United States Top Final Medals Table At Paris Olympics 2024, India At...

The United States pipped China for top spot in the battle of medals on Sunday as Paris prepared to bring the curtain down on one of the most successful Olympic Games in history. In a thrilling finale that capped 17 days of spellbinding action, the United States women's basketball team squeezed past France 67-66 to clinch the last gold of the Games. The win -- the eighth consecutive Olympic women's basketball won by the USA -- ensured the Americans finished level with China on 40 golds each as the games drew to a close.

The USA however finished on top of the overall medal table with a total of 126 medals, with China in second place on 91.

Meanwhile, India finished on the 71st spot with six medals -- five bronze and one silver.

With the last of the medals handed out, attention turned to Sunday's closing ceremony spectacular at the Stade de France, where Hollywood star Tom Cruise is widely rumoured to feature as the countdown to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics gets under way.

Marathon magic

Sunday's final day began with a gripping women's marathon victory by the Netherlands' long-distance running star Sifan Hassan.

Hassan had taken on what many considered to be a crazy gamble in Paris, competing in the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon -- the last two events just two days apart.

But in a jaw-dropping sprint finish, Hassan overhauled Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa to take gold by three seconds in an Olympic record of 2hr 22min 55sec.

On Friday she had taken bronze in the 10,000m after coming away with a bronze in the 5,000m.

She fell to the ground on the blue carpet in front of the golden dome of the Invalides memorial complex in the heart of Paris before grabbing a Dutch flag to celebrate an extraordinary achievement.

"It was