A team of statistical analysts said Tuesday it expects Japan to have achieved a record medal haul by the end next year's Tokyo Olympics, ranking the host nation behind only two others on its predicted medal table.
The Netherlands-based Gracenote Sports forecasts Japan will win 67 medals in its 2020 Summer Games virtual medal table, a 63 percent increase on its Rio de Janeiro Olympic tally. Of the 67 medals, 29 are expected to be gold.
If Japan meets those lofty expectations, it would be a host country's largest improvement on its previous games since Spain smashed its 1988 tally by more than 450 percent at the Barcelona Games in 1992.