-
As the summer Olympics are set to begin in Tokyo, here are the Olympians with the most medals.
-
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals.
-
Ryan Lochte, Jenny Thompson, and Larisa Latynina are among the other most successful Olympians.
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals.
Phelps competed in five Olympics between 2000 and 2016 as a swimmer on the US team. During those years, he won 23 gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals, earning a total of 28 medals and becoming the most decorated Olympian.
Larisa Latynina held the title of the most decorated Olympian for over 40 years before Phelps took her place.
Latynina, an artistic gymnast from the Soviet Union, began her Olympic career in 1965 and won gold. She returned for two more Olympic games, ultimately earning nine gold medals, five silver medals, and four bronze medals.
By the end of her career, she had 18 Olympic medals in total and remained the top Olympian for four decades.
Nikolay Andrianov is the most decorated male gymnast and the third-most successful Olympian.
Andrianov made his Olympic debut in 1972 as an artistic gymnast and took home a gold and a bronze medal. Two games later, he earned a total of seven gold medals, five silver medals, and three bronze medals. In all, he earned 15 Olympic medals.
Norway’s Marit Bjørgen is the most decorated winter Olympian with 15 medals.
Bjørgen is a cross country skier from Norway who attended her first Olympics in 2006. After participating in five Olympic games, she has earned eight gold medals, four silver medals, and three bronze medals. In all, Bjørgen has 15 Olympic medals, making her the most accomplished winter Olympian to date.
Boris Shakhlin won 13 Olympic medals as an artistic gymnast for the Soviet Union.
In 1956, gymnast Shakhlin began his Olympic career and made a name for himself on the pommel horse. He returned for two more Olympic games, taking home a total of seven gold medals, four silver medals, and two bronze.
Norway’s Ole Einar Bjørndalen participated in six Olympic games and earned 13 medals.
Bjørndalen competed in the biathalon — which combines cross country skiing with shooting a rifle — for Norway. Over the course of his Olympic career between 1994 and 2008, he earned 13 medals — eight gold, four silver, and one bronze.
Edoardo Mangiarotti also won 13 Olympic medals over the course of his fencing career.
Mangiarotti attended five Olympic games between 1936 and 1960 as a member of Italy’s team. By the end of his career, he earned six gold medals, five silver medals, and two bronze medals. With 13 Olympic medals in total, Mangiarotti is the most decorated Olympic fencer in history.
Takashi Ono of Japan also won 13 Olympic medals.
In 1952, Ono attended his first Olympic games as an artistic gymnast for Japan. After participating in four more games, he took home five gold medals, four silver medals, and three bronze medals, bringing his total to 13.
Although Ryan Lochte left the 2016 Rio Olympics in disgrace, he is still one of the most decorated Olympians with 12 medals.
Lochte joined the US swim team at the 2004 Olympic games and returned for four more games. At the last Olympics in 2016 in Rio, Lochte allegedly falsely stated he was robbed at gunpoint at a gas station while in Rio. Authorities later said Lochte made the story up, and he left the country in disgrace. In July, those charges were dropped.
To date, Lochte has six gold medals, three silver medals, and three bronze medals.
Jenny Thompson is one of the most decorated female Olympic swimmers.
Thompson swam on the US team at the Olympics between 1992 and 2004, earning eight gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze. With her 12 medals, she is considered one of the best females in her sport.
Finland’s Paavo Nurmi earned the first of 12 medals all the way back in 1920.
Nurmi attended the 1920 Olympics to participate in athletics — better known as running, throwing, and jumping. At those games, he earned three gold medals for Finland. Nurmi returned to the games three more times, ultimately earning nine gold medals and three silver medals.
Birgit Fischer, a kayaker from Germany, was once the youngest Olympian winner in her sport before earning 12 medals.
When Fischer went to the Olympic games in Moscow and earned a gold medal in canoeing, she was just 20 years old. She went on to participate in six more Olympic games, earning eight gold medals and four silver medals.
Cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie is considered one of the best winter Olympic athletes in history with 12 medals.
Dæhlie became one of the most successful cross-country skiers in history when he earned eight gold medals and four silver medals between 1992 and 1998.
Japan’s Sawao Katō was once the most accomplished male gymnast.
In 1968, Katō took home a whopping three gold medals and then participated in two more Olympic games. At the end of his career, he earned eight gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal.
Dara Torres also earned 12 Olympic medals over the course of her swimming career.
Torres was an Olympic swimmer for the US team between 1984 and 2008. During those years, she earned four gold medals, four silver medals, and four bronze medals.
Natalie Coughlin is another American swimmer who earned 12 Olympic medals.
Coughlin began her Olympic career in 2004 at the Athens games and took home two gold medals. She came back for two more Olympic games, bringing her medal total to three golds, four silvers, and five bronzes.
Alexei Nemov is another Olympian with 12 medals.
Nemov attended three Olympic games between 1996 and 2004 as a gymnast for the Russian Federation. During those years, he earned four gold medals, two silver medals, and six bronze medals.
In a huge upset, American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at one Olympic games.
Spitz’s first participated in the Olympics in 1968, but he made history when he returned in 1972 and earned seven straight gold medals. In all, the swimmer has 11 medals — nine gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Matthew Biondi is another American swimmer with 11 Olympic medals around his neck.
Biondi is an accomplished swimmer who started his Olympic career in 1984 and ended it at the 1992 games. Throughout those years, he earned eight gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze.
Věra Čáslavská is a gymnast from Czechoslovakia with 11 Olympic medals.
Cáslavská’s first Olympic games were in 1960, and she returned to compete in three more games. Over that time, she earned seven gold medals and four silver medals.
“Her victories were dramatic given that she defeated Soviet gymnasts shortly after Soviet tanks had invaded her homeland,” the official Olympics website reads.
Read the original article on Insider