Tokyo Olympics: US Leads Final Medals Table As Nigeria Finishes 74th

The Olympic flame was extinguished Sunday as the delayed 2020 Olympic Games came to an end in Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

The United States of America took the top spot just ahead of China as the Americans bagged 39 gold medals to China’s 38 and won 113 medals as compared to 88 for China.

Nigeria – whose preparations for the game was beset by rancor in the sports ministry – came in 74th with one silver and one bronze medal.

Otake Shinobu joined by the Suginami Junior Chorus sang Hoshi Meguri no Uta (A Stroll Among the Stars), as the Olympic Flame was slowly extinguished in the cauldron at the National Olympic Stadium.

“As the Olympic Flame was extinguished, the performers curled their hands into a ball, suggestive of prayers and how each and every one of us in the world similarly wishes for peace, prays for the souls of those who are no longer with us, and feels gratitude,” wrote the official Olympic website.

Hosts Japan came in third in their best Olympic outing with 27 gold medals followed by Great Britain which led the European table with 22 gold medals.

Africa was led by Kenya, whose four gold medals gave them 19th place overall. The Kenyans won gold in the men and women’s marathon and added the men’s 800m and women’s 1,500m events. In all, they won four gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.

Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, praised the participating athletes for giving ‘soul’ to a spectator-less event. “After we had to accept the decision by the Japanese authorities to have no spectators, I must admit we were concerned that these Olympic Games could become an Olympic Games without soul,” Bach said in his closing speech.

“But fortunately, what we have seen here is totally different. Because the athletes gave these Olympic Games a great Olympic soul. From what I experienced at the Olympic village and the competition sites; I must say that the atmosphere has been more intense than ever before.

“What we can see now is that these Games are coming at a moment where the world was longing for a symbol of hope.”

The next Olympic Games is scheduled for Paris in 2024.