The athletes who have amassed the most career Olympic medals of all time, combining Summer and Winter Games from Michael Phelps down.
Quick answer: 1. Michael Phelps, 2. Larisa Latynina, 3. Marit Bjorgen, 4. Nikolai Andrianov, 5. Katie Ledecky, 6. Isabell Werth, 7. Ole Einar Bjorndalen, 8. Boris Shakhlin, 9. Edoardo Mangiarotti, 10. Takashi Ono.
This is a ranking of the individual athletes who have won the most Olympic medals across their entire careers, counting gold, silver, and bronze together and combining the Summer and Winter Games. It spans nearly a century of competition, from Edoardo Mangiarotti's fencing debut in 1936 to Katie Ledecky and Isabell Werth adding hardware in Paris 2024. It is a list for Olympics fans, quiz-setters, and anyone settling the "who has the most medals ever" argument. The names skew heavily toward swimming, gymnastics, and endurance winter sports — disciplines that stack multiple medal events into a single Games — and include the most decorated male, female, Summer, and Winter Olympians of all time.
The most decorated Olympian of all time by a wide margin, finishing 10 medals clear of second place. His 23 golds are themselves an all-time record.
Held the all-time medal record of 18 until Phelps passed her in 2012. She remains the most decorated female Olympian and the most decorated gymnast in history.
The most decorated Winter Olympian of all time. Tied with Andrianov at 15 medals, she ranks ahead on the gold tie-break (8 to 7).
Held the men's record for most Olympic medals until Phelps surpassed him in 2008. Tied with Bjorgen on total but ranked below her on golds (7 to 8).
Reached 14 medals with two golds at Paris 2024, becoming the most decorated U.S. female Olympian. She leads the three-way tie at 14 on golds (9).
Equestrian's most decorated Olympian, with a medal at every one of the seven Games she has contested. She ranks above Bjorndalen in the 14-medal tie on the silver tie-break (6 to 4).
The most decorated biathlete and one of the most decorated Winter Olympians ever. He matches Ledecky and Werth on golds (8) but trails on silvers in the tie-break.
Held the men's medal record before Andrianov took it. He leads the three-way tie at 13 medals on golds (7).
One of the most decorated fencers in history, competing across five Games from 1936 to 1960. He ranks second in the 13-medal tie on golds (6).
The fourth-most decorated gymnast in Olympic history and Japan's most decorated Olympian. He closes the top 10, ranking last of the three tied at 13 on golds (5).
| # | Name | Nation | Sport | Gold / Silver / Bronze | Games span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Phelps | United States | Swimming | 23 / 3 / 2 | 2004-2016 |
| 2 | Larisa Latynina | Soviet Union | Gymnastics | 9 / 5 / 4 | 1956-1964 |
| 3 | Marit Bjorgen | Norway | Cross-country skiing | 8 / 4 / 3 | 2002-2018 |
| 4 | Nikolai Andrianov | Soviet Union | Gymnastics | 7 / 5 / 3 | 1972-1980 |
| 5 | Katie Ledecky | United States | Swimming | 9 / 4 / 1 | 2012-2024 |
| 6 | Isabell Werth | Germany | Equestrian (dressage) | 8 / 6 / 0 | 1992-2024 |
| 7 | Ole Einar Bjorndalen | Norway | Biathlon | 8 / 4 / 2 | 1998-2014 |
| 8 | Boris Shakhlin | Soviet Union | Gymnastics | 7 / 4 / 2 | 1956-1964 |
| 9 | Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | Fencing | 6 / 5 / 2 | 1936-1960 |
| 10 | Takashi Ono | Japan | Gymnastics | 5 / 4 / 4 | 1952-1964 |
Athletes are ranked by total career Olympic medals won — gold, silver, and bronze added together, counting every event they medaled in (individual, team, and relay), with Summer and Winter Games combined into one career total, highest first. Only medals won at the official Olympic Games are counted. Where athletes are tied on total medals, they are ordered by number of golds, then by number of silvers, following standard Olympic tie-break convention (the same ordering used in the official medal table). Medal counts and gold/silver/bronze splits are drawn from each athlete's competitive record as documented by Olympics.com athlete profiles, Wikipedia's ranked list of multiple Olympic medalists, and Britannica, cross-checked against contemporaneous reporting. The list reflects results through the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
American swimmer Michael Phelps, with 28 total Olympic medals won between 2004 and 2016. That total is 10 clear of second place, and his 23 golds are also an all-time record.
Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, with 18 medals (9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze). She held the overall all-time record until Phelps passed her in 2012 and remains both the most decorated female Olympian and the most decorated gymnast.
Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen, with 15 medals (8 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze) from 2002 to 2018 — the most of any Winter Olympian. Biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway is close behind with 14.
Athletes level on total medals are ranked by number of golds, then by number of silvers, following standard Olympic convention. That is why, at 14 medals each, Katie Ledecky (9 golds) ranks ahead of Isabell Werth and Ole Einar Bjorndalen (8 golds each), with Werth ahead of Bjorndalen on silvers.