The US college that won the most Olympic golds – and would have finished EIGHTH in the medal table in Paris

Stanford University cemented itself as a sporting talent factory this summer, winning more Olympic medals than all but seven nations at the 2024 Paris Games.

The California school has fewer than 8,000 undergraduates (7,841) and 9,688 graduate students but over the last few weeks it amassed an astonishing 39 medals.

That is more than double any other US school – and more than sporting powerhouses including Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea and Canada.

In fact, according to research by the Wall Street Journal, the only countries to finish ahead of Stanford in the final medal table were China, Great Britain, France, Australia, Japan, Italy and the United States.

That is an improvement on the Tokyo and Rio Olympics, when the Palo Alto school would have finished 11th and 10th, respectively.

World No 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was among the Texas alumni to win gold in Paris

In Paris, Stanford undergrads and alumni won more gold medals (12) and more total medals (39) than any other school in the country.

Next in the university medal table was Texas, while Cal, Virginia, Penn State, Southern California, Washington, Notre Dame, UCLA, Kentucky, Florida and Harvard all won at least 10 medals.

Much of Stanford’s success came in the pool thanks to the likes of Katie Ledecky (four), Regan Smith and Torri Huske (five apiece).

Stanford also ended up on the podium in track, sailing, rowing, discus, fencing, diving, artistic swimming, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, volleyball and water polo.

Stanford has 7,841 undergraduates and 9,688 graduate students but amassed 39 medals

Track star Gabby Thomas – a graduate of Harvard University – won three gold medals in Paris

Texas, meanwhile, won gold medals thanks to the likes of world No 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, NBA star Kevin Durant, shot put star Ryan Crouser and Julien Alfred, who won St Lucia’s first ever Olympic medal in the women’s 100m.

Harvard took home 13 medals, including three golds for track star Gabby Thomas and two on the bike for Kristen Faulkner.

But, according to the WSJ, not many schools won more medals-per-person than Davidson, which boasts just 2,000 students but won two medals. 

Evy Leibfarth took bronze in canoe slalom while alumni Stephen Curry won gold in basketball.