The most popular search topic, “Most Decorated Athlete Ever,” is back. There are innumerable athletes, but the best ones have more records and medals than the rest.
Sadly, even though sportsmen always play to win, they occasionally lose. The ability to win distinguishes legends from average players.
No one also recalls the tennis player who was ranked 25th. But we can still recall the number 1.
Who is the most decorated athlete is the topic of hours-long online debate among fans. Therefore, today’s list will focus on the athletes who have won the most medals and prizes.
15 Most Honored Athletes in History
The athletes with the most Olympic medals are also mentioned. Business Insider served as the list’s primary source of information.
| S.N. | Name | Olympic Medals |
| 15 | Dara Torres | 12 |
| 14 | Sawao Kato | 12 |
| 13 | Bjørn Dæhlie | 12 |
| 12 | Birgit Fischer | 12 |
| 11 | Paavo Nurmi | 12 |
| 10 | Jenny Thompson | 12 |
| 9 | Ryan Lochte | 12 |
| 8 | Takashi Ono | 13 |
| 7 | Edoardo Mangiarotti | 13 |
| 6 | Ole Einar Bjorndalen | 13 |
| 5 | Boris Shakhlin | 13 |
| 4 | Nikolai Andrianov | 15 |
| 3 | Marit Bjorgen | 15 |
| 2 | Larisa Latynina | 18 |
| 1 | Michael Phelps | 28 |
15. Dara Torres
At age 41, people start making retirement plans and experience a midlife crisis. Dara Torres, however, was serving her country at the age of 41, unlike other people.
She participated in the Olympics five times as an American representative. Dara Torress competed in the swimming events Butterfly and Freestyle.
Four gold, four silver, and four bronze medals were won by her. She is among the top three female swimmers in swimming history as a result.
Aside from that, she has come away from every Olympic competition with at least a medal. Only the most accomplished athletes can maintain consistency like that.
14. Sawao Kato
Japan has consistently produced athletes of the highest caliber. Japan is one of the winning nations at the Olympics because of this.
Former gymnast Sawao Kato earned eight Olympic gold medals. He is one of the most honored gymnast athletes of all time as a result.
The majority of the medals were won by Japanese athletes at the Olympics in 1968 and 1976. There are now just ten Olympians with at least eight gold medals.
He appears very fit for a man who is 75 years old. At age 31, Sawao Kato took his retirement.
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13. Bjrn Daehlie
In their nation, the highly accomplished athlete is likewise treated like a celebrity. Bjrn Dhlie is one such instance of a famous Olympian athlete.
In his skiing career at the Olympics, Bjrn earned 8 gold medals. He took home a total of 12 Olympic medals.
His innate capacity to use more oxygen is one of the factors contributing to his exceptional performance. The oxygen intake of the most effective athletes can reach 90 ml/kg/min. Bjorn, on the other hand, has an oxygen consumption rate that can reach 96 and even 100 ml/kg/min.
He was an excellent athlete because of his innate talent. In addition, he is a prosperous real estate and fashion magnate.
12. Birgit Fischer
The diversity of sports represented at the Olympics is a noteworthy feature. Canoe racing is not a very well-liked sport worldwide.
Birgit Fisher yet won eight gold medals in the canoe sprint, despite this. In the Olympics from 1980 through 2004, she participated.
She represented both East Germany and current Germany during her career. For East Germany, she earned three gold and a silver medal.
In addition, Birgit has the distinction of being the youngest and oldest canoeing champion in history, respectively. Birgit earned her first gold medal when she was 18 years old, and her last when she was 42.
11. Paavo Nurmi
The physical infrastructure of today’s athletes is better. Additionally, they are more health- and fitness-conscious.
The athletes lacked adequate training facilities in the 1920s. The fact that Paavo Nurmi won nine gold medals during his Olympic career is therefore quite amazing.
In the 10,000-meter, 5,000-meter, team-cross-country, and individual-cross-country divisions, Paavo was the winner. In the 10,000-meter and cross-country races, nobody beat him.
He won both the 1500 and 5000-meter races at the 1924 Olympics, separated by only an hour. In addition, he broke both events’ world records. That takes endurance.
10. Jenny Thompson
The United States has produced some of the greatest swimmers in history. The male and female swimming athletes with the most medals are both Americans.
The most decorated female swimmer of all time is Jenny Thompson. In 1992, she started her Olympic career
Even though she was competing in her first Olympics, she didn’t live up to the high expectations. But in team competitions, she took home two gold medals.
Jenny Thompson made a comeback at the next Olympics, taking home bronze in the 100-meter freestyle. Again, she played a crucial role in the triumph in the team freestyle relays.
9. Ryan Lochte
Ryan Lochte is yet another American swimmer who has won numerous awards. In the Olympics, Ryan competed in the backstroke, freestyle, and individual medley.
He won three silver and bronze medals along with six gold medals during his Olympic career. At the moment, he holds the world record for the 200-meter individual medley.
In addition, he was named 2013’s World Swimmer of the Year. He was a fantastic swimmer, but he was always overshadowed by another great, Michael Phelps.
Find out the name of Ryan Lochte’s spouse.
8. Takashi Ono
Japan has continually produced outstanding gymnasts over the years. Perhaps it’s because martial arts and other sports have a long history in the nation.
One of the greatest gymnasts of all time is Takashi Ono. He took part in four Olympics and came away with medals practically every time.
In these performances, he garnered five gold, four silver, and four bronze medals. He took the oath for Japan during the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
He was inducted into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1998 by the International Gymnastics Association.
7. Edoardo Mangiarotti
Sword fighting in the current era is called fencing. Despite not being a very popular sport, it has given birth to one of the Olympians with the most medals.
In 1936, Edoardo Mangiarotti won his first Olympic gold medal. The Olympics were organized by Nazi Germany. Italy defeated Sweden to win the team epee competition.
He didn’t receive a gold medal in the individual division until 1952, though. Six gold medals were won by him during his career. In the Olympics, he also took home five silver and two bronze medals.
6. Ole Einar Bjorndalen
One of the most intriguing Olympic sports that combines different sports is biathlon. Of course, there are competitions where competitors must swim, cycle, and run.
Contrarily, biathlon combines rifle shooting and cross-country skiing. The definitive biathlon world champion is Ole Einar Bjorndalen.
He has eight gold medals to his name from the Olympics. He has a total of 13 Olympic medals to his name.
He goes by the moniker “The King of Biathlon” for his records. Martin is the top biathlete at the Biathlon World Champions as well.
He has more medals than any other biathlete by almost two to one.
6. Boris Shakhlin
Gymnastics was a sport that the Japanese dominated in the 20th century. Only Nikolia Andrianov and Boris Shaklin were able to defeat the Japanese gymnasts.
In the 1960s, Boris Shakhlin was the most well-known gymnast. At three successive Olympic Games, the Russian gymnast took home three gold medals.
He started gymnastics training at the young age of 12. Later, in 1956, he competed in his first Olympics.
The gymnast finished his Olympic career with a total of 13 medals. He was in good shape, but at age 35, he had a heart attack.
He thereafter stopped competing in gymnastics. He was admitted to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2002.
For almost ten years, Boris Shakhlin held the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a gymnast. In the 1980 Olympics, Nikolai Andrianov broke Brois’ record and was declared the uncontested gymnastics champion.
From his school, the Russian gymnast developed an interest in gymnastics. In the 1970s, he ruled the gymnastics world.
He won seven Olympic medals just in the 1976 Games. He was one of the most decorated athletes in history after winning four gold, two silver, and one bronze medal at the Olympics.
Nikolai was transformed into a historical figure by a single Olympic. He also won nine European Championships and four World Championships.
3. Marit Bjorgen
Nordic nations are known for their love of cross-country skiing. As a result, these nations dominate cross-country skiing at the Olympics.
Marit Bjorgen is the athlete with the most awards out of the group. Eight gold, four silver, and three bronze medals have been awarded to her.
The skier Marit Bjorgen makes it seem simple. More than 20 kilometers of racing are required of the skier. Because she has asthma, we all wonder how she manages.
She got off to a rough start at the Olympics because of illness. She had to wait until 2010 to take home her maiden Olympic gold medal as a result.
The 10km sprint was where Marit earned her first gold medal. She has so far competed in five Olympics.
The record for earning the most medals at the Winter Olympics belongs to Marit Bjorgen.
2. Larisa Latynina
Larisa Latynina is the second-most decorated athlete in history. She finished her Olympic career with a total of 18 medals.
Her life history reads like a screenplay. Larisa was born in Russia to a low-income household. During the Battle of Stalingrad, her father was killed while fighting the Nazis.
Larisa initially aspired to be a ballet dancer. But when her choreographer left her area, she decided to take up gymnastics.
At age 21, she captured her first Olympic gold medal. Nine gold, five silver, and four bronze medals have been won by the artistic gymnast overall throughout her career.
1. Michael Phelps
It comes as no surprise that Michael Phelps is the most decorated athlete in history. He destroys every other rival.
With 28 medals under his belt, Michael has 10 more than his rivals. Most athletes hope to bring home 10 medals from the Olympics. Some nations haven’t amassed 28 Olympic medals.
Phelps also holds the record for winning the most gold medals, with 23, in total. He also holds the record for both individual Olympic medals and individual Olympic gold medals with 13 each (16).
He has competed in the backstroke, freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley. Since the 2004 Athens Olympics, Michael has medaled in every Olympics.
Conclusion
Who is your favorite sportsperson? Tell us in the comments, please.
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