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Ranked: Athletes with the Most Olympic Medals
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While athletes compete in the Paris Olympics for gold medals and records, one title is still far from being taken: the most victorious Olympic athlete of all time.
With 28 medals, American swimmer Michael Phelps is considered the GOAT. But who else joins the list, and which of those athletes are still active?
In this graphic, we show the top nine athletes by the total number of Olympic medals won. Figures were sourced from Britannica and are accurate as of August 5, 2024.
Phelps is Oceans Ahead
Phelps made the Olympics at 15 years old, becoming the youngest U.S. swimmer in 68 years, and finished 5th in the 200 meter butterfly.
Since then, the most decorated athlete of the modern era has stood at the highest spot of the podium 23 times, 2.5 times more than any other athlete. His 28 total medals put him 10 ahead of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who is second on the list.
CountryAthleteSportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
U.S.Michael PhelpsSwimming233228
☭ USSRLarisa LatyninaGymnastics95418
NorwayMarit BjørgenCross-country skiing84315
☭ USSRNikolay AndrianovGymnastics75315
U.S.Katie LedeckySwimming94114
NorwayOle Einar BjørndalenBiathlon, cross-country skiing84113
☭ USSRBoris ShakhlinGymnastics74213
NetherlandsIreen WüstSpeed skating65213
ItalyEdoardo MangiarottiFencing65213
Latynina is considered one of the greatest in the sport’s history. She won a record 18 Olympic medals, including 9 golds, across three Games from 1956 to 1964.
The ‘bronze’ medal on our list goes to Marit Bjørgen. The Norwegian cross-country skier won 15 Olympic medals, including 8 golds, during her career from the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, and set numerous records in World Cup events.
Katie Ledecky recently became the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time, claiming her ninth gold medal at Paris 2024.
By nationality, the list is dominated by Soviet athletes (Larisa Latynina, Nikolay Andrianov, Boris Shakhlin), with two athletes from Norway (Marit Bjørgen, Ole Einar Bjørndalen), two from the U.S. (Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky), one Dutch athlete (Ireen Wüst), and one Italian (Edoardo Mangiarotti).
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