Since the start of the Paris Olympic Games, France has almost always been among the top 5 nations. For a brief moment, the host nation even held first place, on the evening of Wednesday, July 31, following Léon Marchand's gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. Yet less than 10 minutes later, Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle won gold in the 100m freestyle, putting his country back in the lead.

Only gold medals are counted in this ranking, with silver and bronze medals only taken into account in the event of a tie. According to the predictions by the National Sports Agency, the French government body responsible for top-level sport, French athletes must secure at least 16 Olympic titles if they are to finish in the top 5, which is the country's stated objective.

Romain Geoffroy and Manon Romain

Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.