Summer Olympics: Athletes with the most medals at Olympic Games

The Olympics provide one of the most challenging platforms for athletes all around the world and yet some of them have proven time and again that nothing stops them. Entering each edition of the Olympics with a goal and being in better form each time, they found their path to glory and make their place in history.

Here are the top 10 athletes with the most medal in Olympics

10) Sawao Kato – 12 Olympic Medals

A Japanese gymnast who made it to the list of top 10 Olympic medal holders is Sawao Kato. He holds 12 Olympic medals to his name and started his Olympic career with his brother, Takeshi in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. He later competed in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won 8 gold medals and 3 silver and 1 bronze medal.   

9) Jennifer Thompson – 12 Olympic Medals

Another Olympian with 12 Olympic medals, Jennifer Thompson won 8 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze medal. The American swimmer who mastered the butterfly and freestyle stroke, competed in the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She retired after the 2004 Olympics to pursue a medical degree.

8) Birgit Fischer – 12 Olympic Medals

The German kayaker rowed her way to success with 12 gold medals – 8 gold medals and 4 silver medals. She represented East Germany in 1980 Moscow and 1988 Seoul Olympics and later represented the reunited Germany in the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics after which she retired.

7) Paavo Nurmi – 12 Olympic Medals

Also called the “Flying Finn” or the “Phantom Finn”, the Finnish middle and long-distance runner holds 12 Olympic medals to his name. With 9 gold medals and 3 silver medals, the athlete, at his peak, remained unbeaten for 121 races for 800 metres upward distance. He competed in the 1920 Antwerp, 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam after which he retired.

6) Takashi Ono – 13 Olympic Medals

Another Olympian with 13 medals, Takashi Ono has 5 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals to his name. The Japanese gymnast, whose discipline is artistic gymnastics, competed in the 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics after which he retired.

5) Edoardo Mangiarotti – 13 Olympic Medals

Yet another Olympian athlete with 13 medals to his name, Edoardo Mangiarotti is considered to be one of the legends in the field of fencing. With 6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals, he took to fencing at the age of 11. His two brothers – Mario and Dario are also Olympian fencing athletes. The Italian fencer won medals in the 1936 Berlin, 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics and retired at the age of 41.

4) Boris Shakhlin – 13 Olympic Medals

A Russian gymnast with one of the highest medal tallies, the now Late Boris Shakhlin had 13 medals to his name – 7 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. The artistic gymnast who was also dubbed as “Man of Iron” competed in the 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympics after which he retired.

3) Nikolai Andrianov – 15 Olympic Medals

Another gymnast from Russia with 15 medals, he holds the third-highest Olympic medal tally in the world. The Late gymnast won 7 gold medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals in his Olympic career which started with the 1972 Munich Olympics and retired with the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

2) Larisa Latynina – 18 Olympic Medals

The Russian gymnast previously held the record of highest medal tally for 48 years until Michael Phelps came along. With 18 Olympic medals – 9 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals under her sleeve, she holds the second highest medal tally after competing in the 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympics, after which she retired. She is now the gymnastic coach for the national team.

1) Michael Phelps – 28 Olympic Medals

Michael Phelps took the world by storm when he won eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and beat the record earlier held by Mark Spitz with seven gold medals. The 35-year old who has an unbeaten record of highest medal tally with 28 medals – 23 gold, 3 silver and two bronze. The swimming legend who is an inspiration to many in his field, made his Olympic debut in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and retired after the 2016 Rio Olympics in which he won 5 gold medals and 1 silver medal.

Also Read : Top 5 athletes with most Olympic medals

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