American swimmer Katie Ledecky is set to compete in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics with a historic opportunity to surpass former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most Olympic gold medals won by a female athlete.
Latynina, who dominated in gymnastics, secured nine gold medals during her Olympic career. Ledecky, with seven golds and 10 total Olympic medals, needs three more golds in Paris to claim the top spot for women's Olympic gold medals.
Ledecky will compete in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle individual events, as well as the U.S. women's 4x200-meter relay team at the Paris Olympics.
Top Olympians with the Most Gold Medals
Men's
- Michael Phelps (United States): 23 gold (28 total)
Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals and total medals in Olympic history. He earned eight golds at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the most at a single Games, and added nine more golds across the next two Olympics.
- Paavo Nurmi (Finland): 9 gold (12 total)
Nurmi, a Finnish distance runner, won nine gold medals from 1920-28, including six in individual events and three in team events. His career was cut short in 1932 due to a ban for alleged professionalism.
- Mark Spitz (United States): 9 gold (11 total)
At the 1972 Munich Olympics, Spitz set multiple world records and won seven gold medals, including his final gold in the 400-meter medley relay.
- Carl Lewis (United States): 9 gold (10 total)
Lewis matched Jesse Owens' 1936 feat by winning four gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4x100-meter relay, with the relay team setting a world record.
- Ole Einar Bjørndalen (Norway): 8 gold (13 total)
Bjørndalen excelled at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, winning gold in all four biathlon events (10 km, 20 km, pursuit, and relay), a record for a single Winter Olympics.
Women's
- Larisa Latynina (Soviet Union): 9 gold (18 total)
Latynina's Olympic career from 1956-64 included nine golds in gymnastics events, with victories in the all-around, floor exercises, horse vault, and team categories across three different Olympics. She later coached the Soviet national team.
- Marit Bjørgen (Norway): 8 gold (15 total)
Bjørgen, a cross-country skier, won five medals at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, including three golds. Her 15 total medals are the highest in Winter Olympics history, making her a five-time Olympian.
- Birgit Fischer-Schmidt (East Germany/Germany): 8 gold (12 total)
Fischer-Schmidt, the greatest women's canoeist, won eight gold medals over six Olympic Games spanning 24 years. She achieved golds in K1, K2, and K4 events and returned from retirement to win gold in 2004.
- Jenny Thompson (United States): 8 gold (12 total)
Thompson is the most decorated U.S. female swimmer, with all her golds coming in relay events. She also earned individual silver and bronze medals in the 100-meter freestyle at the 1992 and 2000 Olympics, respectively.
- Isabell Werth (Germany): 7 gold (12 total)
Werth, part of the dominant German equestrian team, won six team golds from 1992 to 2020 and an individual gold in 1996. She is one of three Olympians to win gold at six different Games, alongside Fischer-Schmidt and fencer Aladár Gerevich.
