Story by
Who has the most Olympic medals? Most decorated athletes of all time.
- Story by
- Who has the most Olympic medals? Most decorated athletes of all time.
The Summer Olympics are finally here , and we're about to see who from Team USA will add a medal to the total tally.
The Olympics began in 776 BC, though the modern Olympics as we know them today didn't begin until 1896. Since then, we've watched Olympians grace athletic arenas and our TV screens every two years at the Summer and Winter Games.
Advertisement
The U.S. takes the crown for the country with the most Olympic medals with 3,105 as of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. But who exactly is the most awarded Olympian?
Who has the most Olympic medals?
The most decorated athlete in Olympic history is American swimmer Michael Phelps with 28 medals , 23 of them gold. Following Phelps is USSR gymnast Larisa Latynina with 18 medals, nine being gold.
Who has the most medals in the Summer Olympics?
Phelps with 28 and Latynina with 18 are tops here as well, followed by Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov with 15. Next is a tie among three men: Soviet gymnast Boris Shakhlin, Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti and Japanese gymnast Takashi Ono at 13 medals each.
Advertisement
After Latynina in terms of women is a five-way tie at 12 medals among Birgit Fischer who competed for East Germany and then Germany in canoeing, Americans Jenny Thompson, Natalie Coughlin and Dara Torres in swimming, and Germany's Isabell Werth for equestrian.
Olympic-sized venues, explained: How many gallons of water are in an Olympic swimming pool?
Who has the most Olympic medals in the Winter Games?
According to Olympics.com, the most decorated Winter Olympian is Norway's Marit Bjørgen with 15 medals in cross-country skiing. She also is tied for third-most medals in overall Olympic history.
Advertisement
The most decorated man in Winter Olympic history is also the second-most awarded Winter Olympian, Norway's Ole Einar Bjørndalen with 13 medals in biathlon. Following Bjørndalen is Norway's Bjørn Dæhlie at 12 medals for cross-country skiing. The third-most decorated man in Winter Olympic history is a tie betweenSixten Jernberg of Sweden in cross-country skiing and Sven Kramer of The Netherlands in speed skating at nine medals.
Dutch speedskater Ireen Wüst is the second-most decorated female Winter Olympian with 11 medals. Third place is a tie between cross-country skiers Raisa Smetania of the USSR and Stefania Belmondo of Italy with 10 medals each.
Subscribe to Chasing Gold newsletter: Your absolute guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics
Just Curious for more? We've got you covered.
USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "How big is an Olympic pool?" to "How to calculate a golf handicap" to "Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?" – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who has the most Olympic medals? Athletes who hold records.
