Table of Contents
Table of Contents
When it comes to the Olympics, one athlete has made the biggest splash. American swimmer Michael Phelps is the most-decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals, 23 of which are gold. He also was the first athlete to win 8 gold medals at a single Olympics. In second place for career medals is Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, the winner of 18 medals. Next is Marit Bjørgen of Norway. With 15 medals in various cross-country skiing events, she is the most successful Winter Olympian. How do other athletes stack up? Find out in our list of the 40 Olympians with the most medals. And keep reading to discover the athletes with the most gold medals.
Most Olympic medals
| athlete | country | sport | gold | silver | bronze | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Michael Phelps | U.S. | swimming | 23 | 3 | 2 | 28 |
| 2. Larisa Latynina | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 9 | 5 | 4 | 18 |
| 3. Marit Bjørgen | Norway | cross-country skiing | 8 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| 4. Nikolay Andrianov | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 5. Katie Ledecky | U.S. | swimming | 9 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 6. Ole Einar Bjørndalen | Norway | biathlon, cross-country skiing | 8 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 7. Boris Shakhlin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| 8. Ireen Wüst | Netherlands | speed skating | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 8. Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | fencing | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 10. Ono Takashi | Japan | gymnastics | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 11. Paavo Nurmi | Finland | track and field | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 12. Birgit Fischer | Germany | kayaking | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 12. Bjørn Daehlie | Norway | cross-country skiing | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 14. Katō Sawao | Japan | gymnastics | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 14. Jenny Thompson | U.S. | swimming | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 16. Isabell Werth | Germany | equestrian | 7 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| 17. Ryan Lochte | U.S. | swimming | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 18. Emma McKeon | Australia | swimming | 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 19. Dara Torres | U.S. | swimming | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 20. Alexei Nemov | Russia | gymnastics | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| 21. Natalie Coughlin | U.S. | swimming | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| 22. Mark Spitz | U.S. | swimming | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 23. Matthew Biondi | U.S. | swimming | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 24. Věra Čáslavská | Czechoslovakia | gymnastics | 7 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| 25. Viktor Chukarin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 25. Allyson Felix | U.S. | track and field | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 25. Simone Biles | U.S. | gymnastics | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 28. Carl Townsend Osburn | U.S. | shooting | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 29. Arianna Fontana | Italy | speed skating | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 30. Carl Lewis | U.S. | track and field | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 31. Aladár Gerevich | Hungary | fencing | 7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 32. Nakayama Akinori | Japan | gymnastics | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 33. Vitaly Scherbo | Belarus | gymnastics | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| 34. Agnes Keleti | Hungary | gymnastics | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 34. Gary Hall, Jr. | U.S. | swimming | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 36. Polina Astakhova | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 37. Raisa Smetanina | U.S.S.R. | cross-country skiing | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 38. Allison Schmitt | U.S. | swimming | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 39. Aleksandr Dityatin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 3 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| 40. Stefania Belmondo | Italy | cross-country skiing | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 41. Franziska van Almsick | Germany | swimming | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |