Olympians

This page lists the medals won by the most successful Olympians from all countries, especially Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It also gives honourable mention to Britain's most successful paralympian.

Overview

Most of the people included in this section are covered in more detail below.

The World

One man is way out on his own in the list of the most successful Olympians of all time. He is followed by four people who have each won nine gold medals:

Sport	Event(s)	Years				Tot		Name
Swimming	Butterfly, Freestyle, Medley	2004–16	23	3	2	28		Michael Phelps
Gymnastics	Team, All–Around, Vault, Floor, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam	1956–64	9	5	4	18		Larisa Latynina
Athletics	Cross Country, 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m	1920–28	9	3	0	12		Paavo Nurmi
Swimming	Butterfly, Freestyle, Medley	1968–72	9	1	1	11		Mark Spitz
Athletics	100m, 200m, 4 x 100m, Long Jump	1984–96	9	1	–	10		Carl Lewis

Great Britain

The nine most successful British Olympians are:

Cycling	Sprint, Team Sprint, Keirin	2008–20	7	2	–	9		Jason Kenny
Cycling	Sprint, Keirin, 1km Time Trial, Team Sprint	2000–12	6	1	–	7		Chris Hoy
Cycling	Pursuit, Team Pursuit, Madison, Time Trial	2000–16	5	1	2	8		Bradley Wiggins
Cycling	Omnium, Team Pursuit, Madison	2012–20	5	1	–	6		Laura Kenny (née Trott)
Rowing	Coxed Pairs, Coxed Fours, Coxless Pairs, Coxless Fours	1984–2000	5	–	1	6		Steve Redgrave
Sailing	Laser (1 gold, 1 silver), Finn (3 golds)	1996–2012	4	1	–	5		Ben Ainslie
Athletics	5,000m, 10,000m	2012–16	4	–	–	4		Mo Farah
Rowing	Coxless Pairs (1992, 1996), Coxless Fours (2000, 2004)	1992–2004	4	–	–	4		Matthew Pinsent
Swimming	Water Polo (3 golds), 4x200m (1 gold 1908)	1908–20	4	–	–	4		Paolo Radmilovic

Until Tokyo 2020, when she was passed by Laura Kenny, Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian was:

Rowing

Quadruple Sculls (2000, 2008), Coxless Pairs (2004), Double Sculls (2012, 2016)

2000–16

1

4

–

–

Katherine Grainger

Michael Phelps

Michael Fred Phelps II (sic) is without doubt the greatest Olympian of all time. After Rio 2016 he had a total of 23 gold medals, three silver and two bronze – 28 in total. No one else has won more than nine golds. At Beijing in 2008 he won eight golds, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at the same Olympiad, set at Munich in 1972.

	Butterfly		Freestyle			Medley
	100m	200m	200m	4 x 100m	4 x 200m	200m	4 x 100m	4 x 200m
Athens 2004
Beijing 2008
London 2012
Rio de Janeiro 2016

Larisa Latynina

	Team	All-Around	Vault	Floor	Uneven Bars	Balance Beam	Team Apparatus
Melbourne 1956
Rome 1960
Tokyo 1964

Paavo Nurmi

Although he is the most successful Finnish athlete ever, at least in terms of Olympic medals, Paavo Nurmi was not the original Flying Finn. According to Wikipedia, that was Hannes Kolehmainen, who won three gold medals at Stockholm in 1912. At Paris in 1924 there were two Flying Finns: as well as Nurmi's five golds, Ville Ritola won four golds and two silvers. He also beat Nurmi into second place in the 5,000m at Paris in 1924, and finished second behind Nurmi in the 10,000m. Volmari Iso–Hollo won the 3,000m in 1932 and 1936, and Taisto Maki held five world records in the 1940s. Finally, Lasse Viren won the 5,000m and the 10,000m in both 1972 and 1976.

Several motor racing drivers have also been known as the Flying Finn, including Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen.

The following table details Paavo Nurmi's Olympic medals.

	Cross–Country		10,000m	5,000m	1,500m	3,000m Team	3,000m Steeplechase
	Team	Individual
Antwerp 1920
Paris 1924
Amsterdam 1928

Mark Spitz

Mark Andrew Spitz won seven gold medals in Munich in 1972, which was a record until it was broken by Michael Phelps at Beijing in 2008. Spitz had previously won four medals at Mexico City in 1968, making eleven altogether:

	Butterfly		Freestyle				Medley
	100m	200m	100m	200m	4 x 100m	4 x 200m	4 x 100m
Mexico City 1968
Munich 1972

Carl Lewis

Frederick Carlton Lewis won nine Olympic gold medals and one silver:

		100m	200m	Long jump	4 x 100m relay
Los Angeles 1984	4
Seoul 1988	2 + 1
Barcelona 1992	2
Atlanta 1996	1

In Seoul he finished second in the 100m behind Canada's Ben Johnson, but was awarded the gold medal after Johnson tested positive for drugs. In the 200m he was beaten by his fellow American, Joe DeLoach.

Usain Bolt

... is equal 61st on the list of the most successful Olympians, in terms of the number of medals won in total. If ranked in gold medals first, followed by silvers and then bronze, he's equal 13th; and if the Jamaican team that finished first in the 4 x 100 metres in Beijing had not been disqualified, because one of its members (Nesta Carter) tested positive for a banned substance, he'd be 6th.

	100m	200m	4 x 100m ... with
Beijing 2008
London 2012				Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, (Kemar Bailey-Cole)
Rio de Janeiro 2016				Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Nickel Ashmeade, (Jevaughn Minzie, Kemar Bailey–Cole)

Athletes whose names are in parentheses took part only in the heats, but did receive medals.

The other two members of the Jamaican men's 4 x 100 metres relay team in Beijing (along with Bolt and Carter) were Michael Frater and Asafa Powell.

Jason Kenny

Going into Tokyo 2020, Jason Francis Kenny was on equal terms with Sir Chris Hoy as Britain's most successful Olympian, each having six golds and one silver. Kenny's two medals in Tokyo put him out on his own:

Beijing 2008		Team Sprint, with	Chris Hoy (SCO), Jamie Staff (ENG)
		Sprint (behind Chris Hoy)
London 2012		Team Sprint, with	Chris Hoy (SCO), Philip Hindes (ENG)
		Sprint
Rio de Janeiro 2016		Team Sprint, with	Callum Skinner (SCO),Philip Hindes (ENG)
		Sprint
		Keirin
Tokyo 2020		Keirin
		Team Sprint, with	Jack Carlin (SCO), Ryan Owens (ENG)

Jason Kenny is one of no fewer than 22 people who have won nine Olympic medals, including such illustrious names as Nadia Comaneci and Merlene Ottey. But he's the only one of those 22 people with seven golds, and this makes him the 40th most successful Olympian of all time.

Chris Hoy

Christopher Andrew Hoy was Britain's most successful Olympian of all time, until he was equalled and then passed by Jason Kenny.

Sydney 2000		Team Sprint, with	Craig McLean (SCO), Jason Queally (ENG)
Athens 2004		1 km time trial
Beijing 2008		Team Sprint, with	Jason Kenny (ENG), Jamie Staff (ENG)
		Keirin
		Sprint
London 2012		Team Sprint, with	Jason Kenny (ENG), Philip Hindes (ENG)
		Keirin

Bradley Wiggins

Bradley Wiggins was more or less a contemporary of Chris Hoy. After London 2012, when Hoy retired as Britain's most successful Olympian, Wiggins had the same number of medals but two fewer golds. He won one more gold at Rio in 2016, and this meant that when both of their careers were over, Wiggins had one more medal but Hoy had one more gold. Which of them was more successful? Well I suspect that depends on who you ask!

After Rio, Jason Kenny's medals tally was the same as Chris Hoy's: six golds and one silver. Wiggins still had more Olympic medals than any other British competitor, while Hoy and Kenny had most golds. But Kenny's two medals at Tokyo 2020 (one gold and one silver) left him undisputed as Britain's most successful Olympian.

Sydney 2000		Team Pursuit, with	Paul Manning (ENG), Chris Newton (ENG), Bryan Steel (ENG)
Athens 2004		Individual Pursuit
		Team Pursuit, with	Steve Cummings (ENG), Rob Hayles (ENG), Paul Manning (ENG)
		Madison, with	Rob Hayles (ENG)
Beijing 2008		Team Pursuit, with	Ed Clancy (ENG), Paul Manning (ENG), Geraint Thomas (WAL)
		Individual Pursuit
London 2012		Time Trial
Rio de Janeiro 2016		Team Pursuit, with	Ed Clancy (ENG), Steven Burke (ENG), Owain Doull (WAL)

Laura Kenny (née Trott)

Laura Kenny's two medals at Tokyo 2020 took her above Katherine Grainger as Britain's most decorated female Olympian. (She already had more golds than any other British woman.)

London 2012		Omnium
		Team Pursuit, with	Danielle King, Joanna Rowsell
Rio de Janeiro 2016		Omnium
		Team Pursuit, with	Kate Archibald, Elinor Barker, Joanna Rowsell
Tokyo 2020		Madison, with	Kate Archibald
		Team Pursuit, with	Kate Archibald, Elinor Barker, Neah Evans, Josie Knight

She married fellow Olympian cyclist Jason Kenny shortly after the end of the 2016 Olympics. She won her first four Olympic medals as Laura Trott.

Steve Redgrave

Steven Geoffrey Redgrave was Britain's most successful Olympian, until 2012 when he was overtaken by Chris Hoy. He won six medals, five of them gold:

Los Angeles 1984		Coxed Fours, with	Martin Cross, Richard Budgett, Andrew Holmes, Adrian Ellison (cox)
Seoul 1988		Coxless Pairs, with	Andrew Holmes
		Coxed Pairs, with	Andrew Holmes, Patrick Sweeney
Barcelona 1992		Coxless Pairs, with	Matthew Pinsent
Atlanta 1996		Coxless Pairs, with	Matthew Pinsent
Sydney 2000		Coxless Fours, with	Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell, Tim Foster

Redgrave and Pinsent's gold in the coxless pairs was the only gold medal that Britain (or the UK) won at Atlanta in 1996.

By a remarkable coincidence, Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Steve Redgrave share a birthday – 23 March (1976, 1988 and 1962 respectively). Great Britain's skeleton silver medallist Shelley Rudman was also born on 23 March (1981).

Actually, while this coincidence may seem remarkable, it's not that unusual – and to a statistician, it's not that surprising. Other famous people who share birthdays include tennis stars Tim Henman (6 September 1974) and Greg Rusedski (6 September 1973), and Hammer Horror film stars and Christopher Lee (27 May 1922) and Vincent Price (27 May 1911). What's more, Peter Cushing's birthday was just one day earlier (26 May 1913).

Ben Ainslie

No British competitor has won more individual Olympic medals, or more individual golds, than Ben Ailslie.

He was the first person to carry the Olympic torch in Britain on its way to London in 2012, picking it up at Land's End.

Atlanta 1996		Laser
Sydney 2000		Laser
Athens 2004		Finn
Beijing 2008		Finn
London 2012		Finn

Mo Farah

... is Britain's most successful Olympic athlete.

London 2012		5,000m
		10,000m
Rio de Janeiro 2016		5,000m
		10,000m

Matthew Pinsent

Barcelona 1992		Coxless Pairs, with	Steve Redgrave
Atlanta 1996		Coxless Pairs, with	Steve Redgrave
Sydney 2000		Coxless Fours, with	Steve Redgrave, James Cracknell, Tim Foster
Athens 2004		Coxless Fours, with	Steve Williams, James Cracknell, Ed Coode

Paul Radmilovic

Paolo Francesco Radmilovic was born in Cardiff in 1886. His father ran a public house in Cardiff, having emigrated from Dubrovnik (which was then in the Austro–Hungarian Empire, but is now in Croatia) in the 1860s. His mother was born in Cardiff, the daughter of Irish immigrants.

Radmilovic was basically a water polo player, but was drafted into the Great Britain relay team at the 1908 Olympics when one of the original team fell ill. He also competed in three individual swimming events in 1908, but didn't win any medals.

He was Great Britain's most successful Olympian for more than three quarters of a century, until his record was broken by Steve Redgrave at Atlanta in 1996. (After Atlanta, Redgrave had four gold medals and one bronze; he went on to win a fifth gold at Sydney in 2000.) Radmilovic would have been 110 years old in 1996, so not surprisingly he didn't live to see his record broken; he died in 1968, aged 82.

London 1908		Water Polo
		4 x 200m relay
Stockholm 1912		Water Polo
Antwerp 1920		Water polo

Katherine Grainger

Up until Tokyo 2020, when she was overtaken by Laura Kenny, Katherine Grainger had won more Olympic medals than any other British woman. She has still won medals in more Olympiads than any other British woman.

Sydney 2000		Quadruple Sculls	Guin Batten, Miriam Batten, Gillian Lindsay
Athens 2004		Coxless Pairs	Cath Bishop
Beijing 2008		Quadruple Sculls	Annabel Vernon, Debbie Flood, Frances Houghton
London 2012		Double Sculls	Anna Watkins
Rio de Janeiro 2016		Double Sculls	Victoria Thornley

British competitors with three gold medals

We've looked in detail at the nine British individuals who've won four or more Olympic gold medals each. This section lists those who've won three Olympic gold medals for Great Britain, up to and including Tokyo 2020.

Sport	Event(s)	Years				Total		Name
Rowing	Single sculls, double sculls, coxless fours, eights	1920–36	3	2	–	5		Jack Beresford
Swimming	Breaststroke	2016–20	3	2	–	5		Adam Peaty
Equestrian	Dressage (2 individual golds, team gold and silver, individual and team bronze)	2012–20	3	1	2	6		Charlotte Dujardin
Gymnastics	Floor exercise (1 gold), pommel horse (2 golds, 1 bronze), all-around (1 bronze), team (1 bronze)	2012–20	3	–	3	6		Max Whitlock
Swimming	Freestyle (1 mile, 400m, 4 x 200m)	1908–20	3	–	2	5		Henry Taylor
Cycling	Team Pursuit (3 golds), Omnium (bronze 2012)	2008–16	3	–	1	4		Ed Clancy
Tennis	Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Singles (1 bronze)	1900–08	3	–	1	4		R. F. (Reggie) Doherty
Equestrian	Eventing (Individual 1972, Team 1968 & 1972)	1968–72	3	–	–	3		Richard Meade
Rowing	Coxless Fours (2008, 2012), Eights (2016)	2008–16	3	–	–	3		Pete Reed
Water Polo	Team competition (1908, 1912, 1920)	1908–20	3	–	–	3		Charles Sydney Smith
Rowing	Coxless Fours (2008, 2012), Eights (2016)	2008–16	3	–	–	3		Andrew Triggs Hodge
Water Polo	Team competition (1900, 1908, 1912)	1900–12	3	–	–	3		George Wilkinson

Winter Olympics (Britain's Best)

Britain's most successful Winter Olympian is:

	Sport	Years				Total		Name
	Skeleton	2014–18	2	–	–	2		Lizzy Yarnold

Paralympics: Britain's Best

Britain's most successful Paralympian is

Sarah Storey

Year	Sport				Total
Barcelona 1992	Swimming	100m backstroke 200m individual medley	400m freestyle 4 x 100m freestyle 4 x 100m medley	100m freestyle	6
Atlanta 1996	Swimming	100m breaststroke 100m backstroke 200m individual medley	400m freestyle	100m freestyle	5
Sydney 2000	Swimming		100m backstroke 4 x 100m medley		2
Athens 2004	Swimming		100m breaststroke 200m individual medley	100m freestyle	3
Beijing 2008	Cycling	Time trial Individual pursuit			2
London 2012	Cycling	Individual pursuit 500m time trial Time trial Road race			4
Rio de Janeiro 2016	Cycling	Individual pursuit Time trial Road race			3
Tokyo 2020	Cycling	Individual pursuit Time trial Road race			3
Totals		17	8	3	28

Dame Sarah has also been a World champion 29 times (6 times in swimming and 23 times in cycling), a European champion 21 times (18 times in swimming and 3 times in cycling) and has held 75 world records.

Other Countries

The Olympians covered so far on this page are either from Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, Finland, or Jamaica. There are ten other countries that have competitors in the Top 50; the following table lists the most successful Olympians from each of those countries.

I don't think many question masters would expect you to be able to name any of these people, but it's conceivable that you might be asked which country they represented.

For example: "Marit Bjørgen, who won fifteen Olympic medals (including eight golds) in cross–country skiing, between 2002 and 2018, is the most successful Olympian from which country?"

For this reason, the country is what you can reveal in this table.

Posn	Name	Sport		Years	G	S	B	Tot		Country
3	Marit Bjørgen	Cross-Country Skiing	F	2002–18	8	4	3	15		Norway
7	Edoardo Mangiarotti	Fencing	M	1936-60	6	5	2	13		Italy
10=	Birgit Fischer	Canoeing	F	1980-2004	8	4	0	12		Germany
12=	Sawao Kato	Gymnastics	M	1968-76	8	3	1	12		Japan
20	Věra Čáslavská	Gymnastics	F	1960-8	7	4	0	11		Czechoslovakia
23	Ireen Wüst	Speed Skating	F	2006–18	5	5	1	11		Netherlands
28	Aladádar Gerevich	Fencing	M	1932-60	7	1	2	10		Hungary
41=	Hubert van Innis	Archery	M	1900-20	6	3	0	9		Belgium
41=	Lyubov Yegorova	Cross–Country Skiing	F	1992-4	6	3	0	9		Russia
48	Sixten Jernberg	Cross–Country Skiing	M	1956-64	4	3	2	9		Sweden

Birgit Fischer competed for East Germany up to and including 1988.

The three most successful winter Olympians are all from Norway:

Posn	Sport		Years	G	S	B	Tot		Name
3	Cross–country skiing	F	2002–18	8	4	3	15		Marit Bjørgen
5	Biathlon	M	1998–2014	8	4	1	13		Ole Einar Bjørndalen
10=	Cross–country skiing	M	1992–8	8	4	0	12		Bjørn Dæhlie

© Haydn Thompson 2017–22