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list of athletes with the most Olympic medals
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Michael Phelps with one of his 28 Olympic medals
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Arts & Culture
- Related Topics:
- Olympic Games
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.
| 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. Ole Einar Bjørndalen | Norway | biathlon, cross-country skiing | 8 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 6. Boris Shakhlin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| 7. Ireen Wüst | Netherlands | speed skating | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 7. Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | fencing | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 9. Ono Takashi | Japan | gymnastics | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 10. Paavo Nurmi | Finland | biathlon, cross-country skiing | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 11. Birgit Fischer | Germany | kayaking | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 11. Bjørn Daehlie | Norway | cross-country skiing | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 13. Katō Sawao | Japan | gymnastics | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 13. Jenny Thompson | U.S. | swimming | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| 15. Isabell Werth | Germany | equestrian | 7 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| 16. Ryan Lochte | U.S. | swimming | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 17. Dara Torres | U.S. | swimming | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 18. Alexei Nemov | Russia | gymnastics | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| 19. Natalie Coughlin | U.S. | swimming | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| 20. Mark Spitz | U.S. | swimming | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 21. Matthew Biondi | U.S. | swimming | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 22. Věra Čáslavská | Czechoslovakia | gymnastics | 7 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| 23. Viktor Chukarin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 23. Allyson Felix | U.S. | track and field | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 25. Carl Townsend Osburn | U.S. | shooting | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 26. Emma McKeon | Australia | swimming | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 27. Arianna Fontana | Italy | speed skating | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 28. Carl Lewis | U.S. | track and field | 9 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 29. Katie Ledecky | U.S. | swimming | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| 30. Aladár Gerevich | Hungary | fencing | 7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 31. Nakayama Akinori | Japan | gymnastics | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 32. Vitaly Scherbo | Belarus | gymnastics | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| 33. Agnes Keleti | Hungary | gymnastics | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 33. Gary Hall, Jr. | U.S. | swimming | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 35. Polina Astakhova | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 36. Raisa Smetanina | U.S.S.R. | cross-country skiing | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 37. Allison Schmitt | U.S. | swimming | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 38. Aleksandr Dityatin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 3 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| 39. Stefania Belmondo | Italy | cross-country skiing | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 40. Franziska van Almsick | Germany | swimming | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |