Olympics: Athletes with the most medals in Summer Olympic history

The Olympics will start on Friday 26th July with athletes from all over the world looking to engrave their names in the history books, joining those greats who have shone since the first modern Games took place in 1896.

Here is a list of the top-10 athletes who have won the most Olympic medals in the Summer Games since that date.

No.1 - Michael Phelps

Swimming

23 Gold Medals
Three Silver Medals
Two Bronze Medals

American swimmer Michael Phelps can always be regarded as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time and his Olympic tally of 28 may never be beaten, winning by far the most Olympic medals and the most Olympic Gold medals.

He won six gold medals in the pool in Athens in 2004 and eight four years later in Beijing, which broke Mark Spitz’s record of seven at an individual Games - a benchmark that had stood since 1972.

There was still time in his phenomenal career to add four golds in London in 2012 and another five in Rio de Janeiro.

No.2 - Laris Latynina

Gymnastics

Nine Gold Medals
Five Silver Medals
Four Bronze Medals

Larisa Latynina was born in modern-day Ukraine but is credited as an early figurehead for the Soviet Union which established itself at the forefront of world gymnastics.

She became the first gymnast to win nine gold medals, claiming four when she made her debut at Melbourne in 1956, when her haul included the team event and the all-round crown.

Latynina took more individual glory at Rome four years later and was part of the Soviet team that triumphed in Tokyo in 1964, before coaching the team to gold in 1968, 1972 and 1976.

No.3 - Nikolai Andrianov

Gymnastics

Seven Gold Medals
Five Silver Medals
Three Bronze Medals

Nikolai Andrianov held the record for a male athlete before Phelps eclipsed his tally of 15 at the Beijing Games in 2008.

While Romanian Nadia Comencei delighted the crowds in the women’s gymnastics in Montreal in 1976, Andrianov was the star of the show in the men’s competition as he won six individual medals, including the all-round gold, and a team prize competing for the Soviet Union.

He had been crowned champion on the floor four years earlier in Munich and was also in the winning Soviet team at their home Games in Moscow in 1980.

No.4 - Boris Shakhlin

Gymnastics

Seven Gold Medals
Four Silver Medals
Two Bronze Medals

Boris Shakhlin was another multi-medal winning Soviet gymnast, who claimed seven gold medals between 1956 and 1964.

He won the pommel horse gold at both Melbourne and Rome, where he was also crowned the individual champion, although he was forced to retire at the age of 35 after suffering a heart attack.

No.5 - Edoardo Mangiarotti

Fencing

Six Gold Medals
Five Silver Medals
Two Bronze Medals

Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti claimed his first gold medal at the age of 17 at the 1936 Games in Berlin and he was still competing 24 years later.

Just one of his six golds came in an individual competition, the men’s epee in Helsinki in 1952, although he did claim a silver in the foil at the same Games.

He was part of the Italia team that won epee gold in 1952, 1956 and 1960.

No.6 - Takashi Ono

Gymnastics

Five Gold Medals
Four Silver Medals
Four Bronze Medals

Japan’s Takashi Ono challenged the Soviet dominance of gymnastics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, winning his first gold medal in Melbourne in 1956.

He won a medal in six of his eight events in Rome four years later and claimed his fifth and final gold medal in front of his home crowd in Tokyo in 1964.

No.7 - Paavo Nurmi

Athletics

Nine Gold Medals
Three Silver Medals

Paavo Nurmi, known as the Flying Finn, was undoubtedly one of the greatest middle-to-long distance runners of all time, setting 22 world records at distances from 1500m to 20km.

He was unbeaten in 121 consecutive races at the peak of his powers, winning gold medals on the track and in cross-country in Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924, when he collected five of his gold medals. 

No.8 - Birgit Fischer

Canoeing

Eight Gold Medals
Four Silver Medals

Birgit Fischer competed for both East and the united Germany, having made her debut in Moscow in 1980.

She went on to win gold medals over 500m in five straight Games, starting in Seoul in 1988 and it was only the Eastern Bloc’s boycott of the gathering in Los Angeles in 1984 that probably prevented her from winning in seven consecutive Games.

No.9 - Sawao Kato

Gymnastics

Eight Gold Medals
Three Silver Medals
One Bronze Medal

Sawao Kato was a member of the Japanese men’s team that won gold in his first Games in Mexico City in 1968 and he took gold in the all-round and parallel bars competition when his country took 15 of the 21 individual medals.

He also helped Japan claim a tight victory over the Soviet Union in Montreal in 1976.

No.10 - Jenny Thompson

Swimming

Eight Gold Medals
Three Silver Medals
One Bronze Medal

Jenny Thompson is the most decorated US female swimmer, claiming eight golds between 1992 and 2004, all of which came in relay events in which she swam either the freestyle or butterfly legs.

Her best individual performance was the silver she claimed in the 100m freestyle in Barcelona in 1992.