Gymnastics and skateboarding highlight a solid first half of the Paris Olympics for Japan

The Japanese Olympic Committee set a goal of winning 20 gold medals at the Paris Olympics. Gracenote, a sports data firm that publishes medal table predictions before each Games, predicted Japan would win 13 golds and finish sixth on the medal table.

After eight days of medals being awarded in the French capital, it looks like the truth may ultimately lie somewhere in the middle — if everything goes well for Team Japan.

Japan ended Saturday with eight gold, five silver and nine bronze medals and sat seventh on the medal table.