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Split image of Ireen Wüst, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky
Ireen Wust, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky are three of the most decorated Olympians of all time.

Richard Heathcote/Staff/Getty Images; Adam Pretty/Getty Images; Quinn Rooney/Staff/Getty Images

  • The 2026 Winter Olympics officially kick off on Friday.
  • Some of the most decorated athletes in Winter Games history are Marit Bjørgen and Ireen Wüst.
  • Swimmer Michael Phelps still holds the record for most Olympic medals of all time, with 28.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are almost here.

While some of the most famous names in Olympic history have earned their gold during the Summer Games, winter sports also have some of the most medal-winning athletes.

Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen and skier and biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen are among the most successful athletes, with 15 and 13 medals, respectively.

Most recently, in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, speed skater Ireen Wüst won her 12th and 13th medals, earning her spot among the most decorated athletes of all time.

With 28 medals, swimmer Michael Phelps continued to comfortably retain his title as the most decorated Olympian of all time.

From swimming and gymnastics to cross-country skiing and fencing, these 21 athletes have each won 12 or more Olympic medals, making them the most decorated Olympians of all time.

The medal counts below are according to the athletes' official Olympic pages.

American swimmer Natalie Coughlin won 12 Olympic medals from 2004 to 2012, including three gold.
Closeup of USA Natalie Coughlin victorious with gold medal after Women's 100M Backstroke Final at Olympic Aquatic Centre. Athens, Greece

Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Competed for: USA

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London

Medal breakdown: 3 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze

Alexei Nemov competed in three Olympics but won his 12 medals in his first two Games.
Alexei Nemov at the Olympics

Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Competed for: Russia

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Olympic years of participation: 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens

Medal breakdown: 4 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze

Dara Torres finished her Olympic career with 12 medals, the last of which came 24 years after her Olympic debut.
Dara Torres of the US stood on the podium wearing her silver medal and holding flowers after winning the women's 50-meter freestyle.
Torres won the silver medal in the women's 50-meter freestyle at the 2008 Olympics.

Cameron Spencer/Staff/Getty Images

Competed for: USA

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing

Medal breakdown: 4 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze

Fellow American swimmer Ryan Lochte also has 12 Olympic medals, including six gold.
Ryan Lochte posed with his silver medal on the podium after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley.
Lochte won silver in the men's 200-meter individual medley at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Adam Pretty/Staff/Getty Images

Competed for: USA

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio

Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze

American Jenny Thompson is one of the most accomplished swimmers in history, with 12 Olympic medals.
Jenny Thompson at the olympics

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Competed for: USA

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze

Japanese gymnast Sawao Katō won seven individual medals and four team medals for a total of 12 awards.
Sawao Kato at the 1972 Munich Olympics

Gerry Cranham/Offside via Getty Images

Competed for: Japan

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Olympic years of participation: 1968 Mexico City, 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze

Norwegian skier Bjørn Daehlie won 12 medals across three Olympics.
Bjorn Daehlie

Chris Cole/Getty Images

Competed for: Norway

Sport: Cross-country skiing

Olympic years of participation: 1992 Albertville, 1994 Lillehammer, 1998 Nagano

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver

German kayaker Birgit Fischer won 12 medals, including her eighth and final gold in 2004 at the age of 42.
Birgit Fischer gestures after finishing second with teammate Carolin Leonhardt (not pictured) in the Women's K2 500m final for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games at the Schinias Rowing and Canoeing Center, outside Athens, 28 August 2004.

MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP

Competed for: Germany

Sport: Kayaking

Olympic years of participation: 1980 Moscow, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver

Paavo Nurmi won 12 Olympic medals as a track and field athlete for Finland.
Paavo Nurmi ran with the Olympic torch at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki as spectators watched.
Nurmi ran with the Olympic torch at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

ATP/RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Competed for: Finland

Sport: Track and field

Olympic years of participation: 1920 Antwerp, 1924 Paris, 1928 Amsterdam

Medal breakdown: 9 gold, 3 silver

Takashi Ono competed in four Olympics, winning 13 medals across three games.
Japanese gymnnast Takashi Ono competing on the uneven bars in the men's individual all-around gymnnastics event at the Baths of Caracalla during the Olympic Games in Rome, 7th September 1960.

Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Competed for: Japan

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Olympic years of participation: 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo

Medal breakdown: 5 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze

Edoardo Mangiarotti won 13 medals for Italy as a fencer.
Edoardo Mangiarotti (left) smiled and posed next to fellow Olympic fencers, Christian D'Oriola (center) and Manlio Di Rosa (right). Mangiarotti wore a robe with flowers tucked into the belt.
Mangiarotti (left) won the silver medal in the fencing competition at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

-/AFP via Getty Images

Competed for: Italy

Sport: Fencing

Olympic years of participation: 1936 Berlin, 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome

Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze

Across five Olympic Games, Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst has won 13 medals.
Ireen Wüst posed with her gold medal at the women's 1500-meter short track speed skating medal ceremony.
Wüst won the gold medal in the women's 1500-meter short track speed skating competition.

Richard Heathcote/Staff/Getty Images

Competed for: The Netherlands

Sport: Speed skating

Olympic years of participation: 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi, 2018 PyeongChang, 2022 Beijing

Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze

Boris Shakhlin of the Soviet Union won 13 gymnastics medals during the 1950s and '60s.
Boris Shakhlin on the pommel horse
Boris Shakhlin.

ullstein bild Dtl. / Getty

Competed for: The USSR

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Olympic years of participation: 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo

Medal breakdown: 7 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze

Norwegian skier and biathlon athlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen has won 13 medals.
Gold medalist Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Men's Sprint 10 km on day 2 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 9, 2014 in Sochi

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Competed for: Norway

Sport: Biathlon, Cross-country skiing

Olympic years of participation: 1994 Lillehammer, 1998 Nagano, 2002 Salt Lake City, 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze

Swimmer Emma McKeon is the most decorated Australian Olympian of all time with 13 medals.
Emma McKeon of Australia smiles and holds her gold medal after winning the women's 50-meter freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
McKeon won the gold medal for the women's 50-meter freestyle in Tokyo. She is the most decorated Australian Olympian of all time.

Al Bello/Staff/Getty Images

Competed for: Australia

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, 2024 Paris

Medal breakdown: 6 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze

German equestrian Isabell Werth has competed in seven Olympics, winning 14 medals.
Isabell Werth with Wendy of team Germany reacts after the Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Chateau de Versailles on August 04, 2024 in Versailles, France

Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images

Competed for: Germany

Sport: Equestrian

Olympic years of participation: 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, 2024 Paris

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 6 silver

Katie Ledecky is the most decorated American woman in Olympic history, with 14 medals.
Katie Ledecky of the United States smiled and held her gold medal atop the podium after winning the women's 800-meter freestyle at the 2024 Olympics.
Ledecky is the US's most decorated female Olympian of all time.

Quinn Rooney/Staff/Getty Images

Competed for: USA

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 2012 London, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, 2024 Paris

Medal breakdown: 9 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze

Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov earned 15 medals.
Nikolai Andrianov at the 1976 Olympics

USSR

Competed for: The USSR

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Olympic years of participation: 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow

Medal breakdown: 7 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze

Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen has earned 15 medals across five Olympic Games.
Marit Bjørgen celebrated her gold medal win in the women's 30-kilometer cross-country ski race, raising the Norwegian flag and her ski poles with her head hung with tears.
Bjørgen won the gold medal in the women's 30-kilometer cross-country ski race at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

Nils Petter Nilsson/Contributor/Getty Images

Competed for: Norway

Sport: Cross-country skiing

Olympic years of participation: 2002 Salt Lake City, 2006 Turin, 2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi, 2018 PyeongChang

Medal breakdown: 8 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze

Larisa Latynina is the most decorated female Olympian and gymnast of all time, with 18 medals.
Larisa Latynina of the USSR competed on the balance beam as a crowd of spectators watched.
Latynina is the most decorated female Olympian of all time.

-/Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

Competed for: The USSR

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Olympic years of participation: 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo

Medal breakdown: 9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze

With 28 medals, Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history.
Michael Phelps of the US smiled and kissed his gold medal during the medal ceremony for the men's 200-meter individual medley in 2016.
Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals to his name.

Adam Pretty/Staff/Getty Images

Competed for: USA

Sport: Swimming

Olympic years of participation: 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio

Medal breakdown: 23 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

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The Olympians with the most medals of all time, ranked