List of Athletes with the Most Olympic Medals in History

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 1896, with approximately 241 athletes from 14 countries competing. Since then, the Olympic Games have grown into a global event, attracting thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries to compete in a variety of sporting events.

Speaking of the greatest Olympians of all time, American professional swimmer Michael Phelps has won 23 gold medals and a total of 28 Olympic medals. His dominance in the pool has cemented his place as one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history.

However, there are many more athletes from many different countries who have also had a significant impact on the Olympics. This article will look at some of the other famous athletes throughout history who have left their mark on the Olympics.

Record Breakers: The Most Decided Olympians of All Time

Here is a list of top athletes who have won multiple medals at the Olympics:

rank

athlete

nation

sports

Gold

silver

bronze

All

1

Michael Phelps

us

swim

twenty three

3

2

Twenty-eight

2

Larissa Latynina

Soviet Union

gymnastics

9

5

4

18

3

Marit Bjorgen

Norway

Cross-country skiing

8

4

3

15

4

Nikolay Andrianov

Soviet Union

gymnastics

7

5

3

15

5

Katie Ledecky

us

swim

9

4

1

14

6

Ole Einar Bjorndalen

Norway

Biathlon, cross-country skiing

8

4

1

Thirteen

7

Boris Shaklin

Soviet Union

gymnastics

7

4

2

Thirteen

8

Erin West

Netherlands

Speed ​​skating

6

5

2

Thirteen

8

Eduardo Mangiarotti

Italy

fencing

6

5

2

Thirteen

10

Ono Takashi

Japan

gymnastics

5

4

4

Thirteen

11

Paavo Rumi

Finland

sports

9

3

0

12

12

Birgit Fischer

Germany

Kayaking

8

4

0

12

12

Bjorn Daly

Norway

Cross-country skiing

8

4

0

12

14

Kato Sawao

Japan

gymnastics

8

3

1

12

14

Jenny Thompson

us

swim

8

3

1

12

16

Isabel Weiss

Germany

Equestrian

7

5

0

12

17

Ryan Lochte

us

swim

6

3

3

12

18

Emma McKeon

Australia

swim

6

2

4

12

19

Dara Torres

us

swim

4

4

4

12

20

Alexey Nemov

Russia

gymnastics

4

2

6

12

twenty one

Natalie Coughlin

us

swim

3

4

5

12

twenty two

Mark Spitz

us

swim

9

1

1

11

twenty three

Matthew Biondi

us

swim

8

2

1

11

twenty four

Vera Caslavska

Czechoslovakia

gymnastics

7

4

0

11

twenty five

Victor Chukarin

Soviet Union

gymnastics

7

3

1

11

twenty five

Alison Felix

us

track and field

7

3

1

11

twenty five

Simone Biles

us

gymnastics

7

2

2

11

Twenty-eight

Carl Townsend Osborne

us

shooting

5

4

2

11

Twenty-nine

Arianna Fontana

Italy

Speed ​​skating

2

4

5

11

thirty

Carl Lewis

us

track and field

9

1

0

10

31

Aladar Grevic

Hungary

fencing

7

1

2

10

Thirty-two

Nakayama Akinori

Japan

gymnastics

6

2

2

10

33

Vitaly Scherbo

Belarus

gymnastics

6

0

4

10

Thirty-four

Agnes Keleti

Hungary

gymnastics

5

3

2

10

Thirty-four

Gary Hall Jr.

us

swim

5

3

2

10

Thirty-six

Polina Astakhova

Soviet Union

gymnastics

5

2

3

10

thirty-seven

Raisa Smetanina

Soviet Union

Cross-country skiing

4

5

1

10

thirty eight

Alison Schmidt

us

swim

4

3

3

10

thirty-nine

Alexander Digyatin

Soviet Union

gymnastics

3

6

1

10

40

Stephanie Belmondo

Italy

Cross-country skiing

2

3

5

10

41

Francesca van Almsick

Germany

swim

0

4

6

10

H2: Most gold medalists – Olympic champions

The following is a list of athletes and their Olympic gold medal counts:

rank

athlete

nation

sports

Gold

1

Michael Phelps

us

swim

twenty three

2

Larissa Latynina

Soviet Union

gymnastics

9

2

Katie Ledecky

us

swim

9

2

Paavo Rumi

Finland

Biathlon, cross-country skiing

9

2

Caleb Dressel

us

swim

9

2

Mark Spitz

us

swim

9

2

Carl Lewis

us

track and field

9

8

Marit Bjorgen

Norway

Cross-country skiing

8

8

Ole Einar Bjorndalen

Norway

Biathlon, cross-country skiing

8

8

Birgit Fischer

Germany

Kayaking

8

8

Kato Sawao

Japan

gymnastics

8

8

Jenny Thompson

us

swim

8

8

Matthew Biondi

us

swim

8

8

Bjorn Daly

Norway

Cross-country skiing

8

8

Ray Ery

us

track and field

8

8

Bolt

Jamaica

track and field

8

17

Nikolay Andrianov

Soviet Union

gymnastics

7

17

Boris Shaklin

Soviet Union

gymnastics

7

17

Isabel Weiss

Germany

Equestrian

7

17

Vera Caslavska

Czechoslovakia

gymnastics

7

17

Victor Chukarin

Soviet Union

gymnastics

7

17

Alison Felix

us

track and field

7

17

Aladar Grevic

Hungary

fencing

7

17

Simone Biles

us

gymnastics

7

17

Jason Kenny

England

Cycling

7

17

Svetlana Romashina

Russia

synchronised swimming

7

Twenty-seven

Erin West

Netherlands

Speed ​​skating

6

Twenty-seven

Eduardo Mangiarotti

Italy

fencing

6

Twenty-seven

Ryan Lochte

us

swim

6

Twenty-seven

Emma McKeon

Australia

swim

6

Twenty-seven

Nakayama Akinori

Japan

gymnastics

6

Twenty-seven

Vitaly Scherbo

Belarus

gymnastics

6

Twenty-seven

Hubert Van Eness

Belgium

Archery

6

Twenty-seven

Valentina Vezzali

Italy

fencing

6

Twenty-seven

Lyubov Yegorova

Russia

Cross-country skiing

6

Twenty-seven

Gerd Fredrickson

Sweden

Kayaking

6

Twenty-seven

Danuta Kozak

Hungary

Kayaking

6

Twenty-seven

Raina Klink

Germany

Equestrian

6

Twenty-seven

Victor Ann

South Korea/Russia

Speed ​​skating

6

Twenty-seven

Chris Hoy

England

Cycling

6

Twenty-seven

Natalie Geisenberg

Germany

sled

6

Twenty-seven

Nedonadi

Italy

fencing

6

Twenty-seven

Rudolf Karpati

Hungary

fencing

6

Twenty-seven

Pal Kovacs

Hungary

fencing

6

Twenty-seven

Christian Otto

Germany

swim

6

Twenty-seven

Amy Van Dyken

us

swim

6

Twenty-seven

Lydia Skoblikova

Soviet Union

Speed ​​skating

6

in conclusion

The most decorated swimmer in Olympic history is American swimmer Michael Phelps, who has won a total of 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold medals. In the recent 2024 Summer Olympics, France’s Leon Marchand became a rising star in the swimming world, winning four gold medals.

While the topic is dynamic and evolving, rookies like Marchand illustrate the changing landscape of competitive sports.

As these athletes continue to push the boundaries of human performance, we can expect to see new records and unforgettable moments that will captivate audiences around the world for years to come.