As the 2026 Winter Olympics begin, here's a list of legendary athletes who hold the record for the most Olympic medals of all time.
The 2026 Winter Olympics officially began Friday, February 6, with the Opening Ceremony, gathering thousands of athletes from around the world for a chance to compete among the best in their respective sports.
Ahead of the Milano Cortina games, the United States has earned 3,095 total medals from the Summer and Winter Olympics. Of the medals won by the United States, 1,219 of them are gold, including 114 gold medals during the Winter Olympic Games. Swimming legend Michael Phelps has the most individual medals ever, with 28, including 23 gold medals, also a record.
As the 2026 Winter Olympics get underway, let's take a look at the most decorated individual Olympians of all time:
1. Michael Phelps (USA) - 28 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 23
Silver: 3
Bronze: 2
2. Larisa Latynina (URS/UKR) - 18 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 9
Silver: 5
Bronze: 4
3. Marit Bjørgen (NOR) - 15 medals
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Gold: 8
Silver: 4
Bronze: 3
4. Nikolay Andrianov (RUS/URS) - 15 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 7
Silver: 5
Bronze: 3
5. Katie Ledecky (USA) - 14 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 9
Silver: 4
Bronze: 1
6. Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) - 14 medals
Sport: Biathlon
Gold: 8
Silver: 4
Bronze: 2
7. Boris Shakhlin (URS/UKR) - 13 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 7
Silver: 4
Bronze: 2
8. Ireen Wüst (NLD) - 13 medals
Sport: Speed skating
Gold: 6
Silver: 5
Bronze: 2
9. Edoardo Mangiarotti (ITA) - 13 medals
Sport: Fencing
Gold: 6
Silver: 5
Bronze: 2
10. Takashi Ono (JPN) - 13 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 5
Silver: 4
Bronze: 4
11. Paavo Nurmi
Sport: Athletics
Gold: 9
Silver: 3
Bronze: 0
12. Birgit Fischer-Schmidt (GDR/GER) - 12 medals
Sport: Canoeing
Gold: 8
Silver: 4
Bronze: 0
13. Bjørn Dæhlie (NOR) - 12 medals
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Gold: 8
Silver: 4
Bronze: 0
14. Sawao Kato (JPN) - 12 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 8
Silver: 3
Bronze: 1
15. Jenny Thompson (USA) - 12 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 8
Silver: 3
Bronze: 1
16. Isabell Werth (GER) - 12 medals
Sport: Equestrian dressage
Gold: 7
Silver: 5
Bronze: 0
17. Ryan Lochte (USA) - 12 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 6
Silver: 3
Bronze: 3
18. Emma McKeon (AUS) - 12 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 6
Silver: 2
Bronze: 4
19. Dara Torres (USA) - 12 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 4
Silver: 4
Bronze: 4
20. Aleksey Nemov (RUS) - 12 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 4
Silver: 2
Bronze: 6
21. Natalie Coughlin (USA) - 12 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 3
Silver: 4
Bronze: 5
22. Mark Spitz (USA) - 11 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 9
Silver: 1
Bronze: 1
23. Matt Biondi (USA) - 11 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 8
Silver: 2
Bronze: 1
24. Věra Čáslavská (CZE/TCH) - 11 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 7
Silver: 4
Bronze: 0
25. Viktor Chukarin (USR/UKR) - 11 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 7
Silver: 3
Bronze: 1
26. Allyson Felix (USA) - 11 medals
Sport: Track
Gold: 7
Silver: 3
Bronze: 1
27. Simone Biles (USA) - 11 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 7
Silver: 2
Bronze: 2
28. Carl Osburn (USA) - 11 medals
Sport: Shooting
Gold: 5
Silver: 4
Bronze: 2
29. Arianna Fontana (ITA) - 11 medals
Sport: Speed skating
Gold: 2
Silver: 4
Bronze: 5
30. Carl Lewis (USA) - 10 medals
Sport: Athletics
Gold: 9
Silver: 1
Bronze: 0
31. Aladár Gerevich (HUN) - 10 medals
Sport: Fencing
Gold: 7
Silver: 1
Bronze: 2
32. Hubert Van Innis (BEL) - 10 medals
Sport: Archery
Gold: 6
Silver: 4
Bronze: 0
33. Akinori Nakayama (JPN) - 10 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 6
Silver: 2
Bronze: 2
34. Vitaly Shcherbo (BLR/EUN) - 10 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 6
Silver: 0
Bronze: 4
35. Ágnes Keleti (HUN) - 10 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 5
Silver: 3
Bronze: 2
36. Gary Hall, Jr. (USA) - 10 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 5
Silver: 3
Bronze: 2
37. Polina Astakhova (URS/UKR) - 10 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 5
Silver: 2
Bronze: 3
38. Raisa Smetanina (RUS/URS/EUN) - 10 medals
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Gold: 4
Silver: 5
Bronze: 1
39. Allison Schmitt (USA) - 10 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 4
Silver: 3
Bronze: 3
40. Aleksandr Dityatin (RUS/URS) - 10 medals
Sport: Gymnastics
Gold: 3
Silver: 6
Bronze: 1
41. Stefania Belmondo (ITA) - 10 medals
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Gold: 2
Silver: 3
Bronze: 5
42. Franziska van Almsick (GER) - 10 medals
Sport: Swimming
Gold: 0
Silver: 4
Bronze: 6
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Winter Olympics 2026: Most decorated Olympians in history
Category: General Sports
