Spain celebrates strong performance at Paris 2024 Olympics

As the Paris 2024 Olympics drew to a close on Sunday, Spain's athletes could celebrate having delivered a commendable performance, securing 18 medals, including five golds, four silvers and nine bronzes.

This marks a slight improvement on the 17 medals earned in both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and solidifies Spain's position as a consistent force in international sports.

Despite the lofty goal of surpassing the 22 medals won at Barcelona 1992, Spain's achievement in Paris represents its fifth-best showing on the global stage, placing 15th in the overall medal standings and 13th in the total medal count.

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However, when comparing to other nations, Spain lags behind similar countries. Italy, Germany and the Netherlands all finished with over 30 medals, while the UK and France amassed 65 and 64, respectively. Even Uzbekistan, with its surprising eight golds, outperformed expectations.

Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, praised the athletes' efforts, saying, "It’s not the result we hoped for, but it’s a good outcome. I still believe surpassing the 22 medals of Barcelona is achievable."

That said, Spain's delegation showcased exceptional talent across various sports, with athletics emerging as the top contributor. The nation secured four medals in this discipline, highlighted by Jordan Díaz’s gold in triple jump and three medals in race walking, including golds for María Pérez and Álvaro Martín.

Canoeing also shone brightly, with three bronze medals making Saúl Craviotto Spain’s most decorated Olympian, further establishing it as Spain’s most successful Olympic sport with a total of 23 medals.

Spain also performed excellently in tennis, with Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes securing bronze in women's doubles and Carlos Alcaraz taking silver in the singles.

Some unexpected successes emerged, too, including the 3x3 basketball team and Marbella boxer Ayoub Ghadfa, who was the standout of the eight Malaga Olympians, claiming silver.