One such athlete is swimmer Katie Ledecky . With 10 medals already under her belt and a chance to win four more this year, she could become the third-most decorated female Olympian of all time and the second-most decorated Olympic swimmer behind only Michael Phelps .
From swimming and gymnastics to cross-country skiing and fencing , these athletes have each won 12 medals or more at the Olympics, making them the most-decorated Olympians of all time.
American swimmer Natalie Coughlin won 12 Olympic medals from 2004 to 2012, including three gold. Coughlin won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Jed Jacobsohn/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: USA
Sport: Swimming
Olympic years of participation: 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London
Medal breakdown: 3 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze
Alexei Nemov competed in three Olympics but won his 12 medals in his first two Games. Alexei Nemov won the gold medal in the men's vault exercise at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Simon Bruty/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: Russia
Sport: Artistic gymnastics
Olympic years of participation: 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Medal breakdown: 4 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze
Dara Torres finished her Olympic career with 12 medals, the last of which came 24 years after her Olympic debut. Torres won the silver medal in the women's 50-meter freestyle at the 2008 Olympics.
Cameron Spencer/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: USA
Sport: Swimming
Olympic years of participation: 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing
Medal breakdown: 4 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze
Fellow American swimmer Ryan Lochte also has 12 Olympic medals, including six gold. Lochte won silver in the men's 200-meter individual medley at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Adam Pretty/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: USA
Sport: Swimming
Olympic years of participation: 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio
Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze
German equestrian Isabell Werth has competed in six Olympics, winning 12 medals. Werth won silver in the dressage individual grand prix freestyle at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Julian Finney/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: Germany
Sport: Equestrian
Olympic years of participation: 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo
Medal breakdown: 7 gold, 5 silver
American Jenny Thompson is one of the most accomplished swimmers in history, with 12 Olympic medals. Thompson won bronze for the women's 100-meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
GREG WOOD/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
Competed for: USA
Sport: Swimming
Olympic years of participation: 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze
Japanese gymnast Sawao Katō won seven individual medals and four team medals for a total of 12 awards. Katō won five medals in the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Horstmüller/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Competed for: Japan
Sport: Artistic gymnastics
Olympic years of participation: 1968 Mexico City, 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal
Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze
Norwegian skier Bjørn Daehlie won 12 medals across three Olympics. Daehlie won the gold medal in the men's 10-kilometer classic cross-country ski race at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
TAO-CHUAN YEH/Stringer/AFP via Getty Images
Competed for: Norway
Sport: Cross-country skiing
Olympic years of participation: 1992 Albertville, 1994 Lillehammer, 1998 Nagano
Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver
German kayaker Birgit Fischer won 12 medals, including her eighth and final gold in 2004 at the age of 42. Fischer and teammate Carolin Leonhardt won silver in the canoe sprint K2 500-meter kayak double women's race in 2004 in Athens.
MLADEN ANTONOV/Staff/AFP via Getty Images
Competed for: Germany
Sport: Kayaking
Olympic years of participation: 1980 Moscow, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver
Paavo Nurmi won 12 Olympic medals, including nine gold as a biathlon athlete and cross-country skier for Finland. Nurmi ran with the Olympic torch at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
ATP/RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Competed for: Finland
Sport: Track and field
Olympic years of participation: 1920 Antwerp, 1924 Paris, 1928 Amsterdam
Medal breakdown: 9 gold, 3 silver
Takashi Ono competed in four Olympics, but won 13 medals across three games. Ono received the gold medal on behalf of the Japanese men's gymnastics team at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.
Sankei Archive via Getty Images
Competed for: Japan
Sport: Artistic gymnastics
Olympic years of participation: 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo
Medal breakdown: 5 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze
Edoardo Mangiarotti won 13 medals for Italy as a fencer. Mangiarotti (left) won the silver medal in the fencing competition at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
-/AFP via Getty Images
Competed for: Italy
Sport: Fencing
Olympic years of participation: 1936 Berlin, 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome
Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze
Across five Olympic Games, Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst has won 13 medals. Wüst won the gold medal in the women's 1500-meter short track speed skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Richard Heathcote/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: The Netherlands
Sport: Speed skating
Olympic years of participation: 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi, 2018 PyeongChang, 2022 Beijing
Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze
Boris Shakhlin of the Soviet Union won 13 medals in gymnastics during the 1950s and '60s, including seven gold. Shakhlin won two gold medals at his first Olympics in Melbourne in 1956.
S&G/Contributor/PA Images Archive via Getty Images
Competed for: The USSR
Sport: Artistic gymnastics
Olympic years of participation: 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo
Medal breakdown: 7 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze
Norwegian skier and biathlon athlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen has competed in six Olympics and won 13 medals. Bjørndalen won the bronze medal in the men's 10-kilometer ski sprint at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Quinn Rooney/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: Norway
Sport: Biathlon, Cross-country skiing
Olympic years of participation: 1994 Lillehammer, 1998 Nagano, 2002 Salt Lake City, 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi
Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze
Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov earned 15 medals. Andrianov won gold at his first Olympics in Munich in 1972.
AFP/Staff/AFP via Getty Images
Competed for: The USSR
Sport: Artistic gymnastics
Olympic years of participation: 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow
Medal breakdown: 7 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze
Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen has earned 15 medals across five Olympic Games. Bjørgen won the gold medal in the women's 30-kilometer cross-country ski race at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Nils Petter Nilsson/Contributor/Getty Images
Competed for: Norway
Sport: Cross-country skiing
Olympic years of participation: 2002 Salt Lake City, 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi, 2018 PyeongChang
Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze
Larisa Latynina is the most decorated female Olympian and gymnast of all time, with 18 medals — half of which are gold. Latynina is the most decorated female Olympian of all time.
-/Stringer/AFP via Getty Images
Competed for: The USSR
Sport: Artistic gymnastics
Olympic years of participation: 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo
Medal breakdown: 9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
With 28 medals, Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals to his name.
Adam Pretty/Staff/Getty Images
Competed for: USA
Sport: Swimming
Olympic years of participation: 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0