the second eight, although the ‘gold rush’ came early with 10 of the 14 secured in the first half of the Games. There was a notable tail-off as the swimming and rowing wound up.

Medal haul falls short of predictions

UK Sport had predicted that a record haul of up to 70 medals was a realistic target, but Team GB have fallen slightly short.

Sports data firm Gracenote predicted that they would finish third in the table with 63 medals, made up of 17 golds, 20 silvers and 26 bronzes, which is not far off their actual tally (14 gold, 22 silver, 29 bronze).

Gracenote also forecast the US to win the most medals overall (112), with their battle against China going down to the final event of the Games as the women’s basketball team won gold in their one-point defeat of France. It meant that the two Olympics superpowers finished level on 44 golds, with the US beating the Chinese to top spot by virtue of having more silver medals (44) than their rivals (27).

France were tipped to finish fourth with 27 golds, but the host nation did not enjoy the gold medal rush it had hoped for, ending up with 16.

Removing best sport produces similar results

Even with each nation’s most dominant sport removed, China and the US would still occupy the top two spots in the table.

China completed clean sweeps in table tennis and diving, making history in the latter as the sport’s most successful country ever by winning all eight golds. Even without their diving haul, China would overtake the US to top the medal table with 32 golds.

The US dominated in the track and field with 34 medals overall, their most since winning 40 at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. They still claimed 25 gold medals elsewhere, which would be enough to hold on to second place.

Without France’s most successful sport of swimming, the hosts would actually leapfrog Japan (if their eight golds in wrestling were removed) and Australia (who would lose seven swimming golds) into third place, with the latter two dropping to fifth and fourth respectively.

Team GB, whose most prolific sport was rowing (three golds, two silver, three bronze), would move up one place to sixth without it, though they did secure more medals overall in cycling (11) and athletics (10).

Medal table if EU competed as one nation

One of the lesser discussed medal tables. But after GB’s success in Tokyo was compared to their European rivals in 2021, Guy Verhofstadt, the former European Parliament’s Brexit chief, suggested the European Union should top the medal table.

Three years ago Britain finished eight golds clear of their nearest European rival in Germany, but the same cannot be said this time around, with France and the Netherlands having won more golds. If each country from the EU had clubbed together in Paris, they would top the medal table with 305 medals (92 gold, 94 silver and 119 bronze).

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.