China Touts Olympic Gold Medal Tie With US as New Sign of Power
- Performance shows China’s superpower status, state media says
- US Olympic team’s 126 total medals sparks pushback in China
Team China celebrate victory after the women's team gold medal match of table tennis.
Photographer: Chen Yichen/Xinhua/Getty Images
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China’s state-run media used the nation’s gold medal haul at the Paris Olympics — which tied the US total of 40 — as the latest sign that it can rival America on the global stage.
The US and China led all nations in gold medals, doubling Japan’s 20, at the conclusion of the Games on Sunday. It was China’s best performance at an overseas Olympics and its strongest showing against the US since 2008, when it won 48 golds compared with 36 for America.