U.S. tops medals table at end of Paris Olympics

PARIS (Reuters) -- The United States topped the medals table at the Paris Olympics with 40 golds after the final title was decided on Sunday, finishing above China only by virtue of its 44 silvers.

China, which was the last team apart from the U.S. to top the standings when it did it on home soil at the 2008 Beijing Games, also won 40 golds but managed only 27 silvers.

The U.S. women's basketball team secured its country's preeminence by edging host nation France in a breathless finish to win the final gold of the Games. The U.S. also won most total medals, with 126 to China's 91.

France won 16 golds to finish fifth on the table, and its total tally of 64 medals was its best for more than a century.