New Zealand has been labelled the “overachievers” of the Paris 2024 Olympics after a record gold-medal haul.
Under the headline “Who really won the Olympics?”, the Times listed the best and worst-performing nations at the Games, with New Zealand coming out on top in the former category.
“Athletes from New Zealand logged an impressive haul of 20 medals at Paris 2024, despite having a population of just over 5 million. Their rate of one medal per 258,000 people is the best among nations to win at least four this summer,” the article says.
New Zealand finished 11th on the medal table with 10 gold, seven silver and three bronze, ahead of the likes of Canada, Spain, Sweden and Brazil. The US edged out China to top the table, with the 40th gold coming in the women’s basketball final in which they edged hosts France 67-66. China also finished with 40 gold medals, but had fewer silver and bronze than the US.