For over a century, every four years, the Olympics brings the world together to celebrate the athletic capabilities of humankind. In events including track and field, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and more, women continue to play their part in setting world records. With the “2020” Olympic Games coming up in Tokyo – let’s take a look at the nine most decorated female Olympic athletes in modern times.
Larisa Latynina
The Russian-born Larisa Latynina holds the record at 18 Olympic medals for gymnastics, the highest record holder in the world in any event for a female as well as the most Olympic gold medals by any person, male or female, in gymnastics. She won 14 individual medals and four team medals at the Olympic Games in 1956, 1960, and 1964. She was also instrumental in helping the Soviet Union develop their dominant gymnastics team for the rest of the century.
Birgit Fischer
Birgit Fischer has won a total of 12 Olympic medals in canoeing spanning over six Olympic Games. Representing Germany, she is also the youngest and oldest Olympic canoeing champion ever, competing when she was as young as 18 and as old as 42. She continues to inspire athletes and was chosen as the German sportswoman of the year in 2004.
Jenny Thompson
US swimmer Jenny Thompson has won a total of 12 Olympic medals spanning across four Olympic Games. She has won eight gold medals and at one point held the world record for the fastest 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, which she set at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Dara Torres
US swimmer Dara Torres, like her teammate Jenny Thompson, has also won a total of 12 Olympic medals. Competing across five Olympic Games, Dara Torres is the oldest US swimmer ever to be on the US National Team at age 33. Her events include the 50-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay. As she won a medal at every Games at which she competed, she is one of the few people ever to win a medal at five Olympic Games.
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Natalie Coughlin
Another US Swimmer, Natalie Coughlin, has won 12 Olympic medals and is the only female in modern Olympic history to win six medals at one Olympic Games. Competing in the 100-meter backstroke, she is also the first female swimmer to win gold in the 100-meter backstroke at two consecutive Olympic Games.
Věra Čáslavská
As the most decorated Czech gymnast in history, Věra Čáslavská has won 11 Olympic medals across her career. Alongside Larisa Latynina, Čáslavská also is the only other gymnast to win two consecutive gold medals at back-to-back Olympic Games in 1964 and 1968.
Isabell Werth
Isabell Werth is a German equestrian in dressage holding the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by any equestrian athlete. She competed in five Olympic Games from 1992-2016 and won ten medals, six of them gold.
Agnes Keleti
Currently the oldest living Olympic champion alive, Agnes Keleti recently celebrated her 100th birthday in early 2021. She is a Hungarian-Israeli gymnast and while representing Hungary, she won ten Olympic medals, five of them gold, making her the most successful athlete at the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne, Australia. She is known to be the most successful Jewish Olympian and holds more Olympic medals than anyone in history with Israeli citizenship.
Polina Astakhova
A Soviet and Ukrainian gymnast, Polina Astakhova has won a total of ten medals spanning across the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympic Games. She won five gold, three silver, and two bronze medals in team events and individual events including the parallel bars, floor exercise, and all-around. She was instrumental in helping her team win gold at all three Olympic Games she attended.
