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The Olympians with the most medals in history

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Ireen Wüst, Michael Phelps, and Larisa Latynina are some of the most decorated Olympians in history.

Richard Heathcote/Staff/Getty Images; Adam Pretty/Getty Images; STF/AFP via Getty Images

The 2024 Olympics kick off in Paris this week.Swimmer Michael Phelps holds the record for most Olympic medals of all time, with 28.Athletes like Katie Ledecky could join the world’s 19 athletes with 12 or more Olympic medals.

The 2024 Olympics in Paris have arrived, and more than 10,000 athletes from around the world have a chance to make Olympic history.

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.

The below medal counts are according to the athletes’ official Olympic pages.

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

Medal breakdown: 23 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

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