Rio Olympics 2016: How New Zealand's medal placing compares

New Zealand has achieved a record medal haul in Rio, but hasn't quite matched their overall placing in London. Photo / AP

With the final New Zealand Olympian having finished, it can now be called: New Zealand's 18 medals in Rio has placed them 19th overall.

The breakdown is four gold medals, nine silver and five bronze, the list completed in dramatic and spectacular fashion yesterday by 33-year-old Nick Willis who surged forward with the finishing line rushing towards him to grab the 1500m bronze medal, to add to his silver from Beijing eight years ago.

It is New Zealand's best Olympic medal tally overall, exceeding the 13 of Seoul in 1988 and London four years ago.

However it is four places lower on the overall medal standings than London. The best position, eighth in Los Angeles in 1984, was in a Games marred by the Soviet boycott.

It is also more than the High Performance Sport projection of 14 medals before the Games began.

At the time that was rated a timid prediction, one which would shine a favourable light on those who make those pronouncements.

Othere tips, including Dutch-based sports data group Gracenote, had New Zealand up for 23 medals, which seemed excessive. So the final figure sits about right.

Sport New Zealand boss Peter Miskimmin, halfway through the Games, was moved to point out that all those talking big medal numbers had to appreciate the difficulty of winning them.

But four medals from the track and field, and four from the sailors in the second week, bolstered New Zealand's tally.

New Zealand's four gold medals are four shy of the best Games haul, in Los Angeles.

New Zealand have finished fifth on the per capita gold medal table, each of the four golds rated at worth 1,137,000 of the population.

They sit below the Bahamas, Jamaica, Croatia and Fiji, for their wonderful sevens rugby gold.

The Bahamas won one gold - Shaunae Miller with her desperate lunge in the 400m - which equates to 388,000 population; Jamaica won six (455,000), Croatia six (844,600) and Fiji's population is listed at 592,000.

However on the per capita standings for overall medals won, New Zealand ease up one spot to fourth.

Grenada top that chart with their one medal -Kirani James' silver in the 400m - equating to 106,825 people.

Bahamas, with two overall, are second, Jamaica, with 11, are third and New Zealand's 18 have them fourth, with each medal worth 255,316.

Australia finished 14th for their 29 medals.

The United States top the medal table. They won 46 golds out of 121.

Britain won 27 golds out of 67 and China 26 out of 70.