Japan Earns Record Medal Haul at Tokyo Olympics
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At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, held in 2021 due to postponement, Japanese athletes benefited from home advantage to win 58 medals (27 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze). This far surpassed the 41 medals it won in the 2016 Rio Olympics to become its highest yield yet. The 27 golds also topped the previous record of 16 at both Tokyo in 1964 and Athens in 2004.
Records show that countries tend to earn more medals at Olympic Games they host than for the previous or subsequent ones. Their athletes benefit from automatic qualification, warm local support, and the familiar time zone, diet, and practice conditions. Although the pandemic removed local support from the equation, with events held in empty stadia, Japan nonetheless performed strongly at its home Olympics.
Medals Earned by Japan at the Summer Olympics
| Host City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Tokyo | 27 | 14 | 17 |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 12 | 8 | 21 |
| 2012 London | 7 | 14 | 17 |
| 2008 Beijing | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| 2004 Athens | 16 | 9 | 12 |
| 2000 Sydney | 5 | 8 | 5 |
| 1996 Atlanta | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 1992 Barcelona | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 1988 Seoul | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 10 | 8 | 14 |
| 1980 Moscow | Did not participate | ||
| 1976 Montreal | 9 | 6 | 10 |
| 1972 Munich | 13 | 8 | 8 |
| 1968 Mexico City | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| 1964 Tokyo | 16 | 5 | 8 |
| 1960 Rome | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 1956 Stockholm (Equestrian events only) | Did not participate | ||
| 1956 Melbourne | 4 | 10 | 5 |
| 1952 Helsinki | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 1948 London | Did not participate | ||
| 1936 Berlin | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| 1932 Los Angeles | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| 1928 Amsterdam | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1924 Paris | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1920 Antwerp | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1916 Berlin | Cancelled | ||
| 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Compiled by Nippon.com based on national Olympic Committee official sites and media reports.
Medal Totals for Olympic Hosts Compared with Previous and Subsequent Competitions
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Jiji.)