Tokyo Olympics: Will China beat Japan (and the US) at their own Games?

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Gold medallist Daiki Hashimoto of Japan shakes hands with silver medallist Xiao Ruoteng of China after the men’s all-around gymnastics final. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:03pm, 3 Aug 2021Updated: 2:58pm, 4 Aug 2021

China leads the medal table at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and for all of the other aspects surrounding the Games that is what counts come the closing ceremony – and where they stand in comparison to the USA and Japan.

The current standings see China ahead of everyone else, although there are those in the US who are pushing the total medals rather than the number of golds, but what will happen between now and the baton being handed to Paris 2024 is anyone’s guess.

Helpfully, Olympics statistics partner Gracenote has been willing to try to model the final outcome with their virtual medal table, which has been updated as the Games have gone on.

Their latest update, posted on Twitter on August 2 after the completion of Day 10, had China finishing behind the US – as they have had in every model since April. While beating the US would be a huge result, coming ahead of Japan is a more pressing priority in their own Games.

China’s projected total medal haul was 81, up again on the 74 predicted on Sunday, which itself was up by eight on the update after day six.