'Last Day One-Point Comeback' US Struggles in Gold Medal Race Against China [Correspondent Diary]

China Focuses on Developing Women's and Mixed Events to Closely Pursue the US
Pressuring the US with Elite Sports Policies
G2 Competition Reproduced at the Olympics

American gymnastics star Simone Biles failed to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Although the United States ranked first in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic medal tally, an analysis suggests it is a hollow glory. This is because China closely pursued the U.S. with only a one gold medal difference.

The national medal rankings for this Olympics were decided on the final day of the event.

Until the day before the closing ceremony, the U.S. was trailing China with 36 gold medals to China's 38. There was considerable anxiety about potentially falling behind China in the gold medal rankings.

Traditionally, the U.S. counts Olympic medal rankings based on the total number of medals, including silver and bronze, rather than prioritizing gold medals. The U.S. has placed great significance on the medals themselves rather than differentiating their value by type.

In this Olympics, the U.S. was the only participating country to win more than 100 medals, with a total of 113.

Except for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the U.S. has consistently ranked first in gold medal counts at most Summer Olympics.

At the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the U.S. ranked first in both gold medal counts and total medal tallies. The U.S. has won the most medals in seven consecutive Summer Olympics since 1996.

The reason for the U.S.'s anxiety was China. It was difficult for the U.S. to accept falling behind China in the competition.

On the final day of the event, the U.S. dramatically secured first place thanks to gold medals in women's volleyball and women's basketball. China finished with 38 gold medals, just one less than the U.S. China earned a total of 88 medals, including 32 silver and 18 bronze.

The Tokyo Olympics also demonstrated the decline of the U.S. and the rise of China in the field of sports.

At the Rio Olympics, the U.S. won 121 medals, including 46 golds. China ranked third with 70 medals, including 27 golds.

The rapid narrowing of the medal gap between the U.S. and China is interpreted as the U.S. underperforming in major events while China showed strength in new events based on niche strategies.

The U.S. failed to win gold medals in several highly anticipated events at this Olympics.

Simone Biles, the top female gymnastics star of the U.S. Summer Olympics team, unexpectedly withdrew early from competition.

In athletics, a traditional medal stronghold, it was the first time since the modern Olympics began that an American male athlete failed to win a gold medal in an individual event.

The dominant women's soccer team only managed to secure a bronze medal.

On the other hand, China pressured the U.S. by winning gold medals in canoeing, cycling, rowing, and athletics, building on its strengths in table tennis, weightlifting, and diving. China's rise in swimming, a sport historically dominated by the U.S., was also notable.

This Tokyo Olympics is expected to further heighten the U.S.'s vigilance toward China.

Chinese athletes who won gold medals in the canoe event are smiling brightly.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

The New York Times (NYT) pointed out that despite the Chinese government's emphasis on improving citizens' fitness through recreational sports, the elite sports-focused policy aimed at winning gold medals has not changed.

NYT noted that China has concentrated investments in sports where Western countries have been less supportive or in events with various weight classes and multiple medals, without regard for the athletes' futures, to foster elite sports.

NYT also analyzed that China is promoting women's events to hunt for Olympic medals. In this Tokyo Olympics, China won more than half of its gold medals in women's or mixed events.

The competition between the two countries will continue in just five months. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the U.S. and China will once again compete for medals.

Once again, the U.S. leads in this competition. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, China won a total of 9 medals, including 1 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze, ranking 16th in gold medals among participating countries. The U.S. won 23 medals in total, including 9 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze, ranking 4th.

However, it is too early to be complacent. Although the gap between the two countries is large in skiing and ice sports, under Chinese President Xi Jinping's era, China will not be satisfied with past achievements at its first Olympics hosted at home.

While the evaluation that "Olympic gold medals represent national power" has decreased compared to the past, the competition for Olympic medals between countries remains fierce. The relationship between the U.S. and China, competing in the new Cold War era, is no exception in sports. Rather, it seems likely to become a war without gunfire.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.