Who has the most Olympic gold medals?
Quick answer
Michael Phelps, the American swimmer, has won the most Olympic gold medals of any athlete: 23 golds and 28 medals in total, across five Olympic Games from 2004 to 2016. Phelps, now 41, also holds the record for most golds at a single Games: 8 in Beijing 2008.
Phelps’s record is so far ahead that the athletes in second place have fewer than half as many golds. Swimmers can win so many medals because they enter several individual events and relays at each Games.
The most successful Olympians
| Athlete | Country | Sport | Gold | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Phelps | USA | Swimming | 23 | 28 |
| Larisa Latynina | Soviet Union | Gymnastics | 9 | 18 |
| Paavo Nurmi | Finland | Athletics | 9 | 12 |
| Mark Spitz | USA | Swimming | 9 | 11 |
| Carl Lewis | USA | Athletics | 9 | 10 |
| Marit Bjørgen | Norway | Cross-country skiing | 8 | 15 (Winter record holder) |
Phelps by Olympics
| Games | Gold | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney 2000 | 0 | 0 (aged 15, finished 5th) |
| Athens 2004 | 6 | 8 |
| Beijing 2008 | 8 | 8 |
| London 2012 | 4 | 6 |
| Rio 2016 | 5 | 6 |
His 8 golds in Beijing broke Mark Spitz’s record of 7 at Munich 1972. One of them, the 100 m butterfly, was won by just 0.01 seconds.
What made Phelps so fast
- A wingspan of about 2.01 m, longer than his height (1.93 m)
- Large hands and feet, flexible ankles
- Training up to 50 miles (80 km) a week in the pool at his peak
Life after swimming
Since retiring, Phelps has spoken openly about depression and anxiety, becoming an advocate for mental health support for athletes and everyone else.
For more Olympic history, see where the first Olympics outside Europe were held and the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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