Chinese rhythmic gymnasts (from left) Huang Zhangjiayang, Wang Lanjing and Guo Qiqi perform with ribbons and balls at Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, on Saturday. Team China won the country’s first Olympic group all-around gold medal in the sport on Saturday with a total of 69.80 points. HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS
A new swimming world record, a first singles tennis gold and a string of historic moments to remember — the Chinese delegation ended its Paris Olympic campaign on a high note with resounding success both on and off the field.
As the Olympic flame went out after an extraordinary show of human strength and endurance for two weeks, Team China’s outstanding performance, highlighted by a record haul of 40 gold medals, the adorable nature of young athletes and their friendly exchanges with their foreign peers, was enshrined in the history of the Games in the French capital.
Bolstered by the whopping contribution of 27 gold medals from its six traditionally strong sports — diving, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, shooting and weightlifting — the Chinese delegation finished with 40 gold medals and a total haul of 91 in Paris, surpassing its previous record at the London Games in 2012 to achieve the nation’s best outcome in gold medal tally at any overseas edition of the Summer Olympics.
