The 16th Summer Paralympics — officially the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games — wrapped up recently in the Japanese capital with five-time Paralympian Matt Scott of Detroit, winner of two consecutive gold medals in wheelchair basketball, carrying the U.S. flag during the closing ceremony.
The 13-day event, featuring the world’s most elite physically disabled athletes, had been postponed for a year, along with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, due to the global coronavirus pandemic. (See how many Olympians are from your state.)
This year, 163 countries participated in the games, the second-largest number in the event’s 61-year history (164 participated in 2012 in London). The Tokyo event also boasted the largest total number of athletes ever, at 4,537. By comparison, at the first Summer Paralympics in Rome in 1960, according to the International Paralympic Committee, only 400 athletes from 23 countries competed. (Historically, these have been the most successful countries at the Paralympic Games.)
Wheelchair basketball champ Scott took home one of 37 gold medals won by U.S. athletes this year, and in all, U.S. Paralympic athletes took home 107 medals, making America the fourth-biggest winner, after China (207), Great Britain (124), and the RPC, or Russian Paralympic Committee (118).
Click here to see the countries that won the most medals at the 2021 Paralympic Games
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35. Israel
> Gold: 6
> Silver: 2
> Bronze: 1
> Total medals: 9
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34. Nigeria
> Gold: 4
> Silver: 1
> Bronze: 5
> Total medals: 10
Source: Alex Davidson / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
33. Greece
> Gold: 1
> Silver: 3
> Bronze: 7
> Total medals: 11
Source: Alex Davidson / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
32. Morocco
> Gold: 4
> Silver: 4
> Bronze: 3
> Total medals: 11
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31. Tunisia
> Gold: 4
> Silver: 5
> Bronze: 2
> Total medals: 11
Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
30. Slovakia
> Gold: 5
> Silver: 2
> Bronze: 4
> Total medals: 11
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29. Algeria
> Gold: 4
> Silver: 4
> Bronze: 4
> Total medals: 12
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28. New Zealand
> Gold: 6
> Silver: 3
> Bronze: 3
> Total medals: 12
Source: Adam Pretty / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
27. Switzerland
> Gold: 7
> Silver: 4
> Bronze: 3
> Total medals: 14
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Source: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
26. Turkey
> Gold: 2
> Silver: 4
> Bronze: 9
> Total medals: 15
Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
25. Belgium
> Gold: 4
> Silver: 3
> Bronze: 8
> Total medals: 15
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24. Hungary
> Gold: 7
> Silver: 5
> Bronze: 4
> Total medals: 16
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23. Thailand
> Gold: 5
> Silver: 5
> Bronze: 8
> Total medals: 18
Source: Buda Mendes / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
22. India
> Gold: 5
> Silver: 8
> Bronze: 6
> Total medals: 19
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21. Uzbekistan
> Gold: 8
> Silver: 5
> Bronze: 6
> Total medals: 19
Source: Alex Pantling / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
20. Azerbaijan
> Gold: 14
> Silver: 1
> Bronze: 4
> Total medals: 19
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19. Canada
> Gold: 5
> Silver: 10
> Bronze: 6
> Total medals: 21
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18. Mexico
> Gold: 7
> Silver: 2
> Bronze: 13
> Total medals: 22
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17. South Korea
> Gold: 2
> Silver: 10
> Bronze: 12
> Total medals: 24
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16. Colombia
> Gold: 3
> Silver: 7
> Bronze: 14
> Total medals: 24
Source: Kiyoshi Ota / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
15. Iran
> Gold: 12
> Silver: 11
> Bronze: 1
> Total medals: 24
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14. Poland
> Gold: 7
> Silver: 6
> Bronze: 12
> Total medals: 25
Source: Adam Pretty / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
13. Spain
> Gold: 9
> Silver: 15
> Bronze: 12
> Total medals: 36
Source: Alex Davidson / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
12. Germany
> Gold: 13
> Silver: 12
> Bronze: 18
> Total medals: 43
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Source: Alex Pantling / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
11. Japan
> Gold: 13
> Silver: 15
> Bronze: 23
> Total medals: 51
Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
10. France
> Gold: 11
> Silver: 15
> Bronze: 28
> Total medals: 54
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9. Netherlands
> Gold: 25
> Silver: 17
> Bronze: 17
> Total medals: 59
Source: Alex Pantling / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
8. Italy
> Gold: 14
> Silver: 29
> Bronze: 26
> Total medals: 69
Source: Buda Mendes / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
7. Brazil
> Gold: 22
> Silver: 20
> Bronze: 30
> Total medals: 72
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6. Australia
> Gold: 21
> Silver: 29
> Bronze: 30
> Total medals: 80
Source: Buda Mendes / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
5. Ukraine
> Gold: 24
> Silver: 47
> Bronze: 27
> Total medals: 98
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4. United States
> Gold: 37
> Silver: 36
> Bronze: 31
> Total medals: 104
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3. RPC (Russian Paralympic Committee)
> Gold: 36
> Silver: 33
> Bronze: 49
> Total medals: 118
Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
2. Great Britain
> Gold: 41
> Silver: 38
> Bronze: 45
> Total medals: 124
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Source: Alex Pantling / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
1. China
> Gold: 96
> Silver: 60
> Bronze: 51
> Total medals: 207
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