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Michael Phelps with one of his 28 Olympic medals
Michael Phelps after winning a gold medal in the men's 200-meter individual medley at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
list of athletes with the most Olympic medals
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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 | biathlon, cross-country skiing | 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 |
Most Olympic gold medals
| athlete | country | sport | gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Michael Phelps | U.S. | swimming | 23 |
| 2. Larisa Latynina | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 9 |
| 2. Katie Ledecky | U.S. | swimming | 9 |
| 2. Paavo Nurmi | Finland | biathlon, cross-country skiing | 9 |
| 2. Caeleb Dressel | U.S. | swimming | 9 |
| 2. Mark Spitz | U.S. | swimming | 9 |
| 2. Carl Lewis | U.S. | track and field | 9 |
| 8. Marit Bjørgen | Norway | cross-country skiing | 8 |
| 8. Ole Einar Bjørndalen | Norway | biathlon, cross-country skiing | 8 |
| 8. Birgit Fischer | Germany | kayaking | 8 |
| 8. Katō Sawao | Japan | gymnastics | 8 |
| 8. Jenny Thompson | U.S. | swimming | 8 |
| 8. Matthew Biondi | U.S. | swimming | 8 |
| 8. Bjørn Daehlie | Norway | cross-country skiing | 8 |
| 8. Ray Ewry | U.S. | track and field | 8 |
| 8. Usain Bolt | Jamaica | track and field | 8 |
| 8. Lisa Carrington | New Zealand | kayaking | 8 |
| 17. Nikolay Andrianov | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 |
| 17. Boris Shakhlin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 |
| 17. Isabell Werth | Germany | equestrian | 7 |
| 17. Věra Čáslavská | Czechoslovakia | gymnastics | 7 |
| 17. Viktor Chukarin | U.S.S.R. | gymnastics | 7 |
| 17. Allyson Felix | U.S. | track and field | 7 |
| 17. Aladár Gerevich | Hungary | fencing | 7 |
| 17. Simone Biles | U.S. | gymnastics | 7 |
| 17. Jason Kenny | U.K. | cycling | 7 |
| 17. Svetlana Romashina | Russia | artistic swimming | 7 |
| 27. Ireen Wüst | Netherlands | speed skating | 6 |
| 27. Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | fencing | 6 |
| 27. Ryan Lochte | U.S. | swimming | 6 |
| 27. Emma McKeon | Australia | swimming | 6 |
| 27. Nakayama Akinori | Japan | gymnastics | 6 |
| 27. Vitaly Scherbo | Belarus | gymnastics | 6 |
| 27. Hubert van Innes | Belgium | archery | 6 |
| 27. Valentina Vezzali | Italy | fencing | 6 |
| 27. Lyubov Yegorova | Russia | cross-country skiing | 6 |
| 27. Gerd Fredriksson | Sweden | canoeing | 6 |
| 27. Danuta Kozak | Hungary | canoeing | 6 |
| 27. Reine Klimke | Germany | equestrian | 6 |
| 27. Viktor Ahn | South Korea/Russia | speed skating | 6 |
| 27. Chris Hoy | U.K. | cycling | 6 |
| 27. Natalie Geisenberger | Germany | luge | 6 |
| 27. Nedo Nadi | Italy | fencing | 6 |
| 27. Rudolf Karpati | Hungary | fencing | 6 |
| 27. Pal Kovacs | Hungary | fencing | 6 |
| 27. Kristin Otto | Germany | swimming | 6 |
| 27. Amy van Dyken | U.S. | swimming | 6 |
| 27. Lidiya Skoblikova | U.S.S.R. | speed skating | 6 |