Who has won the most Olympic medals?
American swimmer Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals, with 28, including a record 23 golds, across the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games.
Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven golds at a single Games from 1972. He competed in five Olympics, starting at age 15 in Sydney in 2000, where he did not win a medal.
Before Phelps, the record for most medals belonged to Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals between 1956 and 1964. She still holds the record among female athletes for most medals.
Top nations
Among countries, the United States has won by far the most Olympic medals, more than 2,600 at the Summer Games. In the Winter Olympics, Norway leads the all-time medal table.
Phelps trained by swimming up to about 80 kilometers a week. His long arms, large hands and feet and flexible body helped make him one of the most successful swimmers ever.
Did You Know?
At the Paralympic Games, American swimmer Trischa Zorn won 55 medals between 1980 and 2004, the most of any Paralympic athlete.