US-China battle for Olympic gold medal dominance: pools are key battlegrounds in Paris

The United States and China have finished in the top two spots in the medal table in four of the past five Olympics, but it was only in Beijing in 2008 where the hosts came out ahead.

While that trend is expected to continue in Paris, China are projected to win as many as 34 golds, which could see them challenge the US’ position of dominance.

The Nielsen’s Gracenote forecast, updated on Monday, has the US winning 39 golds. Should the predictions be accurate, the Americans would match their tally in Tokyo three years ago, and China would win four fewer golds than last time.

While each has its own areas of dominance, the pool and the gymnastics arena could be where the battle between the superpowers is won.

Athletics and swimming have long been the biggest gold medal winners for the Americans, who are sending a massive, 592-strong squad to France, compared to the 405 travelling from China. The last time the two sports did not occupy the US’ top two medal slots at the Summer Olympics, was 64 years ago in Rome.

While China are not expected to challenge the US on the track and it appears unlikely the Americans will pose any threat to their rivals on the field, some intense battles are expected in the pool at the Paris La Defense Arena.