Post-Paris: Updated All-Time Swimming Medal Table (France Passes Sweden)

The United States earned the honor of the top-performing team this year in the pool at the Paris Olympics, bringing home eight gold, 13 silver, and seven bronze medals to place themselves atop both the gold medal and total medal rankings. The United States has historically been extremely dominant, and it shows in the medal tables. After the Paris Olympics, what has changed in the rankings?

Before the Paris Games, the United States had a considerable jump on the rest of the field with 586 medals (258 gold). Australia was in a comfortable second, with 67 gold and 206 total medals. After that, East Germany has 38 golds and 92 total medals, both of which are being quickly approached by countries that are still competing today. All of the below data containing the Pre-Paris medal count comes from Olympedia. At the time this article was written, the database had not yet included the medals won at the Paris Olympic Games. 

After the 2024 games, we saw 19 nations earn medals. Each nation that medaled is italicized. All countries with a strikethrough were not able to compete in Paris, either as a result of the country no longer existing or the nation being banned by the IOC. This table shows the updated rankings, sorted from most gold medals to least. 

NOTABLE CHANGES

GOLD MEDAL RANKING

FRANCE NOW AHEAD OF SWEDEN

• France (originally ranked 12) was trailing Sweden (initially ranked 13) by one gold medal before this year’s competition. Even with Sarah Sjostrom’s dual-gold medal performance, Leon Marchand’s four-win meet was enough to send the host nation above Sweden in the ranks. France, Canada, and the Soviet Union all now sit with 12 gold medals each.

ITALY OVERTAKES UNIFIED TEAM

• The Unified Team had a short stint of competition in the Olympics, only competing at the 1992 Games. This team consisted of nations from the former Soviet Union (including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine), which had officially fallen in December of 1991. In this limited period of swimming, they earned six gold and ten overall medals, thanks in part largely to Alexander Popov. At the most recent games, Italy surpassed the team, with Thomas Ceccon and Nicolo Martinenghi each winning an individual gold medal to bump their country into the 15th rank overall. 

ROMANIA AND IRELAND SURPASS DENMARK AND WEST GERMANY

• David Popovici, Romania’s first medalist since 2004, earned his country a gold and a bronze medal this year, adding two medals to their previous nine. Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry both took home medals for Ireland, with Wiffen winning the 800 freestyle and McSharry placing third in the 100 breaststroke. Ireland and Romania both had three gold medals before Paris. In winning their events, Popovici and Wiffen placed their countries ahead of both West Germany and Denmark, which now settles Romania and Ireland at 19th and 20th, respectively.

GREECE FINALLY BREAKS MEDAL TIE WITH POLAND

• Before this year, Greece and Poland were tied with 1 gold medal, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals each. Apostolos Christou, the silver medalist in the 200 backstroke, became the first person from his country to medal in the pool since 1896. Also in doing so, he placed Greece above Poland, breaking the 20-year tie.

HAUGHEY BOOSTS HONG KONG OVER BELARUS AND SLOVAKIA

• Hong Kong, Belarus, and Slovakia are the only countries to have won multiple silver medals, but no gold medals at the Olympics– each country with two silvers. In Paris, Siobhan Haughey placed third in both the 100 and 200 freestyles, single handedly making her country one of the most successful nations to have not yet won a gold medal in the pool. Hong Kong is now 44th, Belarus 45th, and Slovakia 46th.

TOTAL MEDAL RANKING

GREAT BRITAIN EDGES PAST JAPAN

• In perhaps the highest-ranking shift we’ve seen after these games, Great Britain won four more medals than Japan, bumping themselves into the fourth rank (in terms of total medal count), behind only the United States, Australia, and East Germany. Before Paris, Japan led Great Britain 83 medals to 81, and now the table stands at Great Britain’s 86 to Japan’s 84. In the gold medal preferential ranking, Japan is ahead of Great Britain by one gold medal.

CHINA AND CANADA PULL AHEAD OF THE NETHERLANDS AND SOVIET UNION

• After Summer McIntosh and Ilya Kharun both brought home multiple medals for Canada and Zhang Yufei earned a grand total of six medals for China, the two nations surpassed the Netherlands and the Soviet Union in regards to total medal count. Before Paris, China had 49 total medals, Canada had 54, the Netherlands had 58, and the Soviet Union had 59. Now, Canada has 62, and China claims 61, placing them at eighth and ninth, ahead of the 10th place Dutch team and their 60 medals.