NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Who has won most Olympic gold medals at Summer Games?

Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics includes some of the most well-known American Olympians who are NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centerpoised to move up the all-time medals table, including star swimmer Katie Ledecky and otherworldly gymnast Simone Biles. 

So, naturally, the question of who are the most decorated Olympians of all-time will be asked throughout these Summer Games. Here are the answers, using data compiled by OlyMadMen.com.

Who has won most Summer Olympic medals?

• Most decorated U.S. athlete all time, regardless of sport: Michael Phelps, swimming, 28 total, 23 gold
• Most medals by an athlete at a single Summer Olympics: Michael Phelps, swimming, 8, 2004 + 2008
• Most gold medals by an athlete at a single Summer Olympics: Michael Phelps, swimming, 8, 2008
• Most decorated Olympic athlete of all time: Michael Phelps, swimming, 28 total
• Most gold medals by an Olympic athlete, all time: Michael Phelps, swimming, 23 golds

Who has won most gymnastics Olympic medals of all time?

• Most decorated women’s olympic gymnast, all time: Larisa Latynina, 18 total
• Most decorated women’s gymnast, gold medals, all time: Larisa Latynina, 9 golds
• Most gold medals by a women’s gymnast, single olympics: USA’s Simone Biles (4, 2016 Olympics) is the only woman to achieve this feat in the last 40 years. She joins Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo (1984 Olympics), Czechoslovakia’s Věra Čáslavská (1968 Olympics), Hungary’s Ágnes Keleti (1956 Olympics), Soviet Union’s Larisa Latynina (1956 Olympics) as the only female gymnasts to capture four golds in a single Olympics.

Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

Who has won most swimming Olympic medals of all time?

• Most gold medals by a swimmer, all time: Michael Phelps, 23 golds
• Most decorated olympic swimmer, all time: Michael Phelps, 28 medals, 23 gold
• Most decorated olympic swimmer, single games: Michael Phelps, twice, 2008 and 2004
• Most gold medals by a male swimmer, single olympics: Michael Phelps, 2008, 8 golds. After Phelps are Mark Spitz (7, 1972 Olympics), Michael Phelps (6, 2006 Olympics), USA’s Caeleb Dressel (5, 2020 Olympics), Michael Phelps (5, 2016 Olympics), Matt Biondi (5, 1988 Olympics).
• Most decorated women’s swimmer, all time: Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, 12 medals each
• Most decorated women’s swimmer, single olympics: Australia’s Emma McKeon (7, 2020 Olympics)
• Most gold medals by a women swimmer, all time: Jenny Thompson, 8
• Most gold medals by a woman swimmer, single olympics: Germany’s Kristin Otto (6, 1988 Olympics). After Otto are Australia’s Emma KcKeon (4, 2020 Olympics), USA’s Katie Ledecky (4, 2016 Olympics), USA’s Missy Franklin (4, 2012 Olympics), USA’s Amy Van Dyken (4, 1996 Olympics), Germany’s Kornelia Ender (4, 1976 Olympics).

Who has won most track and field Olympic medals of all time?

• Most decorated women’s track & field athlete, all time: Allyson Felix, 11 total
• Most gold medals by a women’s track & field athlete, all time: Allyson Felix, 7 golds
• Most gold medals by a women’s track & field athlete, single Olympics: Fanny Blankers-Koen, 1948 London Games, 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, 4x100m relay
• Most decorated women’s track & field athlete, single Olympics (1960-present): Florence Griffith Joyner, 1988 games, 4 medals (3 gold)
• Most decorated men’s track & field athlete, all time: Paavo Nurmi (long distance runner), 12 total
• Most gold medals by a men’s track & field athlete, all time: Carl Lewis (sprinter) and Paavo Nurmi (long distance runner), nine each
• Most gold medals by a men’s track & field athlete, single Olympics: In the modern Olympics era, Carl Lewis’ four golds from the 1984 Olympics is untouched, Usain Bolt the only modern athlete close to Lewis’ record with three golds each in Rio and London. The rest of the list reached three gold medals at a single games prior to 1956.
• Most decorated men’s track & field athlete, single Olympics: In the modern era, Carl Lewis’ four medals from the 1984 Games is untouched. Every other athlete who earned at least four medals at a single games did so before 1936.

Who has most basketball Olympic medals of all time?

• With a gold medal win, Diana Taursi would become the most decorated U.S. basketball Olympian of all time with six gold medals, breaking a tie with the now-retired Sue Bird.