At first glance, swimmer from the USA Michael Phelps, gymnast from the USSR Larisa Latynina and athlete from Finland Paavo Nurmi have nothing in common. In addition, all three are outstanding athletes. After all, they lived at different times, they did not compete with each other. But those who think so are wrong. It is Phelps, Latynina and Nurmi who lead the list of world record holders for the number of Olympic gold medals, ahead of several hundred other sports stars.
Olympic phenomena
Almost half a thousand athletes who returned from the Summer and Winter Olympic Games with three or more gold medals of champions went down in the history of world sports. Almost 200 of them have won at least four such awards at the Games. Seventy athletes proudly carry the titles of five-time Olympic champions, 34 of them have won at least six gold medals. 17 Olympians have seven championship titles, 12 winners have eight or more.
Finally, only four - athletes Carl Lewis (USA) and Paavo Nurmi (Finland), American swimmer Mark Spitz and gymnast from the USSR Larisa Latynina - are holders of the nine highest Olympic medals, second only to another phenomenal representative of American swimming - Michael Phelps in their number. Performing at three Olympics in a row, he won 22 awards in the pool, 18 of which were gold!
This truly fantastic achievement may well be considered unattainable, and even eternal. After all, the closest "pursuer" of Phelps from the current athletes is the Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who after the Games in Sochi won eight gold medals. But to catch up with the American swimmer, the 40-year-old Norwegian needs to stay in the sport until at least 2022. Moreover, it is not easy to compete in at least two more Winter Olympics, but also to win all the races there …
The position of the leaders, which will definitely not change until the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, since none of Michael's possible "competitors" will perform there, is this: Phelps - 22 medals, including 18 gold, two silver and bronze, Latynina - 18 (9, 5, 4), Nurmi - 12 (9, 3, 0), Spitz - 11 (9, 1, 1), Lewis - 10 (9, 1, 0), Bjoerndalen - 13 (8, 4, 1), Nikolay Andrianov - 15 (7, 5, 3), Boris Shakhlin (both - USSR, artistic gymnastics) - 13 (7, 4, 2), Edoardo Manjarotti (Italy, fencing) - 13 (6, 5, 2).
Baltimore Bullet
Such a nickname for a native of Baltimore, Maryland, Michael Fred Phelps II, as the full name of the 18-time Olympic swimming champion sounds, was given by fans. And not only from among those who for many years watched respectfully as the leader of the US national team beat record after record in the pool and regularly climbs to the top step of the Olympic podium. This happened six times in Athens 2004 (where Phelps also won two bronze medals), eight times in Beijing 2008, and four times in London 2012 (plus two bronzes).
The achievements of the absolute record holder in gold and total Olympic awards include 26 of his victories at the world championships in a 50-meter pool and seven titles of the best swimmer on the planet. So the sadness of many Phelps fans is understandable when, after the end of the 2012 Games in London, their then 27-year-old idol announced the end of the performances. As well as their joy at the news of his return to sports in the spring of 2014 and a new victory in one of the tournaments in the United States.
Pedestal for Tarzan
Most of the 70 most titled Olympic athletes, who have won at least five gold medals, are men. There are 48 of them on the list against 22 women, led by Larisa Latynina, who spoke at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Games. The first place among 17 countries, for which seven dozen Olympic record holders played, is confidently led by the United States, including thanks to Phelps, who broke the record by Latynina. There are almost a third of Americans in it - 20. The second line of the table of achievements is occupied by Russia / USSR - 11 people. In third place is Germany / GDR - 6.
The most "gold-intensive" of the 16 sports presented in the "list of 70" are gymnastics - 17 people, swimming - 14 and fencing - 6. Moreover, the five-time champion of the 1924 and 1928 Games, American Johnny (Peter Johann) Weissmuller, who is more famous for his performance the role of Tarzan in the Hollywood film series of the same name, became the only one of 70 who won in two sports at once - swimming and water polo.
